What’s Your Story?: Marc Boston: On a Mission of Self-Empowerment

“What’s Your Story?” is a guest post feature on BCBA’s blog. Indie/Self-Published authors are invited to write about their books, writing journey, creative process, inspiration, rewards and challenges of publishing, etc. They can go in whatever direction they choose. We are excited and grateful for their willingness to share, and we hope you enjoy Marc Boston’s story. Go here for more WYS? posts.

It’s bedtime.

And as the evening ritual goes, I tote under my arm one of our recent library books finds, or we decide on one of the old faithful, well-worn favorites from the bookshelf, the kind that never seems to get tired or stale. I find a comfortable spot on the floor while my three young daughters circle me like little moons orbiting their host planet. I put on my glasses, fold back the cover, and we immerse ourselves into the world that this portable piece of paper-bound magic has provided, to the delight of my young listeners.

This particular evening would prove to be quite different, as an innocent yet compelling observation was made that would eventually transform my world.

The nightly reading began as it usually did and was proceeding nicely. However, around the midpoint of the tale, my oldest daughter made an alert analysis of an issue that was rather conspicuous to me, though it was something I hadn’t realized she was cognizant of, even with her precocious young mind.

“Dad, why aren’t there any brown characters in the stories that we read at night?”

This was a question that was felt deep within my soul; this inquiry shook the foundations of my being; it was like a seed planted in the soil of my consciousness that if properly nurtured, would be the call to action that I truly needed. For I too had been, for my whole life, wondering the exact same thing. The lack of characters of color being prominently featured in children’s literature is getting some notice as of late, and there is quite a bit of attention centered around terms like “representation,” “equity,” and “diversity.” But for all the lip-service being paid on this issue by the publishing industry, little headway is being made to create the balance that is sorely needed.

Seeing this lack of inclusion in children’s books, I decided to act! As Toni Morrison stated, “If there is a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” Thus began the genesis of my first picture book, The Girl Who Carried Too Much Stuff.​

The Girl Who Carried Too Much Stuff​ is the tale of a little girl who loves to collect things! Not only does she collect them, but she gathers them up (stuffed animals, books, and toys) and carries them around with her wherever she goes. But she soon runs into trouble when she decides to embark on an afternoon outing to the neighborhood park. She finds that lugging around too much stuff may not be as much fun as she thought. This story touches on the issues we face in society with regard to overconsumption and materialism, offering the gentle suggestion that the idea of “letting go” can ultimately be more fulfilling.

Now, my mission is to create stories that emphasize the importance of diversity and inclusion and reflect on topics surrounding our own definition of family values and self-empowerment because all children deserve to see themselves represented in the pages of a book…especially at bedtime.

Marc Boston has always been a lover of books but didn’t grow up aspiring to become an author. However, seeing the lack of diversity in children’s books, he was inspired to write original stories to read to his daughters and to help ensure that more children are represented in the stories they read.  Marc has 3 published books, The Girl Who Carried Too Much Stuff, What About Me?, and Dad is Acting Strange.  He was born in Baltimore, MD and raised in Kansas City, KS. He lives with his wife Rachael and their three daughters in Charlottesville, VA.

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