Karyn Parsons is probably best known for playing Hilary on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Her character was, and is, truly beloved by fans around the U.S. and beyond. What her fans didn't know until 2005 was that Parsons was also a writer who spent quite a bit of time writing short fiction, and learning about history - particularly inspiring and empowering stories of African American achievement.
Once she set acting aside in the early 2000s, and had her first child, Parsons decided it was time to take her passion for writing and history seriously and so founded a nonprofit called Sweet Blackberry. They would turn her stories about little-known African American figures, ones that she thought would pique the imaginations of young people, into short films and picture-books. The animated films feature narration from voices like Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah, Chris Rock, and Laurence Fishburne.
Parsons published her first young adult novel called "How High the Moon" in 2019 and has another one coming out this Summer. “How High the Moon” was inspired by her mother's childhood stories of being a young person growing up in South Carolina during the time of Jim Crow.
Episode 277 - David Oquendo
Episode 276 - Bob Kealing
Episode 275 - John Donvan
Episode 274 - Tim Morrison
Episode 273 - Dr. Eric Otto
Episode 272 - Konstantinos Vranishti
Episode 271 - Dayna Harpster
Episode 270 - Craig Pittman
Episode 269 - Rada Angelova
Episode 268 - Greg Longenhagen
Episode 267 - Brian Schreck
Episode 265 - John McKenny
Episode 264 - Jennifer Rowley
Episode 263 - Robert Van Winkle
Episode 262 - Teen Edition: Kristen Noble
Episode 261 - Dan Bern
Episode 260 - (4 and) 5 Year Review
Episode 259 - Robin Young
Episode 258 - Ryan Wolfgang
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
Immediately Kinfolk
Turned On
Resident by Hernan Cattaneo
Markus Schulz presents Global DJ Broadcast