Kathy Lynne Marshall is a Black Ancestor Biographer who works as a Diversity and Inclusion specialist on behalf of our ancestors. She’s written eight books that enhance the American historical record with well-researched, factual accounts of the lives of women, enslaved African Americans, and other groups. 

As an instructor, she leads workshops to guide others in writing the untold stories of historically excluded individuals. Her successful genealogy research and self-publishing strategies can help anyone realize their inner author.

Kathy has been featured in Sacramento Magazine, The Sacramento Bee, The Sacramento Observer, Sacramento News & Review, and Elk Grove Citizen. She has been interviewed on CBS-TV and Fox40-TV, American Spark-TV and the Research from the National Archives and Beyond and other genealogy podcasts. She has delighted audiences at local and national genealogy and writing conferences. She has also served as a consultant to West Virginia’s Beverly Heritage Center. 

Kathy has won multiple Book Awards from the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Sons and Daughters of the US Middle Passage, and Northern California Publishers and Authors. 

As the exhibiting artist known as Kanika, her welded steel and ceramic sculptures have been shown and sold at the Crocker Art Museum, the California State Capitol, the California State Fair Fine Arts Show, and in the Maya Angelou Annual Fiber Arts Exhibit in North Charleston, South Carolina. 

For more information: KathyLynneMarshall.com, Kanika Marshall Art Facebook page, and Kathy Lynne Marshall Linkedin.

During the early years of my life, my family and I lived in the tenements of Newark, New Jersey. When I was five years old, I was and almost kidnapped but ran upstairs to our apartment fast enough. As one of seven kids from poverty, my early years held difficult memories of my parents struggling for survival.

As with most kids with similar backgrounds, work, educational pursuits and job training skills were priorities.

Faramarz and I are now the proud parents of two young men, Amir and Anthony, two lovely daughters-in-law, Maryam and Mollie and four beautiful grandkids.

I earned my degrees from SJSU, an MPA in 1983 and a few teaching credentials along the way. Teaching was my calling and favorite career choice because I loved assisting students and helping them develop their potential.

Past publications:

• A children’s book, The Mysterious Dog, 2018
• A Poem, “Wrap Yourself In Gold”, A Treasury of American Poetry, League of American Poets, Copyrighted in this book as a compilation in 2006
• Other poems published in newsletters of SSWC, not yet published in books.
• A short story, “Living in Two Worlds,” (SSWC) Other People, Other Places, Other Times
• I hope to have a young adult fiction novel published soon.

Carol Christina Smith was born in Grass Valley, CA in 1948.  This small historical gold mining town is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.   

She loves travel and adventure.  Her hobbies include snow skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains; swimming in the wilds; writing and reviewing books; gym workouts.

In 2005, her five-year old grandson Val, was in her care. He enjoyed listening to a story about an adventure in the woods with a talking tree and other fantasies.  He was so enthralled with the story; he would add his own ideas.

In 2009, she began to write “Tales of Wonder Woods”.  The book was completed in 2019.  Currently she is writing another children’s fiction based upon historical facts involving a family living during the Antellebum period and the Civil War.  She is in the process of publishing a collection of poems titled “Poems From The Heart”.

I feel strongly that my book is good reading for kids in this particular era of time.  So many families are separated, and this story offers hope.  It is heart-warming inspired by friendship, love, loyalty all wrapped up in fantasy and real life events.

A retired teacher, I’ve enjoyed working in various schools on the San Francisco Peninsula–from elementary through adult education. With BA in Education and MA in Sociology, my interests are wide and varied. I’ve been a long-time editor of a newsletter promoting equity and opportunity for women and girls. My ultimate joy was teaching a Memoir Writing class for Seniors. What fun! My current passion is writing short stories of various genres. My life’s theme: Write On!

Brina Patel is a freelance content writer and copywriter. Her bylines have appeared in several outlets, including Business Insider, Metro, and Well+Good. Her creative nonfiction has also been published in Heartwood Literary Magazine and LEVITATE Magazine. Brina is passionate about using storytelling to connect, heal, and delve deeper into the more difficult questions in life. She enjoys mentoring fellow creatives so that they can share their talents with the world and leave a legacy through their words. When she isn’t writing, Brina enjoys getting lost in new cities, diving into page-turning memoirs, and spoiling her sassy Maltese. You can learn more about her at www.brinapatelwriter.com.