We had the good fortune of connecting with Thomonique Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Thomonique, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think that my work/life balance is constantly changing. For the first 3 years of the book club, I was working full time in consulting and would sometimes have client projects that required 50+ hour work weeks. So I would spend any free time that I had left available planning, organizing, and reading for the book club. Right now, I am back in graduate school full time, so that’s been a big shift for me too. I wish that I could say that I have it perfectly balanced right now, but I don’t. I’m working long days, including nights and weekends. I’m organizing collaborations and creating content, as well as managing the social media page. It’s pretty much a one-woman show here haha. But I do it because I love it. So the balance for me is setting time limit boundaries on when I stop work at the end of the day and transition to night time reading and leisure activities.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m currently an Instructional Technology and Media Master’s student at Teachers College, Columbia University. I have a background in business and data analysis as a former digital consultant. I recently chose to return to school in 2020 because I’ve always had a passion for education, race literacy, and technology, and I wanted to find a way to blend these concepts. Now, my research interests are focused more specifically on exploring how digital tools, media-making, multimodality, and Youth Participatory Action Research (Y-PAR) can be used to enhance critical race media literacy and promote culturally relevant pedagogies and curriculums for 8-12 and higher education students. How can we make youth, and in turn society at large, smarter about race? For me, virtual spaces that explore literacy, like Books&Shit book club, are one of my ways to do just that.

The journey to get here has not been easy per se, but that is mostly because I was trying to force myself into a specific career that I wasn’t meant to be in. I was trying to figure out where I fit in, in terms of purpose. And I’m honestly still doing that, but it’s different this time. Some people are meant to know exactly what they will do with their life and follow a path that has been beaten many times over. But some of us are meant to be explorers. We will test waters and wander into other areas until we find “it” or feel that we are closer to “it”. And that is what has happened for me. I realize that I am not married to one specific career position or role, but to my goals. Whatever role or place I need to be to accomplish them, I will allow the Universe to shift and change them over time as long as I can accomplish my goals.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, we are definitely going to do at least one day in Piedmont park to hang out, read, drink sangria, and play games. We will hit up El Bar on Friday night and probably go to Mama’s 24hr at least 3 times during the week. We’ll get good eats at Barcelona and the Bar Taco in Inman Park. We’re going to have a boat day at Allatoona Lake, and we’ll hit Edgewood bars at least once. And on a Saturday, we’ll do some community service with TreesAtlanta and then head to a bottomless brunch at Red Pepper Taqueria where they will be required to get the shrimp and grits 🙂

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I think the most important people I can shout out are all the people who have been a part of the Books&Shit book club at one point or another over the last four years. One of my best friends, Vondell Burns has been a consistent supporter and member. I can always bounce ideas off of her and have her look at things and give me honest opinions. My old co-worker and friend, LaShondra has also been a member and consistent supporter from the beginning. Maleke Glee is someone I actually met through the book club and he has been an amazing supporter, and has really pushed me to take my ideas to the next level by connecting me with other amazing people and collaborating with me on different things. And literally everyone else who has ever joined for even just one month. The people in the club really keep the whole thing going and provide the magic that makes the book club what it is.

Website: www.booktastebythomo.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bookssandshit/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomonique-moore/

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