Education Spotlight — NAU: Humans of Flagstaff with Monica Brown. See more local, state and national education news here

Books have always been a huge part of Monica Brown’s life. First, it was reading as many as she could. As she got into her career, she was teaching them. And then one day, she wrote a book. The professor in the Department of English, who teaches Latinx, African American and U.S. multi-ethnic literature, is still reading, writing and teaching books, with the goal of introducing diverse and interesting people to children. Her latest books are She Persisted: Diana Taurasi and El cuarto turquesa / The Turquoise Room. She talked to The NAU Review about her career arc, the impetus for writing her first book and the influence of family in both directions—her mother, grandmother and two daughters—have had on her life.