We had the good fortune of connecting with Carlotta Penn, PHD and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlotta, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started Daydreamers Press after self-publishing my first picture book, Dream A Rainbow, in 2017. After experiencing miscarriages in the previous years, I wrote the story in dedication to my Rainbow Baby–my first born child after loss. As a pregnant Black woman writer determined to release a picture book by my daughter’s first birthday, it was important for me to publish independently for two main reasons. First, I knew that the trade publishing industry is biased in terms of diversity of writers and story characters and second, the traditional publication process often takes several years from concept to completion. I started a business because I felt a sense of urgency to gift a special story to my daughter and the world.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents always encouraged my creative thinking and independent spirit. My mother was an elementary school teacher and my father was a Protestant minister who was gifted in visual arts. I am grateful that they valued education, service, and creativity, because those elements remain central to my life decades later.

Website: www.daydreamerspress.com

Instagram: @daydreamerspress

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daydreamerspress

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxsNEOl3sqM

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