Press
Literary Bio
TONYA DUNCAN ELLIS is author of THEY BUILT ME FOR FREEDOM: THE STORY OF JUNETEENTH AND HOUSTON’S EMANCIPATION PARK (HarperCollins, 2024). She successfully self-published the 13-book SOPHIE WASHINGTON chapter series, which has sold over 175,000 copies. A diversity advocate, Tonya is a member of the Brown Bookshelf’s Highlights Foundation-sponsored Amplify Black Stories cohort and serves on faculty at Highlights. She Is a 2024 PB Rising Stars Mentor and was a 2023 We Need Diverse Books (WNDB) Black Creatives Mentor. Tonya is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). She presented on marketing for SCBWI’s 2023 Winter Conference in New York City and is a winner of SCBWI’s 2022 Independently Published Book Marketing Grant and SCBWI Austin’s 2021 Cynthia Leitich Smith Writing Mentor Award. Tonya founded the Write This! Instagram Live show, featuring bestselling and award-winning authors, illustrators and publishing professionals. She is represented by Adria Goetz of kt Literary and lives in Houston, Texas.
Appearances
KidLit in Color
Holly Cotton Conversations Interview
Ellen Leventhal Blog Post
12×12 Picture Book Challenge
Forward Times
KPRC Click 2 Houston
Great Day Houston
Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church Black History Spotlight
Pillars for Purposeful Motherhood Podcast
All Things Black Podcast
The Heartland Author Podcast
The Creative Penn
Writing and Editing Podcast
Cruz Through HTX Podcast
Raising Wild Hearts Podcast
Bookshelf Odyssey Podcast
Mindfulness Mode Podcast
Parenting With Confidence Podcast
All in the Library Podcast
Angie Azur’s Blogspot
Multicultural Children’s Book Day IG Live
Houston Chronicle
The Brown Bookshelf/Why Juneteenth Matters
Author Your Dream Podcast
Turning Readers into Writers Podcast
Book This 104.1/KRBE
The Brown Bookshelf/Amplify Black Stories
MCCBD Blog Post/Poetry
Stories of a Colorful World
The Conscious Educator Podcast
Literature for Black Kids IG Live
Reading With Your Kids Podcast
Fort Bend County Library
The Writer’s Way Podcast
Pastor B’s Kitchen Table Podcast
Great Day Houston Interview
Khloe Kares Interview/Juniority TV
Middle Grade Ninja Podcast
LitFilm Fest Podcast
MCCBD Blog Post/Bullying Prevention
Amazon Impact Report Feature
Book Echoes Podcast- Live Events
Book Echoes Podcast- Diversity in Children’s Literature
The Brown Bookshelf Blogpost
The Dock Bookshop Podcast
Women Creating History Through Literature – Be BOMB Book Club
Second Half Success Secrets Podcast
Black Baby Books Interview
Houston Chronicle
Baltimore Sun
SMETV-16 Interview
Amazing 102.5 FM Radio Interview
Tri-State Defender
Mater Mea – “14 Places to Find Black Children’s Books”
Houston Chronicle
Book Review: Vamos a Leer
AALBC