Meet Joan | Author

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

Hi Joan, how does your business help the community?
I feel that my book has a message that we should not judge people by their looks but by their character. We need to look inside the person to understand that we are all the same inside and we should treat one another in a much kinder manner.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a retired teacher who taught for 32 years. I had always wanted to write a children’s book and I finally had the opportunity to do so. With all of the divisiveness in our world lately, I wanted to create a positive message. The poem that I wrote, which became the text for the book, teaches children that “Inside We Are All the Same”. My intent was to show the reader that we should not make fun or bully others because we are all the same inside. As Dr. Martin Luther King preached we should judge people by the content of their character.

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?
There are many great areas that Baytown has to offer. I would take a friend to downtown Baytown to show them the Sculpture Trail along Texas Avenue as well as a visit to the Art League to see the works of local artists. Shows at the Baytown Little Theater and Lee College Performing Arts Center are additional places to enjoy plays and concerts. For a nice yoga experience we could go to Hmegrown yoga studio which is also located on Texas Avenue in Baytown. For a delicious meal I would take them to Soul Fuel Tx which is an opportunity to eat a healthy meal from a food truck on Highway 146. Our local library offers a variety of activities for all ages.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to thank my parents for raising me to treat everyone as I would like to be treated and not judging people by their looks but on their character. I want to thank my husband and children for their support with my book project. I want to thank the illustrator, Karen Knight, who made the book come to life with her beautiful colored pencil illustrations. She is a most talented artist. When I asked Karen if she would illustrate the book, she said that she had always wanted to illustrate a children’s book. We had formerly worked together on the city bookmobile.

Website: https://lulu.com

Other: I would like to let people know that my book can be found at lulu.com. The book is entitled “Inside We Are All the Same”