Month: June 2026

So She Did

Posted on by Wendy Kennar

I love children’s books. 

I love discovering a children’s book that I know would have been a part of my kindergarten classroom library or would have found a spot on my son’s bookcase. 

So She Did by Dr. Aleen Kojayan is one such book. 

From the back cover:

“Jade doesn’t enjoy dance, basketball, singing or drawing; what she really loves is anything and everything to do with cars.”

Jade’s parents are mechanics who own their mechanic shop. Jade spends summers at her parents’ shop, and observes both mom and dad actively working on cars. (In fact, the book’s illustrations show Mom changing a car’s tire.) 

However, Jade’s love of cars is tested when she shares with her first-grade class her dream to grow up to become a mechanic. “‘That’s not a job for girls!’ they say.”

After being teased at school, Jade throws away all her toy cars and tells her dad, “I threw them away because girls are not supposed to play with cars.”

Jade’s dad replies: “The cars cannot see if you are a boy or a girl. They can feel your passion and your love as you work on them. You can do anything you set your mind to, including working on cars. Being a girl should not stop you, just look at your mom.”

So She Did is a sweet book, perfect for a young reader. Moreover, this is a book that can start conversations and serve as a way to broaden views about outdated, stereotypical gender roles. After all, representation matters. Children absolutely need to see themselves (including their future selves) depicted on the page (and on the screen).

Please note: I do know the author, Dr. Aleen Kojayan. In fact, Dr. K signed this copy of her book, which I will be donating to a little free library in our neighborhood. 

The Lessons We Carry With Us

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
Ryan, age 5, Pre-school Graduation

I graduated high school in June 1994. And on that June day, I sat on stage for the duration of the ceremony as one of the speakers representing our graduating class. 

My speech was titled, “The Lessons We Carry With Us.”

I don’t remember everything I spoke about, and I haven’t been able to find a copy of my speech. But I think I probably spoke about traits and skills we practiced in high school. Traits and skills that would serve us well throughout our lives; traits such as patience, perseverance, and resilience. 

Today, June 10th, 2026, our son graduates from high school.

It’s a day of reflection and for feeling all the feelings. A chance to look back and acknowledge our son’s evolution during his high school years. He started high school as a teenager. He’s finishing high school as an adult.

And today, amidst the celebration and the smiles and the tears, I’m thinking about the lessons our son has learned throughout his four years of high school.

These are the lessons I hope our son always carries with him:

1. Trust yourself. Teachers encouraged you to take additional Advanced Placement courses, but you knew what you needed. You knew what you could handle. You knew the type of high school experience you wanted. (Two AP classes were enough for you.) Continue to pay attention to that inner voice that is so strong.

2. Stay open. We’ve seen you say yes to new experiences, new foods, new clubs, new ways of doing things. Maintain that curious spirit. Continue to be willing to venture out of your comfort zone.

3. Don’t wait for others. Some of your most monumental high school experiences, you did without your closest friends at your side. You went ahead and signed up for the field trips and the spring break trip because you really wanted to go on them. And you weren’t going to sit them out just because your best friends didn’t want to go.

4. Passion matters. Think about the classes you enjoyed the most. The classes you truly cared about and worked the hardest. Those were the classes you felt passionately about. Sometimes you have to go through the motions. But whenever possible, follow your passion.

5. Celebrate your own sense of style. It has been a joy to sit back and see you develop your own sense of style. A baseball cap. A scarf. Bracelets. A necklace. Whatever you wore, you felt confident in your own skin. Confidence, and the conviction not to want to look like everyone else, never goes out of style. 

Ryan, not quite a year old, and me

Congratulations, Ryan!! We are so very proud of you!!!

Coming to a Bookstore Near You

Posted on by Wendy Kennar
My husband took this picture as I finished signing my contract.

Friends, I have news.

Big news. 

Glorious news. 

Shout-it-from-the-rooftop kind of news.

In early 2028, I will become a published author! 

My memoir-in-essays has found a home with She Writes Press! 

Let me back up a bit:

I started writing my memoir without realizing I was writing a memoir. In fact, it was my wonderful therapist who pointed out to me that all my published essays could really be the basis of a book. 

In 2021, I started working with a book coach, and with her invaluable help and guidance my collection of individual essays became a more cohesive manuscript.

In the following years, my manuscript wasn’t always my number one priority. For a while, it took a back seat to everything else I was doing and spending my energy on.

But that’s the past.

Now, I’m a member of the She Writes Press community. Because She Writes Press is more than a publishing house; it is a community of supportive female writers. In fact, I know a few authors who have published their memoirs with SWP, and before signing my contract, I spoke with them, asking them about their publishing experience. They generously answered all my questions, and only had good things to say. They spoke very highly of the entire experience — from their cover design, to their book launch events, to holding their books in their hands for the first time. And, they spoke to me about the community they had joined — the community of She Writes Press authors. 

Writing can be a lonely endeavor. Sending my book baby out into the world definitely won’t be. 

If you’re not familiar with She Writes Press, allow me to share this description (provided by SWP):

“She Writes Press is an award-winning hybrid publishing company that’s both mission-driven and community-oriented. Led by Publisher Brooke Warner, She Writes Press has published 1,200 books to date, with a specific goal to elevate women’s voices and level the playing field for indie authors. In 2016, She Writes Press won the Book Industry Study Group’s Innovator Award, and in 2019, the press was named Indie Publisher of the Year by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group. She Writes Press is a multi-award-winning publisher whose books have won over 2,000 awards. The press’s commitment to excellence has made it the gold standard in hybrid publishing since its founding in 2012.”

Plus, I encourage you to check out their website; you may find your next read there!

Meanwhile, thank you thank you thank you for being with me on this journey. This part of the ride is just beginning!