In recent history, there has not been a more challenging time than now. There has never been a period when more unity, compassion, acceptance and multi-cultural understanding is necessary. The New Hampshire Writers’ Project is responding to this need by presenting a virtual panel discussion, “Speaking Of: Women of Color” on Saturday, April 16, 2022 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm.
Six women authors of diverse origin and culture will be sharing what they write about and how their varied backgrounds led them to pursue writing as a form of self-expression or education. 
Come hear about the unique challenges they have faced as women of color, and how being a writer has allowed them to illuminate issues of gender, race, and culture. You will come away with not only a better understanding of what motivates them as writers, but how you can use your own experiences to give your writing greater impact and purpose.
The moderator for our discussion is Mrs. Rosa Maria Bell, Afro-Panamanian educator, multicultural moderator, and executive producer of “Cafecito Cultural.”
Former president of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP-2020). Currently, Rosa is the Hawaii State Director of the Sociedad Honoraria Hispànica. Rosa started writing cultural children’s books this year 2022 for Kindergarten students learning to read in Spanish. Rosa’s passion is to support teachers/advisors to incorporate culture and diversity with innovative ideas for students to receive the best educational resources. Recently, Rosa founded a virtual Professional Learning Community (PLC) Culture and Diversity group with educators at national and international levels. This Professional Learning Community advocates for the integration of culture and diversity in World Language classrooms. Along with her virtual PLC is the “Cafecito Cultural,” a weekly broadcast (supported by Olelo Community Media in Oahu, HI) of interviews with professional educators that brings more interest about cultural resources available in their network.
Panel:
An immigrant from India to the United States, Brinda Charry is Professor of English at Keene State College. She is both a fiction writer and a specialist in British Literature with a focus on English Renaissance Literature, particularly Shakespeare. In the latter capacity, she has written a number of books, all of which are critical commentary on Shakespeare and Renaissance drama. As a fiction writer, she has written two novels (Naked in the Wind and The Hottest Day of the Year) and a collection of short stories (First Love and Other Stories) – these works were published by Penguin and Harper Collins in South Asia and the UK. Brinda’s forthcoming book, titled The East Indian, is to be published early next year by Scribner USA, Scribe UK, and Harper Collins India. The East Indian is a historical novel based on the first person from India who came to North America in the 1630s as an indentured worker. Brinda has won several awards for her creative work.
Christine Nih’shaw Almstrom (Blackfeet/Onondaga Iroquois), a self-proclaimed Imagination Expert, Sushi Addict, Collector-of-shoes-and-sea glass, lives in New Hampshire where she is busy finding a voice for her latest characters, getting advice from her youngest literary critics, or finding any excuse to heed the call of the sea. Christine’s latest release, Ikto’mi the Trickster, is a collection of stories about the Sioux trickster Ikto’mi written in English and Lakota. It is the third in a series of continued collaborations with Red Cloud Lakota School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She is also working on illustrations for an Iroquois legend with author Mary Morton Cowan to be translated into Mohawk – the largest Iroquois dialect – and a Mashpee Wampanoag tale which will be published in their ancestral tongue.
Christine is a member of SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators), BroadUniverse, and CLiF (the Children’s Literacy Foundation). To learn more about Christine, her current projects, and upcoming events, please visit her at: www.christinenihshaw.com. You can also follow her on Facebook (ChristineNihshawAuthor) and Twitter (@calmstrom13).
Gledé Browne Kabongo writes gripping, unputdownable psychological thrillers
—unflinching tales of deception, secrecy, danger, and family. She is the Eric Hoffer, Next Generation Indie, IPPY, and National Indie Excellence 
Award-winning author of the Fearless Series, Our Wicked Lies, Fool Me Twice, and Conspiracy of Silence. When she’s not busy creating diabolical characters, Gledé can be found re-watching all 12 seasons of Murder She Wrote.
Masheri Chappelle is a New Hampshire Writers’ Project Chair and member. A Smith Scholar graduate of Smith College, she received her B.A. in theater and writing. She is a Data Analyst by day, an 
intuitive consultant, story guide, playwright, and novelist by night. She utilizes her profound intuitive experiences in the telling of her novels, The Descendant, The Oracle Files: Escape, and her play, The Observation Deck which are published under My Portalstar Publishing. Presently, she is working on book two, The Oracle Files: Freedom.
Loretta L.C. Brady, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor of psychology at Saint Anselm 
College where she directs Community Resilience and Social Equity Lab (CRSEL). She previously served as co-director for the Center for Teaching Excellence. She serves on the boards of several task forces and local non-profits including youth-serving organizations and healthcare systems. She is the author of Bad Ass & Bold: A 
Transformative Approach to Planning with Your Loves, Dreams, and Realities in Mind” (www.badassandbold.com). Her award-winning writing has been recognized by the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, Jack Jones Literary Arts, and the New England Press Association. Her work has appeared in New Hampshire Business Review, Business NH Magazine, and she has been a source for the New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. She lives in Manchester, NH, with her family and dog, Zelda.
At the tender age of eight years old, Hanh Bui and her family left war-torn Vietnam for their safety and a new beginning. After nine days at sea, they were rescued by the United States Navy. Growing up, it was 
challenging navigating two worlds. At school and libraries, there were few books with characters who looked like Hanh, but she connected with universal themes of family, friendship, love, and loss in the books she read. During her years as an educator, there were few books with Asian American characters or stories written by Asian Americans. When her children’s love of books blossomed, Hanh decided that, if she couldn’t find representation in children’s literature, then she would write them herself.
Her debut book will be published by Macmillan Feiwel and Friends in 2023. It is an intergenerational story inspired by her daughter and her beloved grandmother. Her second picture book will be published by Macmillan Feiwel and Friends in 2024. This story is inspired by her refugee experiences as a young child, which she wrote in honor of her grandparents and her American helpers.
WHERE: On the internet! You can log in from anywhere.
WHEN: April 16, 2022, 4:30-6:00 PM
COST: FREE for Members/$15 for nonmembers. Register now to ensure your spot in the class using the “Register Now” button below.
