for Our
Writer Homies
Looking for local authors to support?
Check out the author directory
This growing directory contains a living list of local authors we have collaborated with, hope to work with in the future, or are just super dope and should be in your rotation. The list will continue to grow, and if you have any suggestions or would like to be added please shoot us an email with contact and author information.
** = Books that are currently available through our website/store collaboration. When you purchase, money is split between author and bookstore.
How can you get your work added to the BLK + BRWN. shelves?
Check out our Guidelines and Consignment Information
Support Local Authors
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Dawn Downey
KANSAS CITY, MO
Dawn Downey writes essays about her journey through everyday life. She is the author of Searching for My Heart, From Dawn to Daylight, and Stumbling Toward the Buddha. Downey mornings begin with meditation, followed by yoga. To protect her writing time from the temptations of the internet, she deploys an app that blocks political websites from her computer. She cheats by checking her tablet.
Her Work:
**Blindsided: Essays From the Only Black Woman in the Room
Searching for my Heart
From Dawn to Daylight
Stumbling Toward the Buddha
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Dayonne Richardson
KANSAS CITY, MO
Dayonne Necole is an African American Christian author. She began her career as an educator in 2012, with having the opportunity to teach in America and China. Her educational audience ranges from elementary to collegiate to professional educators. "I Told the Storm" is a testament to her life's story and her first published children's book. She patiently waits for the revelation of the next, while keeping in mind a portion of her favorite scripture..."...What's next papa?" Romans 8:15 MSG
Her Work:
I Told the Storm
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Daniel Holliday
LEE’S SUMMIT, MO
Author and publisher Daniel Holliday has been a real estate investor for 7 years. Learning about business credit has helped transform his opportunities as an entrepreneur. Daniel Holliday shares with you what he has learned, up to this point, about real estate and business credit.
His Work:
**Business Credit Builder
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Tyesha Mack
ST. LOUIS, MO
She started writing poetry very young and always kept it a secret up until her 20s. I began sharing my poetry after a friend signed me up for a spoken word event. In July 2019, she hosted her first open mic. She began writing her book when she was 24 and never took steps to take it seriously because she was afraid of sharing myself that way. Mack assumed her story wasn’t good enough to be heard. In 2021, Mack finally decided to go for it!
Her Work:
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Nikita Vonee
KANSAS CITY, MO
Nikita is a mother, nurse, trained singer, visual artist, and writer. Her 7 years of experience with blogging shines through her newest collection of life stories compiled in a memoir. She has had a love for creative writing since the age of 12, and has also expressed herself creatively through both vocal performance and visual artistry throughout the years.
Her ability to pull people into her inner world has been perfected by sharing her words, art and songs on social platforms; is now excited to be a first-time published author.
Her Work:
Oceans + Heavens
bury. water. flourish. bloom
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Rep. Sharice Davids
ROELAND PARK, KS
Sharice Davids made history in 2018 when she became one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress and the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Kansas in Washington. A former mixed martial artist and first-generation college student, Sharice worked her way through JCCC in the district she now represents, before eventually earning a law degree from Cornell Law School.
She went on to work in economic and community development on tribal reservations, including Pine Ridge. Sharice was later selected to the prestigious White House Fellowship program under President Barack Obama. Sharice was inspired to public service by her single mom, who served as an Army drill sergeant.
Her Work:
**Sharice’s Big Voice
