BOOK CLUB // Arkansas Author
MARIA HOSKINS
by Dianna Donahue - Apr.01.2021
Wife, mother, award-winning Children’s Book Author, and Mayflower native,
Maria Hoskins, became a writer due to a two-part challenge posed to her in 2013 by Garbo Hearne, owner of Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing store in Little Rock
Maria needed a children’s Christmas book to read to her Sunday School class where Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman were not the main characters. She and the store owner scoured the store’s shelves and the internet but couldn’t find one, so Garbo challenged Maria to “just go write the book” that she was looking for, and so she did, releasing her first book, “Christmas Night on the Farm,” in 2014.
The second part of Garbo’s challenge was to not become a one-book sensation: “if you’re gonna write a book, write more than one.” So Maria developed her family-based niche and produced three additional books – “Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dinner”, “My Easter Story”, and “Down Home in Arkansas” for family reunion season, which won the 2018 International Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Book Award. She undeniably accepted and conquered her colleague’s challenge with this recognition.
Originally, Maria’s goal was to share stories of holidays celebrated in most rural, African American communities in Arkansas but realized that her content appeals internationally and transcends through any race and community since most people can relate to it. Although her target audience is primarily children, the stories can be appreciated by anyone as they are intended to ignite conversations of nostalgia within households and among families.
As of today, Maria has authored a total of six books, including the family-themed “Papa’s Pets” and her recently released, “My Sister My Friend.” Her books nod to her beautiful regard for the memories of visiting her grandmother’s farm, the traditions of being with family during the holidays, and her familial bonds. A vital contribution to bringing these stories to life are the illustrators – all who had never illustrated a book before Maria’s and all who have an Arkansas connection. They include Lauren Crymes and Paige Mason, both graduates of UA Little Rock; Wade Hampton, a native of Morrilton, Arkansas; Rex Deloney, artist and Art Teacher at Little Rock Central High School; Rhonda Adams, a teacher at Gibbs Magnet Elementary School; and Arkansas-connected artist Craig Stanley who lives in Atlanta, Georgia but whose mother was born and raised in Dermott, Arkansas.
Patterning her background as an educator, Maria includes a writing section in each book for readers to reflect and connect to the story and practice their writing and grammar skills. Her “Down Home in Arkansas” book offers both the writing section and a blank genealogy diagram so that the reader can visually see the makeup of their family tree and potentially acquire those familial stories and facts that are often lost with the elders.
Maria’s books can be purchased in Little Rock at the Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing store, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Knowledge Tree. Internationally, her books are available at Papi’s Cuban Grill in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and online at Barnes & Noble and her website where books are mailed autographed. The books are also available to check out for free at every CALS library in the state of Arkansas. The “Down Home in Arkansas” book specifically is available in just about every Arkansas state park gift shop, as well as the Little Rock Central High School National Park gift shop.
To stay connected and up to date on Maria’s latest news, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also visit her website at www.Seasons2Dream.com.
Maria Hoskins, became a writer due to a two-part challenge posed to her in 2013 by Garbo Hearne, owner of Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing store in Little Rock
Maria needed a children’s Christmas book to read to her Sunday School class where Santa Claus and Frosty the Snowman were not the main characters. She and the store owner scoured the store’s shelves and the internet but couldn’t find one, so Garbo challenged Maria to “just go write the book” that she was looking for, and so she did, releasing her first book, “Christmas Night on the Farm,” in 2014.
The second part of Garbo’s challenge was to not become a one-book sensation: “if you’re gonna write a book, write more than one.” So Maria developed her family-based niche and produced three additional books – “Grandma’s Thanksgiving Dinner”, “My Easter Story”, and “Down Home in Arkansas” for family reunion season, which won the 2018 International Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Book Award. She undeniably accepted and conquered her colleague’s challenge with this recognition.
Originally, Maria’s goal was to share stories of holidays celebrated in most rural, African American communities in Arkansas but realized that her content appeals internationally and transcends through any race and community since most people can relate to it. Although her target audience is primarily children, the stories can be appreciated by anyone as they are intended to ignite conversations of nostalgia within households and among families.
As of today, Maria has authored a total of six books, including the family-themed “Papa’s Pets” and her recently released, “My Sister My Friend.” Her books nod to her beautiful regard for the memories of visiting her grandmother’s farm, the traditions of being with family during the holidays, and her familial bonds. A vital contribution to bringing these stories to life are the illustrators – all who had never illustrated a book before Maria’s and all who have an Arkansas connection. They include Lauren Crymes and Paige Mason, both graduates of UA Little Rock; Wade Hampton, a native of Morrilton, Arkansas; Rex Deloney, artist and Art Teacher at Little Rock Central High School; Rhonda Adams, a teacher at Gibbs Magnet Elementary School; and Arkansas-connected artist Craig Stanley who lives in Atlanta, Georgia but whose mother was born and raised in Dermott, Arkansas.
Patterning her background as an educator, Maria includes a writing section in each book for readers to reflect and connect to the story and practice their writing and grammar skills. Her “Down Home in Arkansas” book offers both the writing section and a blank genealogy diagram so that the reader can visually see the makeup of their family tree and potentially acquire those familial stories and facts that are often lost with the elders.
Maria’s books can be purchased in Little Rock at the Pyramid Art, Books, & Custom Framing store, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, and the Knowledge Tree. Internationally, her books are available at Papi’s Cuban Grill in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and online at Barnes & Noble and her website where books are mailed autographed. The books are also available to check out for free at every CALS library in the state of Arkansas. The “Down Home in Arkansas” book specifically is available in just about every Arkansas state park gift shop, as well as the Little Rock Central High School National Park gift shop.
To stay connected and up to date on Maria’s latest news, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also visit her website at www.Seasons2Dream.com.
Unless otherwise stated, photos are shot by Dianna Donahue
source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2021/01/02/four-reasons-why-2020-was-the-year-of-the-hbcu/?sh=5bd4a11314f5
source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2021/01/02/four-reasons-why-2020-was-the-year-of-the-hbcu/?sh=5bd4a11314f5
