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I love to write! When an idea pops into my head, I need to get it down on paper before it is lost forever. I will write on anything: a receipt, an envelope, a napkin from a fast-food restaurant, or even my hand. My favorite tools are a good old-fashioned #2 pencil and a composition notebook. Even when I start writing a manuscript for a new children's book, I aways write all of my ideas with paper and pencil first. I let those ideas come to life in my notebook. I make countless revisions before I even type the document on my computer. So much of what I write gets left in the pages of my notebooks, never to be read by anyone but me.
So, I decided I would start writing and sharing about what is happening on The Hip Hop Homestead with all of you. This blog will be the place where you can learn about our upcoming book projects. And it will be the place I share what's happening with our backyard projects like the honeybees, chickens, composting, garden, and pond.
Our mission is clear, planting seeds that grow.
Sharing our knowledge is what we aim to sow.
The Hip Hop Homestead was established in the spring of 2020 to help relieve some of the stress and pressure we were feeling as the Coronavirus pandemic spread around the world. We were also struggling with managing our emotions as we watched the murder of George Floyd play out on television. This was almost too much to bear. We needed an outlet! We needed a safe place! We needed to get our hands dirty! But most importantly we needed a refuge where we could teach our grandson about the value and importance of LIFE. That first year we started three big outdoor projects: raising honeybees and chickens and growing a garden.
Our Apiary
Our First Chicken Coop
Also, during that first year I wrote several children's books about our experiences being outside in our backyard homestead. As we learn and grow, it is our goal to share those things with others. I am excited to announce that our fourth book, Bugzee and the Bees, illustrated by Tyrus Goshay tgosketch.com, will be ready for preorder this summer 2022. It is the first book under The Hip Hop Homestead Press imprint that centers around a family of African American beekeepers.
If you would like to learn more about this book, or our others, click the "Join the Hive" button to sign up to receive updates.