Laurin Mayeno is the author of “One of a Kind, Like Me/ Unico Como Yo”, a bilingual children’s book inspired by her own experiences with her son and her community activism. In “One of a Kind Like Me”, a young boy fights gender stereotypes by dressing up as a princess for the school parade. Laurin’s book is breaking ground as one of few bilingual, multicultural children’s books about gender diversity, and its inspired much-needed conversation about gender diversity with educators, families, and children.
In today’s episode, we dive deeper into Laurin’s relationship with her son Danny, and how he’s shown her a world where love is not limited by gender. Laurin has tirelessly dedicated her time to working with organizations, schools, and families to create spaces where gender-diverse young people and their families can thrive. Today’s conversation is a really special one for me as I hope all parents of LGBTQ children will be as supportive and loving as Laurin is today. Especially in light of the news yesterday, Laurin’s work and contributions are needed now more than ever.
Further into our conversation, we discuss why it’s beneficial for writers to work with a writing coach and how a writing coach helped to shape Laurin’s story. Laurin walks us through her process of being a first-time writer where we cover how to publish, the learning curves she had to go through, and how to market your book. And we also touch on self-publishing versus traditional publishing.
Happy listening!
Xo
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who would love our conversation? Please share this episode to help spread the word!
“Learn and keep learning. It’s not a process that ends, it’s a process that continues.”
-Laurin Mayeno
“People have immense capacity to go through challenging times and learn and grow if they’re given the opportunity.”
-Laurin Mayeno
“Society has some learning and growth to do.”
-Laurin Mayeno
What You’ll Learn From This Episode:
- Laurin shares the personal experiences that inspired her to create One of a Kind, Like Me
- Why it’s beneficial for writers to work with a writing coach and Laurin shares how a writing coach helped to shape her story
- How Laurin stays proactive in learning about the LGBTQ community
- Advice for parents who are worried about their LGBTQ children being harmed in public
- The challenges and sobering realities of parents who have children who are LGBTQ
- Why it’s crucial to highlight diverse literature for children
- Laurin walks us through her process of being a first-time writer: How to publish, learning curves, how to market
- How to turn a story that wasn’t meant to be a children’s story, into a children’s story
- Self-publishing vs. traditional publishing
- Why it’s important to get your book on as many lists as possible
This bilingual children’s book (ages 4-7) is based on a true story about a child named Danny who wants to be a princess in the school parade. He and his mom embark on a venture to find a purple princess dress. But will they find it on time? Laurin wrote the book based on her son and uses it to spark conversation about gender diversity with children, families, and educators.
Learn More About Laurin Mayeno
Laurin’s first-time venture into the world of children’s books was inspired by her son Danny and her community activism. She is the proud author of One of a Kind, Like Me/Único como yo, about a little boy who wants to be a princess in the school parade. The book, published in 2016, is breaking ground as one of few bilingual (Spanish/English), multicultural children’s books about gender diversity.
Laurin works with families, schools and organizations to create spaces where gender-diverse young people and their families can thrive. Whether storytelling with children, speaking with educators, conducting workshops, or writing blog posts, Laurin strives to touch hearts, open minds, and encourage us to be our full selves. Through community activism with Somos Familia and NQAPIA API Rainbow Parents she is helping build a movement of families and community leaders who speak out about love and acceptance for our LGBTQ children.
Resources Mentioned in Laurin’s Episode:
About Our Son: A Letter to My Late Husband by Laurin Mayeno (Huffington Post article)
