HALLIE EPHRON: A few weeks ago I gave a talk at the (amazing, fabulous… and IN PERSON) Writers Digest annual conference in Manhattan. Among the people who came up to me after was Zenda M. Walker, a charming writer who showed me her children’s picture book, ZARA'S WASH DAY.
It's a gorgeous book that celebrates hairstyles of the African Diaspora through the story of little Zara on “wash day” when her mother washes her hair and tells Zara about the cultural history of hairstyles with corn rows and mini-buns, artful twists and braids.
Such a sweet mother-daughter story and an absolutely gorgeous book! If I could have walked off with it, I would have. Instead, I invited Zenda to share her book with us on Jungle Red (and went right home and ordered myself a copy).
I knew my granddaughter would adore it, probably try out the different braids and buns. Because she, like the little girl in Zenda’s book, is obsessed with her hair. One day she braids it, another day it's in a topknot with red streaks from a hair crayon. Another day she irons it flat and wears it Veronica Lake style, over one eye.
When Zenda told me the book is self-published it, I was bowled over. Visually it’s knock-down-dead gorgeous--the drawings are the work of a self-taught illustrator from Nigeria, Princess Karibo (www.princesskayart.com). I was not surprised to hear that in 2021 it won the Writer's Digest 2021 Self-Published Award Grand Prize.
With a big win in her pocket, Zenda wasted no time finding a publisher, negotiating a two-book deal with Running Press Kids who will relaunch ZARA'S WASH DAY in June 2024 and a second book in the series, ZION'S CROWN, in September 2024.
Of course I invited Zenda to join us on Jungle Red and tell us how she came to write ZARA'S WASH DAY.
ZENDA M. WALKER: Picture it. Los Angeles, March 2020. It was the start the COVID Pandemic. The entire world was on lock- down and my daughter Zara and I were suddenly thrust into a world of Zoom meetings, face masks, home schooling, and a ton of uncertainty.
My job as a leader in the beauty industry was demanding, and I was in no danger of winning the “homeschooling mom of the year award.” However, forced isolation gave me and Zara the quality time we yearned for. We broke old rules and ate ice-cream for breakfast, rode our bikes during lunch breaks, and started our dance parties early on Fridays.
Our hair wash days evolved into more grandiose self-care missions as the civil unrest intensified.
I spent more time gently massaging Zara’s scalp during shampoos, practiced compassion when detangling each coil, served mango smoothies and painted her toenails while she sat under the hooded hair dryer. We even read historical texts about the origins of the braided and beaded hairstyles.
The more we learned about our hair ancestry during our curated wash days, the more grounded and confident we became. Zara seemed more socially and emotionally prepared to deal with our new normal. That summer we continued to isolate, and I revisited my personal journal to release additional stress.
Zara and I documented our hair journey through fun social media videos, and I attracted a tribe of new followers with my educational shares.
Before I knew it, I had a solid manuscript and got serious about the self-publishing process. Zara and I closed out 2020 publishing Zara’s Wash Day through Ingram Spark, and by November 2021, I won my first literary award-the 2021 Writer’s Digest Self- Published Award Grand Prize.
Developing the Zara’s Wash Day story in 2020 is significant because it was essentially a love letter to all children who were suffering from isolation and needed to know that their story matters. I built an entire consulting business around concepts from the book, and my company, Know Your Hairitage, helps bring communities together under the universal topic of hair. We all have a hairitage story!
The best part about my author journey was finding my voice. I learned that I could be humble and still proudly share my work. I also learned to carry copies of my book everywhere.
It paid off in the Summer of 2022, when I was able to hand a copy of my book to a C-suite executive at Hachette Group during James Patterson’s Westport Library book signing. Four weeks later I was presenting my Know Your Hairitage goals to executives at Running Press Kids. In February 2023 I announced my two-book deal in Publishers Marketplace, detailing the relaunch of Zara’s Wash Day (June 2024) and debut of Zion’s Crown (September 2024).
I look forward to broadening Know Your Hairitage series by collaborating with other authors with diverse backgrounds. Hair wash days will never be the same!
HALLIE: Sounds like a bit of a Cinderella story, but there's nothing magical about it. Zenda made it happen with her own combination of talent, artistry, entrepreneurship and business smarts, along with a dollop of pure chutzpah and mother love.
What’s your “hairitage”? For me I’m afraid it’s utterly pedestrian: At Zara's age I was all about pony tails and braids and (anyone remember) duck tails. But when I go searching for hairstyles from my family's part of the world (Russia and thereabouts) what comes back is the "Russian Braid" -- a very long down-the-middle-of-the-back affair, so maybe that explains it.
