We recently connected with Andrew Snorton and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Andrew thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

There are a number of meaningful projects I’ve undertaken through the lenses of being a published author, as well as the advisory work conducted in press/media and education. If I have to focus on one meaningful project, it would have to be the completion of my second book, “9 stories of faith: volume 1”.

It’s said the hardest thing to do is get started, and while I already published my first book in February 2017 (Deeper than your deepest sleep: thoughts on love with Joseph Snorton), the second book takes the longest time to complete of any of my books. The process gets underway in the summer of 2018 with focusing on 2 themes and following points:

1. An open conversation on what is your biggest daily challenge (and what you do to keep it in perspective).

2. An underlying conversation to not only encourage and empower, but planting the seeds for a cross-faith conversation.

At that time, the flames are being fired up about those of non-Christian faith, so in the course of interviewing people who are truly open about sharing what they live with and work through (ranging from physical and mental health, to working beyond life after incarceration and other truly “gut-punching” challenges), it is important for me to get perspectives from said faiths whose narratives get misunderstood and misrepresented. Therefore, in speaking with peers from our Islamic and Hindu communities, it provides a sense of where there indeed are commonalities across aspects of our faith community.

The time taken to collect the interviews and related info takes close to a year as I made sure to go over my notes tooth and nail to provide the essence of what people are sharing and communicating it an as authentic a manner as possible. What adds to the process is around the time I get ready to truly get the finishing touches done, my Grandmother (whose 99th birthday is in October of 2017) passes the Wednesday after the Thanksgiving holiday..

To write about what people are living with and through takes on a different meaning when you are faced with it yourself.

Taking moments to pause and essentially use what I collected provided me with the affirmation I’m on the right track. At the time of her passing, I have 9 completed interviews/stories. Those of Christianity understand the significance of the number “9”, so it just seems that the undertaking of this project (second book), the stories collected, the inspiration provided for readers AND for me just make sense and are in alignment.

And as of early 2018, it’s completed and still a key work or moment which has led to additional writing projects (2 additional published books) and other creative work across the board.

Andrew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I would say being the youngest in the family, it’s fairly inherent that I’m somewhat all over the place (LOL), so working across multiple fields (author, press/media, and education) makes sense when you really think about it!

Starting with the education end, it evolves from previously teaching middle school (Language Arts, Social Studies, Journalism, Drama/Theater Arts (for a few weeks), along with being the advisor for yearbook, intramural sports, and a poetry club). Even after transitioning out of the classroom, I still recognized the need to have sort of presence in the field.

Gradually, I would move into tutoring which evolves into student coaching, ACT/SAT prep, and general college readiness (the admissions and related processes thanks to having served on Alumni-in-Admissons and boards ranging from the Association of Wake Forest University Black Alumni President (2011-15), Alumni Council, and most recently, the board of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest). To date, I’ve been fortunate to work with different high schools, student-athletic programs, and community/nonprofits (including Upward Bound at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga), so while I’m not in the classroom on a daily basis (and MAJOR kudos to educators to what they do), I’m able to leave a footprint in the classroom and community to help students achieve and succeed, let alone attend a myriad of 4-year, 2-year, trade or tech schools, and even the military.

My press/media experience grows from being a writer for Examiner (March 2010-May 2016) and covering those in nonprofits and community-focused work, as well as a sprinkling of arts/entertainment and sports. Once the magazine shuts down, I’m fortunate to “reboot” and generate some sound collaborations.

Ranging from the Status Network (as host of The Conversation Corner) to being credentialed to cover professional sports (including minor league baseball, minor league hockey, and professional bull riding among other sports), college sports (college football (including covering the 2021 Gator Bowl and 2022 Gasparilla Bowl), college baseball, and future work covering HBCU sports), arts/entertainment, and government/politics (including some members of US Congress), it’s a blessing to be in these spaces and places, speaking with the movers and shakers, and simply sharing the narratives of impact in a meaningful way.

The same can be said for different entities I’ve done press and media work for, ranging from different events, businesses, and people. Even more than sharing said stories of impact is seeing how these truly amazing people and groups continue to expand their reach. It’s humbling to share the story of people such as (but not limited to) a Kris Kinder (who is a growing presence in the arts, film, fashion, and other creative fields) or a Dr. Shenita Connally (and her work with widows and widowers among other audiences as well as being a published author), there’s truly some positive people out there whose work needs to be amplified, so it’s a privilege to work with them and do what can be done to facilitate the process of additional media and related outlets get the story and share the story..

As a 4-time published author (and yes, there’s more work coming-while I cannot reveal when, just know it’s coming), having the ability to write on multiple topics is truly beyond my wildest dreams and imagination, and it encourages me to “go further” and create more work to engage, connect with, and encourage readers who are waiting on this kind of work. Starting off with “Deeper” (February 2017), it’s a poetic take on the action and energy of love, but it based on discussion with a long lost family member, let alone the conversation is among men who take time to articulate from the simple to the complexity of the action and energy of love; combined with taking a portion of the actual conversation the poem is based on (at the beginning of each chapter), it allows the reader to better connect and go where the author is going instead of it being too abstract and getting inadvertently lost in the shuffle.

While “9 stories of faith: volume 1” shares how people keep their life challenges in perspective (as discussed earlier), my third book, “nothing Minor” (released July 2020), goes in a completely different direction. It’s an intimate look at my coverage of minor league baseball in 2019 across the Southeast. It’s more than covering the game, as a number of players interviewed are either in the Major Leagues currently or have seen time in MLB, but their perspectives and insight go beyond the game. When you can interview a 19-year old player (at the time) whose take on aspects of the game are applicable to life, a number of the players have wisdom beyond their years. Likewise, having enhanced representation (as more than 1/3 of the players interviewed are of African-American background in a sport where on the MLB level, it’s less than 10%), especially with the special inserts on the Negro Southern League Museum and having a vantage point from one of the umpire supervisors really allows fans of different levels and more to “get in game” in a creative and engaging manner.

My current release “quotes and notes: something’s on the horizon”, is part thinkpiece, part journal, and all about “rebooting” and taking time to pause and gain positive redirection (including myself). The quotes are helpful for me (and others) along with the rationales behind them, but giving the reader an opportunity to journal and come up with reflections meaningful to THEM is just as integral a part of the process. In being aware of what we feed ourselves mentally, in improving our mental diet, it can yield positive gains.

And with the freestyle music and spoken word series (The Author’s
Mixtape), being creative with topics covered, wordplay, and the contributions of fellow author Kris Kinder (on volumes 4 and 5) allow for even more innovative expression. We literally do everything (and I do mean EVERYTHING), meaning the writing, topics we’ll cover, and recording/production in studio; it allows for a truly organic experience (captured by our peers of 3rd Level Entertainment Group and Canis Major Digital).

In pulling all these moving parts together, it is ultimately about equipping, enhancing, positively energizing, and helping people get a step closer to where they are trying to go professionally, civically/community-wise, and beyond. In doing so, it’s a reminder to all of realization of who you are, whose you are, and simply being a positive presence to those around you who truly NEED you.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding part of it all is simply getting started, embracing the journey, continuing to grow, and seek out ways to simply get better. I know that sounds “basic”, but when I think about the work taking place across writing/published author, press/media, and education, those are the goals and in realizing them, it makes it that much more rewarding.

It does not mean each day is “easy” or goes according to plan, but with these goals in mind, it positions me to get better each day. The better I get, the more I can reach and empower; the more that happens, it afford all continued growth and learning opportunities to keep the process going.

I am not aware of too many people who want to “stay put”. I know for me to achieve my professional and personal goals and aspirations, each day, each person I work with, each book I write, it’s the “push” to get better, expand my reach, help others, and in turn, it’ll help all have the “win-wins” where can continue to be where we want to be in life and help others along the way.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Social media can be a key part of anyone’s growth. It’s not the only tool, but it can be a helpful tool when used accordingly.

Building an audience is akin to building a house; ok, I have built a house with Legos and Lincoln Logs (LOL), but what I mean is that yes, it does take time. My growth has been steady, but I am always looking for constructive ways to grow and expand my presence.

For anyone just starting (or who is still working on your reach), know who your audience is. Identify the platforms that you are comfortable with to start off, but be open to using additional platforms (just know your limits) to expand your reach. You have to be consistent, but consistency looks different for each person based on you and your audience, so once you figure that part out, move forward.

And just remember, you are running your own race. Give yourself time to figure out what works for you and your audience, and make adjustments. Whether small or big, growth is growth and it provides the potential for you to connect with people who need to be aware of the work you are doing and how it can help them or others you know.

Again, give yourself some time and allowances to build your network!     

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/authorasnorton
• Instagram: instagram.com/authorasnorton
• Facebook: Facebook.com/authorasnorton
• Twitter: instagram.com/authorasnorton
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@authorasnorton7387
• Other: https://www.fantescoffee.com/collections/author-andrew-snorton-collection asnortonccs.com https://youtube.com/@creativecommunitysolutions6794 https://www.statusnetwork.net/Shows/conversation-corner/ Amazon.com/author/authorasnorton

Image Credits
The photo of me and Fox 5 weather anchor Johnathan Stacy is taken by EmoryRose Photography (after we both threw the first pitch at AAA Gwinnett in August 2022). The profile photo (fedora) is taken by Kris10 Media (January 2022).