Tatiana
Tatiana
My name is Tatiana Robinson (she/her). I was born and raised in Southeast, DC. I wrote my story, “A Little King Is on the Rise,” when I was 20 years old. This is my second book with Shout Mouse Press, as I am also a co-author of The Ballou We Know (2019). I am currently a junior at the University of Miami and am a triple major in Interactive Media, Broadcast Journalism, and Communication Studies: Public Advocacy Track. I am involved in several things on campus, with my favorites being NAACP and University of Miami Television. I am a firm believer in being the change I want to see, so with my future goals, I plan to come back and pour into my village. My future plans include being on television and being the Mayor of DC.
BOOKS BY TATIANA
Proceeds from book sales go to a Ballou HS scholarship fund and to empower new authors.
This book, the fifth volume of The Ballou Story Project, was initiated by these young people in response to a challenging year for the community. They wanted to illuminate the Ballou not often represented in the media--one full of love, hard work, and transformation. They set their mission: to change the story about their school and the people who call it home. To combat stereotypes and assumptions. To motivate the next generation to persevere, and to believe in themselves, no matter what.
Most importantly, these young people wanted to speak for themselves, not to be spoken about. They remind us that there are many sides to every story, and that all voices should be valued and heard. “This is our last line of defense,” they write. “These are our stories. This is the Ballou We Know.”
The Ballou We Know is the fifth volume of The Ballou Story Project, a program that provides a platform for these students to tell their own stories and act as leaders in their community. Learn more.
ISBN: 978-1945434914
Age: 12+
Lexile: 760L
Page Count: 72
Published: 2018
“Poignant and powerful . . . the students write with fresh power about loss, about the failures of the system around them, and how to decide when, how and where they should speak out.” —Publishers Weekly
“Our young people are asking that we sit with them, that we listen to them, and that we see their lives in all of their complexity. The stories in What It Cost Us must be read. They must be remembered." —Clint Smith, author of How the Word is Passed: Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America
“Authentic and sincere.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A momentous account of a time we must remember.” —Wendy Wan-Long Shang, author of The Secret Battle of Evan Pao
Foreword by Candice Iloh
In this collaborative novel, ten diverse young writers from Washington, DC recreate the historic year 2020 from their perspectives, through fictional stories inspired by their own lived experiences. Told chronologically from the onset of the pandemic to the insurrection of January 6th, their stories of change and resilience are accompanied by maps, social media, original artwork, and real-life headlines to create an immersive experience of an unprecedented coming of age.
You’ll meet Faiza, a Muslim high school student, who struggles to celebrate Ramadan during the worst of the COVID-19 shutdowns. You’ll protest with Roman, the only Black student in his class, whose relationships are challenged in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. You’ll face the fraught 2020 election with Dennis, a young Nigerian immigrant, as he questions a democracy that seems to count him out.
By examining the shards of this shattered year, these authors explore “what it cost us” through stories that both acknowledge loss and celebrate what got us through.
ISBN: 978-1-950807-55-0
Age: 12+
Lexile: 780L
Page Count: 329
Published: Spring 2023
