Book Power

Book Power Book Publishing and Author Services provided by Detroit based anthropologist Zarinah El-Amin.

Happy Birthday to our Power Author Carmen René! 🎉Today, we celebrate her life, her voice, her journey, and the wisdom sh...
08/03/2026

Happy Birthday to our Power Author Carmen René! 🎉
Today, we celebrate her life, her voice, her journey, and the wisdom she has chosen to preserve through her book, The Emerging Woman.

Carmen’s story is a beautiful reminder that becoming is not something that happens overnight. It is shaped through faith, growth, courage, lessons, and the willingness to rise into the woman you were created to be.

Please join us in wishing Carmen René a beautiful, blessed, and joy-filled birthday!

Happy Birthday to our beloved Legacy Storykeeper, Iola Ameedah Corbett! 🎉Today, we celebrate not only her birthday, but ...
06/30/2026

Happy Birthday to our beloved Legacy Storykeeper, Iola Ameedah Corbett! 🎉

Today, we celebrate not only her birthday, but her voice, her wisdom, her journey, and the beautiful legacy she continues to share with the world.

As the author of Growing Up Muslim and Oh The Places I Have Lived, Iola reminds us why our stories matter. Her life, memories, and experiences are now preserved for generations to come.

Please join us in wishing her a beautiful, blessed, and joy-filled birthday! ❤️

06/21/2026

Before this week ends, I want to encourage you to do something simple.

Sit down with a parent, grandparent, mentor, neighbor, or someone whose life experience you respect, and ask them one question:

What's something you learned the hard way?

Then listen.

Not to respond. Not to give advice. Not to steer the conversation somewhere else. Just listen.

One of the things I've learned through my work is that people often carry wisdom they never share because no one thinks to ask. Some of the most valuable lessons about resilience, relationships, faith, family, and purpose are tucked inside everyday conversations waiting to be uncovered.

The stories we need most aren't always hidden. Sometimes they're sitting right across the table from us.

In my TEDx Talk, I share why these conversations matter and how preserving the stories of the people around us can help us better understand ourselves, our families, and the legacy we're creating for those who come after us.

So before this week is over, ask the question.

You may walk away with more than a story. You may discover a piece of wisdom you'll carry for the rest of your life.

🎥 Watch the full TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

06/20/2026

One of the most powerful things about family stories is that they can completely change how we see the people we love.

In my TEDx Talk, I share the story of a man who spent years viewing his father as distant and avoidant. Whenever life became difficult, his father seemed to disappear. It was a source of frustration and misunderstanding for much of his life.

Then he learned something he had never known.

His father had grown up with an abusive parent and spent his entire life trying not to repeat that cycle. Suddenly, behaviors that once felt hurtful took on a different meaning. What looked like avoidance became fear. What looked like weakness became restraint. What looked like indifference became a man doing his best to protect the people he loved.

The facts didn't change. The story did.

That's why family stories matter. They give us context. And context often creates compassion.

When we understand where someone comes from, we begin to understand them differently. Sometimes we even understand ourselves differently.

As I said in my TEDx Talk: "When you know where you come from, you move differently."

🎥 Watch the full TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

One of the things that surprised me most after losing my parents was realizing how many things I never thought to ask wh...
06/19/2026

One of the things that surprised me most after losing my parents was realizing how many things I never thought to ask while they were here.

Not because I wasn't close to them. Not because I didn't care. I simply assumed there would be more time.

More holidays. More visits. More conversations.

The truth is that every family carries stories that help explain who we are. Stories about sacrifices that were made, risks that were taken, heartbreaks that were endured, and decisions that changed the course of generations. Sometimes those stories are dramatic. Sometimes they're ordinary. But they all matter.

Today, I'd love to hear from you.

What story do you wish you knew?

Maybe it's something about a parent, grandparent, mentor, or elder in your life.

Maybe it's a question you've always wondered about but never got the chance to ask.

Share it in the comments. Let's start a conversation about the stories that shape us.

In my TEDx Talk, I share a realization that changed the way I think about legacy.When my parents became ill, we did what...
06/18/2026

In my TEDx Talk, I share a realization that changed the way I think about legacy.

When my parents became ill, we did what many families do. We made sure the paperwork was in order. We talked about wills, trusts, and the practical things that needed to be handled.

We knew how to protect the financial inheritance.

What we weren't prepared for was losing access to the stories. The memories. The family history. The lessons learned through decades of living. The wisdom that only comes through experience.

In less than four years, I lost both of my parents. That's when I understood what it meant to lose two of the most important libraries in my life.

We have systems for passing down money and property. But very few of us have systems for preserving our cultural inheritance.

And yet, when future generations want to understand who they are, where they come from, and what shaped their family, it won't be a bank statement that gives them those answers.

It will be the stories.

So here's a question worth reflecting on: Are you spending as much time preserving your family's stories as you are preserving your family's assets?

🎥 Watch the full TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

06/17/2026

After my mother passed away, something unexpected happened.

The questions started coming.

Not while she was here. Not when I had the chance to ask them. They came afterward.

I found myself wanting to know things I had never thought to ask before. How did she know my father was the one? Why did she go back to school and earn a PhD? How did she handle losing her own mother? How did she raise three children while carrying everything she carried?

What struck me was that I had known my mother my entire life, yet there was still so much I didn't know.

I think many of us assume we'll have more time. Another holiday. Another family gathering. Another conversation.

Until one day, we don't.

The stories we miss aren't always hidden. Sometimes they're sitting right beside us, waiting for someone to ask.

As you swipe through these questions, I invite you to think about the people in your own life.

What story do you wish you knew? What question have you been meaning to ask?

And if that person is still here, maybe today is the day to start the conversation.

🎥 Watch the full TEDx Talk here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

"When an elder dies, a library burns."I've heard this African proverb for years, but I didn't fully understand it until ...
06/16/2026

"When an elder dies, a library burns."

I've heard this African proverb for years, but I didn't fully understand it until I lost both of my parents.

What burns isn't just memory. It's the stories that were never told, the questions that were never asked, and the wisdom that lived within someone we thought would always be here.

We often think of inheritance as something tangible; money, property, possessions.

But some of the most valuable things we receive from the people who came before us can't be measured or replaced. Their experiences. Their perspective. The lessons they learned through joy, hardship, sacrifice, and time.

Every elder carries a lifetime of knowledge that exists nowhere else on earth.

The question is: are we taking the time to learn from it while we still can?

I'd love to hear your answer to today's question:

Have you ever wished you could ask a loved one one more question?

🎥 My TEDx Talk explores why preserving these stories matters and what we risk losing when we don't. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

After losing both of my parents, I found myself thinking about all the questions I never asked. Not the big questions ab...
06/15/2026

After losing both of my parents, I found myself thinking about all the questions I never asked. Not the big questions about money or possessions, but the personal ones. The stories behind their decisions. The lessons they learned through hardship. The experiences that shaped the people they became.

That's when I truly understood the African proverb: "When an elder dies, a library burns."

We often spend time preparing to pass down financial inheritance, yet many of us never think about preserving our cultural inheritance; the stories, wisdom, family history, and life lessons that can't be replaced once they're gone.

This TEDx Talk explores why those stories matter and how they help us better understand where we come from, who we are, and what we want to pass on to the next generation.

If you've ever wished you had one more conversation with someone you love,

I hope you'll take a few minutes to watch.

And I'd love to hear from you: What's one question you wish you could ask an elder in your life?

🎥 Watch here: https://youtu.be/cqEa0qexnlI?si=cPXt1Z3jxndSsQNF

It's finally live! 🎉After months of preparation, rehearsals, revisions, and more than a few nerves, my TEDx Talk is offi...
06/05/2026

It's finally live! 🎉

After months of preparation, rehearsals, revisions, and more than a few nerves, my TEDx Talk is officially out in the world.

Standing on that red circle was an honor I'll never forget.

The talk is called:

🎤 When an Elder Dies, a Library Burns

This message is deeply personal to me.

After losing both of my parents, I realized something heartbreaking: there were stories I would never get to hear, questions I would never get to ask, and pieces of our family history that were gone forever.

That experience changed the direction of my life and ultimately led me to create Legacy Storykeepers.

In this TEDx Talk, I share why I believe the stories, wisdom, lessons, and memories of our elders are among the most valuable inheritances we can leave behind.

I'd be honored if you watched it.

And after you do, I'd love for you to come back and answer this question:

👇 What's one story, lesson, or piece of wisdom from an elder that has stayed with you throughout your life?

I can't wait to read your responses.

And if this message resonates with you, please share it. You never know who needs the reminder to ask the questions while they still can. ❤️

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