Meet Micheal Anderson

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Micheal Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Micheal below.

Micheal , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

Once my two daughter’s went away to college, and I became an empty nester, I felt somewhat displaced. Up until that point, so much of my time revolved around being a mother to my girls and a wife to my husband. Our lives had become comingled to the point where I lost my own identity. Around this time, I was approaching a milestone birthday … I was turning the BIG 50, and this was the perfect time to set out on a journey to rediscover who I was.
I came up with a list of 50 new experiences that I wanted to accomplish before my 50th birthday. I gave myself approximately one year to complete the list. To be clear, these experiences were intended to push me outside of my comfort zone and help me to rediscover who I was. I did everything from taking my first train ride in Ireland, having tea in London, to taking a belly dance class and I blogged about every single experience.
Blogging about this journey was not only therapeutic, it reignited my passion for writing. It was because of my 50 New Experiences Before 50 journey, that I rediscovered my love for story telling and writing, and ultimately discovered my purpose.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m passionate about writing relatable stories from an authentic perspective that encourages girls, especially black and brown girls to pursue more STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering ,and Math). I understand the value of representation and know that kid’s can’t be what they don’t see. This is why I’m intentional about writing stories that aren’t just relevant, but that also exposes young readers to the different disciplines of STEM.
There is a significant gender gap when it comes to STEM careers and writing books like the Zoey Lyndon Series, which encourages STEM, is my way of helping to resolve this issue. Writing is my superpower and I’m grateful that my stories are making a difference in the lives of young readers.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Work ethic, networking, and lived experience have been the most impactful for me during my author journey.

As a children’s author, I’m the only person responsible for completing the stories I write. There’s a lot of different things vying for my attention and I could easily become distracted if I lose focus. It’s important to establish boundaries and consistency with my work. Writing the story is the easy part, it’s all the other stuff that comes after the is completed that can be challenging. Work ethic and knowing how to hustle are definitely contributing factors to my success as an author.

Networking has been one of the most valuable skills for me during this journey. My goal is to share the Zoey Lyndon series with as many young scholars as I can and establishing partnerships is the best way to make this a reality. I’m always looking to establish new collaborations or partnerships with organizations who understand the value of children’s literacy.
Establishing networks take time, because they require you to invest a lot of time and energy. You’re building relationships and there are simply no shortcuts to establishing quality relationships.

My lived experience has been perhaps the most valuable to me. I’ve been encouraging girls to pursue STEM for nearly 20 years. Grant it, the girls I encouraged are my two daughters, but I know a little something about the value of exposure. Kids can’t be what they can’t see, which is why it’s imperative we create unique experiences for them, especially for children in underserved communities. I was able to expose my girls to a variety of STEM activities, camps, and summer programs and know how valuable these experiences have been for them. This is why I choose to channel this experience when writing my middle grade chapter book series.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I’m always looking for ways to get my books into the hands of more young scholars which is why I’m open to collaborating with others and new partnerships. If you’re an organization who values children’s literacy and understands the importance of representation, I’d love the opportunity to work with you. If you’re looking for author visits or books that not only encourage literacy but STEM as well, please contact me via my website www.everythingmicheal.com or my email at [email protected].

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