Hi, I'm Zibi Owens, and you're listening to the Webby-nominated podcast, Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.

This episode of Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books has been sponsored by Himalaya, the best app for discovering, listening, and organizing podcasts.

Himalaya was nice enough to reach out and make me an editor's choice. So now they're a sponsor.

Check them out at Himalaya.com or in the app store. I am just beyond excited to be talking

to the legendary writer, novelist, and professor Jamaica cancad today. Jamaica is most

recently the author of children's book, Party, illustrated by Ricardo Cortez. Originally from

Antigua, Jamaica, who was born named Elaine Potter Richardson, came to the United States

to work as an opair at age 16. She was a staff writer at the New Yorker magazine for 20 plus years.

Her books include novels Annie John, Lucy, at the bottom of the river, the autobiography of my mother,

Mr. Potter, a small place, my brother, my garden, among flowers, and see now then. Some of those

were not novels, by the way. Jamaica teaches in the English, African and African American Studies departments at Harvard University. She has received the Guggenheim Award, the Lannin Literary Award for Fiction, the Clifton, Fatim and Medal, and the Dan David Prize for Literature. She currently lives in Vermont. Hello. Hello. Hi. Thank you so much for coming on my

podcast and spending the time talking to me. I'm so honored that you're doing this. Oh, thank you. I'm

honored, too. I mean, I never have to go. Oh, I've done my son's podcast. But anyway, I mustn't

waste time on my podcast history. Go ahead.

So I have so many questions for you, but the first thing I want to talk about is your

latest book, Party with Ricardo Cortez. And I just interviewed him too, and he was lovely

and told me all about everything about how it became a book. But I want to hear it from your

perspective. How did you do your first children's book party?

Oh, well, it's because of him.

I never thought of doing a children's book.

I mean, I don't think there's such a thing as a children's book.

I read all kinds of books.

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