Author and former JHLS employee Devonte Collins was interviewed by Patrick McCarty of Bolden/Moore Library to discuss Collins’ book, Vanessa Owens and the Bond of Sisterhood for a virtual program with a release date of November 15, 2021. Joshua Sheriff, book illustrator and Professional Assistant at Margaret Walker Alexander Library, also participated since he designed a previous book cover for Collins’ book.
More about Devonte:
Devonte Collins comes from Jackson, Mississippi. He never thought about becoming an author, but something about the Harry Potter series drew him in. He couldn’t put them down in the fourth grade. He often wondered how these worlds existed. He always thought that books had to be about boring stuff. He imagined himself coming up with a world all on his own. One day, he started to just put his thoughts on paper, one letter at a time. He started by copying other popular shows like Pokémon and Yugi-Oh! and putting his own spin on it. While he obtained more knowledge in school, by the seventh grade, he came up with his own ideas and learned how to correctly indent, which helped him structure his books. His motto is ,“It won’t work if you don’t.” He currently lives in San Antonio, Texas as a fourth grade ELA and writing teacher.