Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kimberly Reyes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kimberly , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

A little over a year ago I decided to add a publishing arm to the nonprofit organization I founded in late 2020. I wanted to have an outlet to create and publish high quality literary products and educational materials. As a teacher, parent and writer this project became a labor of love. I set out to create a series of educational coloring books that would serve as both engaging entertainment and library-like resources that students could revisit again and again. I imagined an activity book that would also serve as a reference book. It was important that they would be useful more than just once. As a parent I understood the burden of having to continually purchase new activities. I decided I would undertake the full lifecycle of the project, setting out to learn all that that would entail. The biggest hurdle was learning the necessary graphic design software I needed to actually create the books themselves. I had artwork and I’d written all of the text copy, but putting it all together in a document that could be sent to printers was a huge hurdle. It was an incredibly labor intensive process but one that was all the more fulfilling when I was able to actually hold the hard copy of each book in my hands. We ended up publishing six books in total. Two early educational primers, 3 bi/trilingual vocabulary books and even a 100 page resource guide to the 50 States of the US. The most meaningful part of the project was watching my own preschooler read and color the books I’d created. They’ve become a tool in her learning and watching firsthand that idea go from just a sketch to a real learning resource has been incredible.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Like many people these days my professional journey has been a winding road and the current course it’s on is no exception. I’ve been both an educator and a writer for almost 20 years now. Teaching everything from preschool to corporate clients along the way. I spent 12 years working abroad, living in East Asia, Europe, South American and North Africa, making it a point to study local languages wherever I went. I continued my studies as I traveled earning advanced degrees in both Education and International Relations.

What I love most about learning new languages is the way it changes how you see the world. It expands your world view and allows you to ask questions and notice patterns you might otherwise have never considered. When I went about designing the language learning books in the series I wanted them to light a spark for both the adults and children that would use them. I envisioned resources that would encourage discussion and debate and provide learning opportunities beyond just the vocabulary they were designed to introduce. I knew I’d succeeded when a friend of mine who’d purchased the kindergarten primer for her daughter sent me a message to tell me how one of the pages had led to a whole morning of activities. They had stopped on a coloring page about fruit when her daughter questioned why there was an eggplant among the other fruit. This led to a detailed discussion about what makes something a fruit and not a vegetable, and later a trip to the farmstand to try out their newly found knowledge. This was exactly what I pictured when I designed the books. I wanted learning to come off the page and inspire the reader to ask questions and dig deeper. The books are meant to be primers, introductions to the topics they cover, with the idea that they will inspire the readers to explore the subjects further.

As an educator and creator I’ve always championed the idea of hands-on learning. I am incredibly proud to have produced a body of material that promotes that very ideal. I am excited for some of the new projects we have in the works and hope to continue providing learners with the opportunity to expand their horizons.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

At the end of the day the overarching goal of all the work I do is community. Building and fostering a community for families to feel a sense of belonging and support. I started All The Unexpected, the nonprofit of which ATU Publishing is an offshoot, from a very personal place. My journey to becoming a parent was filled with uncertainty and unexpected twists. I felt a deep sense of isolation and lack of support and I set out to create a space for families that would be both informative and inspirational. The mission began to expand as I produced the first few short documentaries we released and I fell in love with the idea of incorporating education into the work I was already doing. It was the confluence of my professional journey as an educator and creator, with my personal one as a parent that has inspired this iteration of my creative work. With my books I am able to provide families with resources that not only educate but also encourage discussion and cooperation which are the hallmarks of community building.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of the work I do is watching an idea transform into a tangible product. I start a project, whether it be one of my films or books, with an incredibly nebulous picture in my head. I have a notion of what message I want to convey or have a goal of what I want the book to teach, but at the start those are just things I hope for. Being able to shape this idea into a plan, and then actually be able to watch it take form is such an incredible process. Having a book go from just a sketch to seeing it in the hands of customers when they send reviews or updates is really rewarding. It’s such a gift to be able to share this piece of myself to help others learn and grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.alltheunexpected.com/
• Instagram: @alltheunexpected
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Alltheunexpected
• Twitter: @AllUnexpected
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@alltheunexpected
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/author/kimberlymreyes