Leah Hernandez strives to provide a voice to those who are often silent.
As CEO of Muse, a publishing company, Hernandez tirelessly contributes to ensuring the industry remembers that people of color are the “muse” for everything that goes on in culture. Founded in 2018, Young Authors Publishing, an imprint of Muse, executes this by sharing stories written by diverse young authors.
“Funny enough, working with kid authors has been more fun than working with adult authors only because I feel like kids really know what they want,” Hernandez said. “They have an idea, they go for it, and they don’t second guess it. They don’t doubt themselves, and that makes for a really fun creative flow.”
Credit: Monaé Templier
Credit: Monaé Templier
YAP found its footing in 2018 thanks to an Atlanta Housing Authority grant that permitted funding for the publication of Roxie’s Day in Vine City, written by Sykhia Clark, Gilbrea Clay, Taniya Lewis and Aniya Ussery. These four girls, ages 10 to 13, highlight the community of Vine City through the character of Roxie.
Balancing a full course load at Clark Atlanta University, Hernandez set aside the idea of having a traditional college experience to achieve her publishing pursuits. Those who know Hernandez say she is meticulously dedicated to her craft.
“She was the ideal mentee because she was really hungry to learn,” said Lakesha Landers, director of financial literacy at Clark Atlanta University. “She’s a true businesswoman. The rooms and the spaces that she moves around in and the individuals she has associated herself with within the community and with other organizations show that she knows how to align herself with those who have some impact on what she is doing. She made a goal, and she stayed true to it.”
Along with earning a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in marketing, in 2019 Hernandez published 13 books by a group of young Black boys in Atlanta. The authors ranged from 10 to 15 years old.
“The only thing I knew how to do was put a book together, and that’s how Young Authors Publishing was birthed. From there, because I wanted to be successful, I really had to intertwine myself in the publishing industry and that’s when I feel like I was exposed to the nuances of how this industry works and how intentional they’ve been to keep Black people and people of color out of not just the stories, but in places of power and who gets to decide what stories are shared,” Hernandez said.
Blending a rich history with a thriving community and booming opportunities, Atlanta appeared as a cultural hub for Hernandez to enact her vision.
“When I came to Atlanta, I only saw Black people and I saw successful Black people, and that was the most beautiful culture shock ever. It showed me in real time I can do whatever it is I want,” Hernandez said.
For Hernandez, representation is important as it allows readers to see themselves reflected in stories and roles that exist in different dynamics through shared experiences. According to her, success not only means company sales and product output but also giving young authors the opportunity to share perspectives through their own words.
“We’re in a literacy crisis in our country, and those that are most affected are Black and brown children,” Hernandez said. “I think that there is a lot of intimidation that kids have about reading and about literature, and when kids see themselves on the cover, when they see their families and their community dynamics represented in the literature, and they see that person who wrote the book is like them, it can immediately eliminate the intimidation of reading and how they feel about reading.”
HOW TO HELP
To learn more about Young Authors Publishing, go to museinc.net/yap/home.
About the Author