As you keep pressing on with your stories and poems for the Inklings Book Contest, we are thrilled to share some encouragement from our author friend, Daria Peoples-Riley. Daria is the author of America, My Love, America, My Heart, releasing on April 6, 2021. It is available for pre-order now.
Check out what she has to say here:
Take Daria’s words to heart, Inklings, and “remember that regardless of the outcome, every single story you write will have its own journey.”
Your words of encouragement are so appreciated, Daria! Check out more of Daria’s work on her website: www.dariapeoples.com
Daria’s first job was at nine years old in the children’s section of her hometown library in Paso Robles, California. She worked a little, but she mostly read picture books. Daria loved basketball, drawing, and painting. Her dad gave her art lessons in their garage on Rose Lane, and Daria’s mom rescued her first self-portrait from the kitchen trash can and had it professionally framed the next day. Today, it hangs in her parents’ living room as a reminder that our life’s purpose almost always introduces itself to us as a child. Daria earned a BA in English from UC Santa Barbara, where she found herself shelving books in the library once again and reading the writings of many notable authors. After earning a Masters in Education and 10 years of teaching, Daria became a full-time author and illustrator. Daria lives in Las Vegas with her family.
Daria Peoples-Riley’s debut picture book THIS IS IT was published with Greenwillow/HarperCollins (February 2018) and I GOT NEXT (July 2019). Daria is also the illustrator of GLORIA TAKES A STAND by Jessica M. Rinker, a picture book biography about the life and work of Gloria Steinem (Bloomsbury, March 2019).
