Have you ever used your voice to stand up and speak out?

Are you a 'force of nature?'

In this episode of the podcast, fabulous author and photographer Kate T. Parker stops by the show to promote her latest book 'Force of Nature.' It's an incredible book about the power of Women and Girls.

The conversation between Kate & Joe covers all manner of individual perspectives and how everyone can learn something from these powerful women and girls.

Enjoy!

About Kate T. Parker

KATE T. PARKER is a mother, wife, Ironman, professional photographer/director and New York Times Bestselling author who shoots both personal projects and commercial work for her clients. Her STRONG IS THE NEW PRETTY book led to collaborations with brands such as Disney, Athleta, Kellogg’s, and NBC. It has also inspired Kate to launch a philanthropic arm of SITNP, partnering with organizations such as Girls on the Run, Girl Up, The Arthur Blank Family Foundation, Disney, Glam4Good, and The Bully Project by investing in childrens’ health and education. Kate is also the author of Strong is the New Pretty: The Guided Journal, The Heart of a Boy Play Like A Girl and Force of Nature

About 'Force of Nature'

I first picked up a camera not long after my oldest daughter was born, eighteen years ago.  I felt as if something clicked in me (almost literally).  I loved making images and sharing stories of what it was like to be young, confident and free.  I found my calling and means of expression in celebrating kids, especially girls, authentically.  My first book, Strong is the New Pretty, started as a project to encourage my own two girls to know that they are enough just as they are and that being who they are is enough.  I’ve been photographing with that in mind ever since.  My hobby soon turned into a passion and then into a career.  Yes, it took me until I was in my thirties to find my “thing”, but I am so grateful.  This is my fifth book that celebrates the voices and stories of my subjects alongside images of them being themselves. I love helping to amplify their stories, told in their own words. It’s the best part of what I do, and it is how I use my voice.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

"Said you wanna be a legend
Or a statement, or a star
Said you wanna be a legend said you wanna
Be a statement, said you wanna be a star
No, we're legendary!"

On the episode today is THE ICON Dashaun Wesley!

I've been a fan of Dashaun ever since I first saw him on Max's 'Legendary' ballroom competition show! I then went back and watched him on Pose! 

This was an incredible episode where we covered Ballroom, Dashaun's performance background, and how ballroom can be used to further the conversation around the LGBTQ+ community.

Enjoy!

About Dashaun Wesley

Have YOU ever had a unicorn horn sprout suddenly form your forehead!?

What about having to go into the underworld to retrieve your BFF!?

Did I mention the horn sings!?

All this and more is covered in Dave Roman's FABULOUS graphic novel 'Unicorn Boy'!

Dave is on the show today to discuss all things unicorn, how they got started writing and illustrating, and how kids can take lessons from 'the boy' and apply it to their own lives.

Enjoy!

About Dave Roman

Dave Roman is the author/illustrator of the Astronaut Academy series (winner of Maryland’s Black-Eyed Susan Book Award) and writer of the graphic novels Teen Boat! (with John Patrick Green) and Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery. He has contributed stories to Comics Squad: Recess!, Explorer: The Mystery Boxes, Nursery Rhyme Comics, and Goosebumps Graphix: Slappy’s Tales of Horror. Roman is a professor at the School of Visual Arts, a former editor at Nickelodeon Magazine and is currently series editor for First Second’s Science Comics and History Comics series of nonfiction graphic novels. He lives in New York City and draws webcomics like Starbunny, Inc. and Pup & Duck that can be found on his website
yaytime.com

About 'Unicorn Boy'

The first few years of Brian Reyes’ life were unremarkable—nothing weird about this kid, no sir. Then, one day, a bump appeared on his head, and it grew…and grew…and grew until it was a full-blown, sparkling, SINGING unicorn horn. That’s absolutely the last thing a shy kid like Brian wants, but destiny waits for no unicorn boy.

Luckily, Brian has his reassuring pal Avery to keep him grounded as weird occurrences start stacking up, like Brian’s breakfast muffin talking to him, or a bizarre black cat offering him a business card. But when shadowy creatures from another realm kidnap Avery, Brian has to embrace his fate to rescue his best friend.

In the pages of Unicorn Boy, Dave Roman has created a cast of charming oddballs reckoning with normal, every day problems like heroic destinies and the fate of all magic in the universe. Readers of Narwal and Jelly, Grumpy Unicorn, and InvestiGators will also endear themselves to these lovable characters.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

Do you ever find yourself consumed with the 'voice inside your head'?

How do you separate out what is helpful vs what is harmful? 

When do you speak up to obtain the necessary tools and resources to come out of a difficult situation?

These are some of the topics discussed in the latest episode of the podcast!

Author John Schu stops by the podcast to discuss his latest book 'Louder Than Hunger' and he and Joe get into a deep conversation about how to navigate some of life's most difficult times growing up.

Also, because John is a librarian there are plenty of discussions around libraries, enjoy!

About John Schu

John Schu has made a career out of advocating for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, and the people that connect them. He was named a Library Journal Mover and Shaker for his dynamic interactions with students and his passionate adoption of new technologies as a means of connecting authors, illustrators, books, and readers. He is the children’s librarian for Bookelicious, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University, and shares his love of reading with countless educators and students around the world. He served as the Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs for almost 6 years.

He is the author of This Is a School (Candlewick Press, 2022) illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison, This Is a Story (Candlewick Press, 2023) illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, Louder Than Hunger (Candlewick, 2024) and The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life (Stenhouse, 2022). He is a contributor to The Creativity Project (Little, Brown, 2018), edited by Colby Sharp. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois.

About 'Louder Than Hunger'

Revered teacher, librarian, and story ambassador John Schu explores anorexia—and self-expression as an act of survival—in a wrenching and transformative novel-in-verse.

But another voice inside me says,
We need help.
We’re going to die.

Jake volunteers at a nursing home because he likes helping people. He likes skating and singing, playing Bingo and Name That Tune, and reading mysteries and comics aloud to his teachers. He also likes avoiding people his own age . . . and the cruelty of mirrors . . . and food. Jake has read about kids like him in books—the weird one, the outsider—and would do anything not to be that kid, including shrink himself down to nothing. But the less he eats, the bigger he feels. How long can Jake punish himself before he truly disappears? A fictionalized account of the author’s experiences and emotions living in residential treatment facilities as a young teen with an eating disorder, Louder than Hunger is a triumph of raw honesty. With a deeply personal afterword for context, this much-anticipated verse novel is a powerful model for muffling the destructive voices inside, managing and articulating pain, and embracing self-acceptance, support, and love.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

What would you do if your historic talent show performance was upstaged by GASP your crush!? 

And further what would you do if your "crush" then started telling people he saved you because of your disability!?

This is the premise for the fantastic book 'Shiny Misfits' writen by Maysoon Zayid. Maysoon joins the podcast today to share the background on writing this particular book and emphasizes the continued importantance of representation in children's books.

Enjoy!

About Maysoon Zayid

Maysoon Zayid is a comedian, actress, writer, and disability advocate. She is a graduate of Arizona State University and a Princeton Fellow. Maysoon is the co-founder/co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival and The Muslim Funny Fest. She was a full-time On Air Contributor to Countdown with Keith Olbermann and a columnist for The Daily Beast. She has appeared on 60 Minutes, CNN, ABC News, and Oprah Winfrey Networks. Maysoon had the most viewed TED Talk of 2014 and was thrilled to collaborate with Huda Beauty.

As a professional comedian, Maysoon has sold out top New York clubs and has toured extensively at home and abroad. She was a headliner on the Arabs Gone Wild Comedy Tour and The Together Live Tour. Maysoon appeared alongside Adam Sandler in You Don’t Mess With the Zohan and has written for Glamour magazine. She limped in New York Fashion Week and is a recurring character on General Hospital. She is the author of the best-selling memoir Find Another Dream and is collaborating with Scholastic on her debut comic book Shiny Misfits.

About 'Shiny Misfits'

A sparkling story about friendship, fame, and fighting to write your own narrative,  SHINY MISFITS spotlights Bay Ann, a young Arab American Muslim girl with two tap shoes and a dream of the stage who, despite her awe-inspiring routine is reduced to her disability—cerebral palsy—after her wobble on stage goes viral. Bay Ann refuses to have her talent cast aside and teams up with her best friends to take her power back… while getting into a few capers along the way.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

Ooooh Natural 20!

oh nooooo crit miss!

Roll your initiative!

Which dice?

Your d20!

.....

What am I reading?

Oh, no big deal, it's just dogs playing a roleplaying game. 

Oh, ok. Wait, whut?

.....

Yes, this week's wonderful author/illustrator, Scout Underhill, created a wonderful book "DnDoggos" based on their wonderful webcomic which has been in existence since 2017!

Enjoy this fun interview about this super exciting debut novel from Scout!

.....

About Scout Underhill

Scout Underhill (they/them) is a nonbinary, queer author-illustrator and a life-long professional dog cuddler, creating stories in the woods near Nashville, TN. They started drawing comics as a wee child and never stopped. DnDoggos began as a webcomic in 2017 after the real life dogs were caught playing tabletop roleplay games. Having no thumbs of their own in which to hold pencils, the doggos enlisted Scout's help to make them famous. When not drawing dog comics, Scout can be found thinking about dogs, playing with dogs, and cuddling with dogs. Scout received the award “Best Person In The World” from their own dogs in 2010 and has held the title every year since. DnDoggos GET THE PARTY STARTED (Feiwel & Friends, 2024) is their debut graphic novel.

About DnDoggos

Four adorable dogs have picked their characters and favorite dice and are ready to save the day in this middle-grade graphic novel debut from online comic creator Scout Underhill.

Magnus is tail-waggingly excited to share his favorite role-playing game with his friends! They've picked their characters and favorite dice, and are ready to set off on the adventure Magnus has created for them.

Pickles, a rough-and-tumble fighter; Tonka, a playful and fun-loving bard; and Zoey, a wise and caring cleric, are given a quest to fetch a magical dog collar from a nearby swamp. But when they triumphantly return, they soon find that the collar isn't the only thing that has gone missing from Tail's Bend. All the squeaky toys in town have disappeared and Squish, the mayor's young son, has set off on his own to find them.

It's up to the Doggos to rescue Squish, track down the missing toys, and save the day!

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

Have you ever felt stuck?

How about feeling like you've hit a wall?

What did you do to overcome it?

How did you push through?

These questions and more are covered in the latest episode of The DTALKS Podcast!

About Barbara Dee

Barbara Dee is the award-winning author of fourteen middle grade novels, all published by Simon & Schuster. Her books have earned several starred reviews and have been named to many best-of lists, including The Washington Post’s Best Children’s Books, ALA Notable Children’s Books, ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List, School Library Journal’s Best Middle Grade Books, and the ALA Rainbow List Top Ten. Her books appear on numerous state awards lists as well.

Barbara graduated magna cum laude from Yale with honors in English. She has a MA degree from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and a JD degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where she was an associate editor of the law review. She has taught high school English and has practiced law. Barbara is one of the founders and a former board member of the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival, now the largest children’s book festival in the country.

About 'Unstuck'

Lyla is thrilled when her seventh-grade English language arts class begins a daily creative writing project. For the past year, she’s been writing a brilliant fantasy novel in her head, and here’s her chance to get it on paper! The plot to Lyla’s novel is super complicated, with battle scenes and witches and a mysterious one-toed-beast, but at its core, it’s about an overlooked girl who has to rescue her beautiful, highly accomplished older sister.

But writing a fantasy novel turns out to be harder than simply imagining one, and pretty soon Lyla finds herself stuck, experiencing a panic she realizes is writer’s block. Part of the problem is that she’s trying to impress certain people—like Rania, her best friend who’s pulling away, and Ms. Bowman, the coolest teacher at school. Plus, there’s the pressure of meeting the deadline for the town writing contest. A few years ago, Lyla’s superstar teen sister Dahlia came in second, and this time, Lyla is determined to win first prize.

Finally, Lyla confides about her writing problems to Dahlia, who is dealing with her own academic stress as she applies to college. That’s when she learns Dahlia’s secret, which is causing a very different type of writer’s block. Can Lyla rescue a surprisingly vulnerable big sister, both on the page and in real life?

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

How much do YOU know about local politics?

What would you do if you didn't like the way your city was being run?

Would you decide to step off the sidelines and throw your hat into the ring?

that's the situation Dan Cogan found himself in 6 years ago when he decided to help create a better town and community by running for Bedford City Council.

Situated firmly between Dallas and Fort Worth, Bedford Texas is a strong suburban community with deep roots and a warm environment. However, back 6+ years ago, this currently thriving city felt a bit tired and worn down. Deciding to do something about it, Dan Cogan ran (and won) City Council and together with the help of the other city council members and former Mayor Michael Boyter, helped turn Bedford into a THRIVING community in the DFW area!

Come listen in as Dan tells the story of how he got elected, some early city council struggles, and how he stepped into the Mayor role to become the youngest Mayor in all of Tarrant County!

Enjoy!

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

Are YOU ready to be the hero?

Do YOU think you can choose the correct path?

Will YOU be the Fifth hero?

All valid questions to ask yourself as you're getting ready to read the latest book from today's guest, author Bill Doyle!

Bill stops by the podcast to discuss his latest book, what brought him to writing in the first place, and how he hopes he can impart knowledge onto readers of any age!

It's a fantastic conversation, enjoy!

About Bill Doyle

With over 2,000,000 books in print, author Bill Doyle has written critically acclaimed and bestselling children’s books, including Scholastic’s Behind Enemy Lines series and Scream Team series; Chronicle Books’ "Worst Case Scenario Ultimate Adventure: Everest"; Little Brown’s six-book Crime Through Time series; and Random House’s Magic for Hire series, with titles including "Attack of the Shark-Headed Zombie" and "Invasion of the Junkyard Hog."

Bill is co-founder of Crab Hill Press, a developer of children’s interactive storybooks, including the top-ranked "Nash Smasher!'—named one of the 10 Best Children’s Books for iPad by The New York Times and recipient of a Kirkus Reviews Star. Bill’s second Crab Hill Press app, "My Dad Drives a Roller Coaster Car," recently topped USA Today’s list of best kids travel apps. His latest app, "Don’t Open Before Christmas," is a Kirkus Critic's Pick and was selected by USA Today as a Best Holiday App.

About 'The Fifth Hero'

FOUR KIDS. ONE EARTH. AND YOU ARE THE HERO THEY NEED. From the creator of the interactive Escape This Book! series, join the climate superheroes as they master the powers of earth, wind, sea, and creatures and use YOUR help to choose the right story line and save the planet!

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast:

Happy new year!

I hope you finished off 2023 in style and what better way to kickoff 2024 than with a FABULOUS guest, the one, the only, the hilarious Bo Johnson!

Joe caught some of Bo's stand-up online a few years ago, had the pleasure of seeing him live last year, and HAD to get him on the show to discuss his story.

Bo and Joe get into a conversation on how Bo first got into comedy, how he prepares to tour around the country, and some advice for folks just starting out. 

It's the best way to start off your year, come detox with DTALKS!

Enjoy!

About Bo Johnson

Bo Johnson is a comedian from Seattle, Washington. He can be found headlining clubs, breweries, and appropriately sized theaters across the United States and Canada. His stand up has been featured on Netflix is a Joke Radio, season two of Kevin Hart Presents: Hart of the City on Comedy Central, Don’t Tell Comedy Secret Sets, & LOL Live! at the prestigious Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. He was a finalist in the 39th annual Seattle International Comedy Competition and is a regular at festivals including Bumbershoot, SF Sketchfest, the Double Down Comedy Experience sponsored by Zappos, Life is Beautiful in Las Vegas, Rifflandia in Victoria BC, Prizefest, and Big Pine Comedy Festival in Phoenix. With a growing online audience Bo’s jokes have been viewed millions of times online.

Separate from stand up comedy one time Bo and his best friend from high school snuck into a movie theater as one person. That video was broadcast on TV shows like the now cancelled Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon on NBC and lowest rated daytime talk show at the time, The Meredith Veira Show. Bo still gets messages each year from friends seeing the video go viral on different meme accounts. Numerous magazines and newspapers also wrote about the hijinks, including an article in Cosmopolitan titled, “Man Sneaks His BFF Into Movie Theater by Stuffing Him Into His Pants.” More recently Bo trained his roommates dog by walking her to Shania Twain's "Man! I feel like a Woman!" in a viral stunt earning over 7 millions views on Tik Tok and press coverage in  both major and incredibly minor publications.

Make sure to check out the Dtalkspodcast.com website!

Thanks to Empire Toys for this episode of the podcast!

AND Thanks to Self Unbound for this episode of the podcast: