Season Press to Share Local History for BHM

Who was the first African American firefighter in Kalamazoo?

Who was the first African American male teacher in Kalamazoo Public Schools?
Who was the first African American female principal?

Find out more about these and more than 50 other local trailblazers during this interactive history presentation by Sonya and Sean Hollins of Season Press. Season Press produced a coloring book and video series to highlight history makers of Kalamazoo. During this presentation local residents of all ages will be educated and entertained as they learn of people they may never have been exposed to in the history books. While Black History Month often shares of nationally-known figures in Black history, the Hollins’ will provide a local perspective and little-known facts about those whose contributions to Kalamazoo County have opened doors for those in the areas of education, medicine, sports, and beyond.

Your Turn Women of Kalamazoo Coloring Book cover

Your Turn Women of Kalamazoo Coloring Book


African American Men First Coloring book

Kalamazoo’s African American Men First Coloring book

What: Your Turn: African American First of Kalamazoo
When: 6-7 p.m., Monday, February 12th, 2024
Where: Eastwood Branch Library, 1112 Gayle Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49048

View Your Turn videos Your Turn video series created in partnership with the Merze Tate Explorers.

To purchase Your Turn coloring books, visit Sonya Hollins’ Amazon Author Central Page.

Community Voices 2018 cover image

Season Press Magazine Flashback

There are rare times when you can truly celebrate an educator who significantly impacted your life. For me, the teacher was Tom Hansen. While his dedication to diversity and education was far beyond his time, he also impacted our community through his photographs. Our Lincoln Elementary School in Kalamazoo classroom may have been one of the few in the world with a photography darkroom! Mr. Hansen was invited to local sporting events, family functions, and even local parks to capture the community and those who lived there.

Season Press published a Community Voices Magazine edition in 2018 that shared some of Mr. Hansen’s most captivating work. In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 15th, the cover on this edition represents King’s dream and the dream of Mr. Hansen to educate all students equally.

Season Press and KSO Present Musical Magic

The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra presented Season Press with a fantastic opportunity to bring a children’s book to life! The KSO contracted the self-publishing consulting firm to write a children’s book that would be put to music by jazz great Branford Marsalis. The book Jammin’ in Kalamazoo debuted at the KSO’s annual Musical Storytime on September 19 at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo.

More than 1,000 local music and book fans came out to hear Marsalis along with native musician Edward Callahan. The books were read by Von Washington Jr., executive director of the Kalamazoo Promise.

This is just one example of how a community brings books to life!

Video Book Series Provides Interaction for Children

Season Press LLC and the Merze Tate Explorers youth media organization have teamed to bring books to life! The Girls Talk Books interactive video series is a new, exciting way to provide books and experiences to youth.

The partners created the concept to allow kids to experience a new place in their community and beyond. In addition, the books are by self-published authors of Season Press LLC.

Four books were presented on October 18th to unveil the project. The unveiling came as part of the 15th-anniversary kickoff of the Merze Tate Explorer organization. The 501(c)(3) organization was founded to provide career and college exploration to girls in grades 3-12 with a media focus. The students travel in their community and beyond, to meet people as travel writers. Students share their experiences in the quarterly Girls Can! magazine, published by Season Press LLC.

To learn more about the Merze Tate Explorers, visit www.merzetate.org.

Subscribe to the Merze Tate Explorer YouTube page for updates on their latest media projects!

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Click on the book to see the video!

Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Season Press to Present to MLA

After over a decade of helping others become authors, Season Press LLC founders Sean and Sonya Bernard-Hollins will inspire members of the Michigan Library Association to create innovative partnerships in their communities.

The team presented their workshop, “The Barbershop in the Library: How Creative Partnerships Inspire Patrons,” discussion at the state conference on October 19 at the Radisson Plaza Hotel and Suites in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The workshop provided creative ways for librarians to bring books to life with local authors and self-published works.

“As a local, self-published author, it seems our libraries often overlook us in our communities,” Sonya said. “Often, nationally known authors, who have no connection to the community, receive platforms that so easily could be more interactive and long-standing, with local authors.”

LITTLE EDDIE GOES TO CARNEGIE HALL

Little Eddie imagines that he, too, can play at Carnegie Hall one day. Art by Dan Monroe

When a precocious Little Eddie accompanies his piano teacher, Mr. C, to an audition at Carnegie Hall, the mentee realizes that music is everywhere. What happens next is a dream come true for a teacher. Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall is based on the life of Edward Callahan. Callahan began playing piano at 5 with his teacher, Mrs. Billie Netterwald. Her influence as a classical pianist inspired Callahan to pursue the genre and one day perform on the stage of New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.

 

Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall

Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall is a new book that highlights the importance of classical music for youth.

A partnership with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and the youth organization, the Merze Tate Explorers, brought the story to life for more than 1,000 community members of all ages who attended the Musical Storytime event on September 19th, at Chenery Auditorium in Kalamazoo. The event also featured jazz great, Branford Marsalis, who composed music for the children’s book Jammin’ in Kalamazoo, by Sonya and Sean Hollins.

 

The picture book is by Sonya and Sean Hollins and illustrated by Dan Monroe, also known as a celebrity children’s book artist for those such as Dennis Rodman. Bill Caskey of the Kalamazoo Public Library surprised Callahan with the book when he asked Callahan to read a book about a young musician for their story time program. Callahan thought he was invited to promote his virtual solo performance for The Gilmore Keysfest, in his hometown of Kalamazoo.

Within 24 hours of its release, Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall debuted in the top 100 Amazon Children’s Books on Performing Arts.

“I was in shock as the story was read, and I learned it was about me,” Callahan said from his home in New York City. “This pushes me to work hard to get on that stage!”

Since the release, Callahan has been a sought-after virtual visiting artist for elementary classrooms nationwide. Families who have purchased the book have shared images of their children holding it. One child replied, “Is that me?” as he looked at the smiling Little Eddie on the cover.

In addition to the animated story, real-life images of African-American musicians are shared, as a glossary of musical terms, and short biographies of those such as Duke Ellington and Nina Simone, who played at Carnegie Hall.

“I think this book will open the minds of young kids interested in music who can now see someone who looks like them,” Callahan said.

Little Eddie Goes to Carnegie Hall is available on AMAZON!

*Edward Callahan is featured in the headline image with artist Dan Monroe and his wife.

10 Steps to Self Publishing: Step 1

As you cruise through the aisles of Barnes and Noble or sift through the new releases at your local library, you may think, “I have an idea for a book. I’ll write one!”

Okay, you have an idea…now what?

What may seem like a fun venture can be filled with twists and turns that could bounce your dreams off track. When you know what to expect it may be a bit easier to hold on at each bend in the journey as you ride on the author train.  After more than a decade helping other self published authors bring their words to the page, I want to share 10 of the most vital steps we have learned. Over the next few weeks, we will explore everything from creating a title to setting up a book signing table.

While this is not a complete list or extensive detail, it provides a synopsis of what to expect on your journey to becoming a published author. So, let’s begin with STEP 1.

Define Success. This is important as it allows you to envision what success looks like for you. Remember, I said, FOR YOU! Others may have an idea of what success looks like, or you may want to compare future success to those such as Stephen King or Michelle Obama. Think about where you are, who you are, your audience, and what you bring to this arena. Once you begin to write down where you fit on the shelves, you can better begin to have a realistic picture of what can become of your manuscript.

Do you define success by the amount of money you want to earn from your book sales? Do you define it by the lives that will change from what you share? Or, do you define success by the potential your book has to become a movie? Whatever you imagine, write it down in your notebook or journal.

These are some of the things you should answer:

What is the working title? __________________________________

What genre is your work? __________________________________

Who is your audience? ____________________________________

What qualifies you to write this book? _________________________(this may be the longest part of your notes. Really dive into WHY you can best tell this story your way) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(okay…you get the picture)________________

What are your projected sales goals? ______________________________

How will you accomplish those goals (book events, online, social media, etc.)?________________________________________________________

Once you begin to really think about the book less as an idea and more like a mini company, you can truly focus on writing a book that gets you to your goal. Going through these steps first can save you days, weeks, months, and even years of going through a writing process only to learn your audience and customers are only family and friends.

Don’t rush into the process without thinking through STEP 1. Only after you are fully comfortable with your answers and have researched potential sales markets will you have the motivation to get that book into the hands of excited readers.

Look out, Michelle Obama!