About the Author | Author Biography for Lucille Usher Freeman Lucille Usher Freeman has taught writing in the Chicago Public Schools and at McCormick Place Corporate offices in Chicago. She has written for various magazines and newspapers including the Beverly Review, Southtown Economist, Chicago After Dark, Black Elegance, and the Chicago Defender. Lucille also authored Today My Sister Is Getting Married and co-authored Stretch Your Wings: Famous Black Quotations for Teens. She has participated in writing conferences throughout the nation and is a member of SPAA (Speakers, Publishers, & Authors Association) in Park Forest, IL and a founding member of FLOW (For Love of Writing) in Chicago. Lucille was selected to attend Stanford University's Professional Publishing Course. She was also chosen for residencies at Ragdale, a community in Lake Forest, Illinois founded to nurture creative professionals. Her new book for children, Hats, is scheduled to be released this fall. She is currently completing The Girls at 16th Street, a coming-of-age historical fictional book for youth. Illustrator biography Kashshawn T. Johnson Kashshawn holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Visual Studies from Iowa State University. She works as a multimedia artist and writer. She is also a busy mother of 6. Her children are homeschooled, and as part of their learning assist her and give a great deal of input into her creative projects. They are involved with her in writing and illustrating book projects, creating characters, photography, and a number of other useful and important things. Her favorite activities are fitness, (especially kickboxing and strength training) making wholesome culinary creations, decorating, and of course spending time with her family. She always has and always will enjoy reading lots and lots of books, especially those that inspire the imagination. |