CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Martinique Mims will debut a new children’s book, “Through The Colors of a Butterfly” on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The story follows a young character named Unique, who has to confront feeling different at a new school.
It’s Mims’ first book, building off the local writer’s experience with slam poetry in Northeast Ohio.
“I want imagination and self-acceptance and love to really exude in this picture book,” Mims said.
Mims, who grew up in Warrensville Heights, said she always had a passion for writing children’s content, and always hoped to write for TV cartoons one day. She applied for a Sesame Street fellowship and wasn’t accepted, but found a passion for children’s writing through the process.
Mims, who works full time as a recruitment manager at Cleveland’s City Year organization, was inspired to write “Through The Colors of a Butterfly” after first working with Cleveland students through Americorps in 2016 and 2017. Mims worked with third-grade children at Alfred A. Benesch School and Harvey Rice School.
She made Unique’s character in the storybook the same age as the children she worked with. In the storybook, Unique meets a butterfly that helps teach her about self-discovery.
“I kept seeing butterflies constantly in 2018,” Mims said. “The feeling I got when I’d see them was so different. I loved doing something with a character that is a butterfly.”
Colorful artwork by Cleveland artist Sequoia Bostick fills the pages of “Through The Colors of a Butterfly.” The two connected through a previous collaboration at Maelstrom Collaborative Arts, and the two worked together on their book starting in March 2020.
Following the book’s release, Mims and Bostick plan to collaborate on another storybook, inspired by a student that Mims worked with in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood.
The author also has a couple of poetry projects in the works. By the end of 2021, Mims aims to release a 12-page poetry book about seasons and the passing of time. Also, at 5 p.m. on Feb. 28, Mims will perform with two Detroit poets in a virtual showcase and workshop dedicated to Black History Month, titled “The Writer’s Block.”
Before that, Mims and Bostick will celebrate the release of “Through The Colors of a Butterfly” with a virtual hot chocolate book launch at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 23.
“I thought it would be exciting for young people. We’re still in the Cleveland winter and winter across the country right now,” she said. “I thought that would be something fun for kids and even adults to join in.”
You can RSVP to the book launch on Eventbrite, and order her book on Amazon. Find more information about Mims’ writing at thecolorofstories.com.
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February 23, 2021 at 07:02PM
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Cleveland author Martinique Mims releases debut children’s book - cleveland.com
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