Today we’d like to introduce you to T’Arrah Marjé.
Hi T’Arrah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve kind of been a natural storyteller all my life. It was something no one had to teach me to do as a kid. For the first 6 years of my life I was an only child. So, that’s what I did to entertain myself, make up stories. As time went on, that began to blossom. I never really thought anything special of it until my 11th grade English teacher wanted me to apply for a journalism program at the University of Memphis. She told me that she believed that I had what it took to make something out of it. At first, I was intimidated by all the other kids, because at the time, I felt they all had such an advantage over me being that most had done this type of thing before and I was the only one representing my high school, Frayser High. My school didn’t have the best reputation. As a matter of fact, the we were all in the news nation wide about allegedly having over 100 teen girls pregnant at the time. Even Kim Kardashian did an interview with Seventeen Magazine commenting on us (but I guess that’s off topic). Anyway, The camp was ehhh. I did end up attending the U of M. I majored in Journalism/Communication, because coming out of high school my dream at the time was to be a TV producer for 106 and Park on BET. I applied to different internships, but no success. Everyone wanted 3-5 years of experience out of college. That’s still bananas to me, like how? I took matters into my own hands and named myself a producer. I had enough of companies telling me what I was or wasn’t capable to do. I hired myself became a contractor, and worked for Sam’s Video Productions. It is a local channel here in Memphis. I met with the owner and she gave me a shot! Kudos to her. I became the top television producer at the station eventually. My work was good and I knew how to handle people. I made them feel seen and heard. I saw them the way that they wanted to be seen. I respected them. A little piece of advice, no matter what business you’re in, you’re in the business of people! Knowing that, plus keeping your reputation in tact will take you a long way, and open doors that résumés or money can’t open. I produced television for a few years, and then the pandemic hit. I was bored. I needed to challenge myself during the isolation to keep me occupied. I returned to my first love. I wrote. In this, I started to receive visions. I wrote this poem, “Still a Rose”. It moved me. I then got an idea to publish it. I wanted to make it a children’s book. That was the vision I had seen. I researched how to self-published. I contacted local authors who had done it already. I found an affordable illustrator and made it happen. So, becoming a children’s author all started as a passion project. When I started I didn’t have a clear plan on what this was going to become. I just followed the spirit that lead me to do it, because it felt right. Now, 6 years and 4 books later, I am amazed at the impacted my work has made. Countless books have been sold. A literary G.O.A.T, Richard
Wright’s family has awarded me three times for Best Children’s Book, and Best Children’s Poetry with Memphis Public Libraries. The legendary Hattiloo Theatre has implemented my work in their plays. People randomly reach out to me all the time about how they have been inspired by my work. None of these things I set out to accomplish, but all of it continues to inspire me. It’s invaluable. Then, I looked up and I was an entrepreneur. I still have a lot to learn. That’s why I will always remain a student. Yes, social media makes it all look sexy, but it’s hard work. Budgeting, taxes, marketing, inflation etc…it’s a never ending cycle, if you want to continue to grow or even maintain it all. As a creative, I can’t allow it to overwhelm me, though. Sometimes I have to step away and take a break. One day I hope to be as successful as a children’s author as Mo Willems. his career is amazing it seems. He’s like the Dr. Seuss of today. The kids love him. Growing up I was a huge fan of Marc Brown myself. No one tops Arthur for me. I’m working on putting myself in that position currently, but in the meantime to get the bills paid, I’m also a librarian. To experience the library from an employee side is eye-opening to say the least. We’re honestly underpaid silent community super heroes. We do a lot with very, very, very little. To overcome and improve on anything, we must keep going,
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. Surprisingly, convincing some people that literacy is important is not easy. Aside from the basic business operations, getting customers to pay for your work is quite a skill that I am always sharping my tools for. That’s the name of the game. Thankfully, they’re a few major literacy organizations in the city that support my work and we tackle this together. To see a child’s face light up when reading to them is priceless to me, because I know that I’ve just sparked something special within them that just might change their lives for the better.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a children’s author. I specialize in self-publishing children’s books. I have helped many people become authors. I am most proud of the impact that I have made through my storytelling, and helping other people’s dreams come true as published authors.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I would advise allowing the passion to lead you. Be creative, but also know that this is a business. That is why it is important to prioritize quality work. When the work is good, it sells itself. Also, care about the industry you’re in. Study it. Don’t disrespect the art of it. Find your voice and make it better in some way.
Pricing:
- $13 Still a Rose Book
- $15 Big Mad! Book
- $15 Prideful Penny Book
- $15 Love is Spelled T.I.M.E
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tmstories.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarrahmarje/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarrah.mathis
