We recently connected with Sabrina Wiggins and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sabrina , thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

Growing up as a woman of color in a small, underserved community, I have seen first-hand the lack of resources and opportunities available to the youth. As an adult, I remain heartbroken by this reality, and am driven to make a change. My mission is to ensure that all children, especially children of color in underrepresented communities, have access to diverse books that accurately reflect their experiences and backgrounds. The need for diversity in children’s literature should not exist, but it does, and it is up to us to provide the resources and opportunities for all children to succeed. I am committed to advocating for the needs of these communities and providing support in any way that I can. I believe that education and access to books and other resources are fundamental in breaking the cycle of poverty and giving children the chance to reach their full potential. By giving them access to stories and characters that they can identify with, we are empowering them to see themselves as valued members of society and instilling a sense of pride in their cultural heritage. I will continue to work tirelessly to bring attention to this issue and to create positive change in the lives of those who are most in need.

Sabrina , 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 am Sabrina Wiggins, CEO and founder of Little Aiden Press. I am a former U.S. Navy, a mother of two daughters and one handsome grandson, and a book mom (author) of three books. I’m a full-time employee by day and a 24/7 entrepreneur 365 days a year.

In 2005, my brother Ben approached me with a vision to create positive hip-hop for children. Fueled by his passion, I jumped on board, and we established a non-profit organization called Hip Hop Education. Our goal was to empower youth through music, and we did just that. The children we worked with had the opportunity to perform on local stages, give back to their community, and develop a greater appreciation for appropriate music and respect for one another. In 2009, I met Stefanie Magness at one of our events, and we quickly teamed up to host empowerment events for young girls. Our efforts were recognized, and we were even awarded a proclamation for our work to equip young girls of color with the tools they need for their minds, body, and soul.

In 2014, I made the decision to take a break from everything and pursue my MBA while also taking on a new supervisory role at work. Balancing the two was challenging, but my passion for serving the youth never faded. I began writing as a way to continue serving them, not quite sure what I wanted to write about. Eventually, I decided to turn my experience with Hip-Hop Education and the kids’ dedication to service into a story of them receiving an award from the President. And thus, my writing journey began. In 2017, the birth of my grandson Aiden inspired me to turn my writing into a small publishing house, also named after him. Fast forward a few years, and we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, with kids at home learning. However, one of the things they were missing was diversity in books – stories that represented them and characters that looked like them. So, I joined forces with many other writers to create and share more books that offered our children a wider range of options when it came to the stories they read.

I now have three books I have written, two that I have helped self-publish, and a journal that I help co-author to inspire others in the works, along with a few other writing projects.

In 2022, I established the Self Ink It Award to recognize self-published BIPOC authors. This year, I expanded the award to include illustrators as well. I understand that BIPOC authors often don’t have a prominent place in the literary world. I wanted to create a platform to show them that they are seen and deserving of recognition and celebration. While I hope that one day we won’t need separate platforms for BIPOC authors, my mission remains the same: to educate our children and help them become amazing human beings. I believe that by including and celebrating diverse voices in literature, we can achieve this goal together.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

As a person who’s always seeking growth and self-improvement, I’ve been lucky to come across three books that have changed my thinking and philosophy.

The first book is “The Four Agreements” written by Don Miguel Ruiz. This book helped me align my thoughts and actions and address negative self-sabotage patterns in my life.

The second book, “The 5 AM Club” by Robin Sharma, is a guide on how to change your mindset and approach to life and business. It taught me the importance of programming my mind and body for success and made me reflect on who I am and where I want to be, giving me steps on how to get there.

Lastly, “12 Week Year” by Brian P. Moran, taught me to break my year down into smaller segments rather than looking at it as a whole. This helps me to get things done, think differently about my day-to-day life, and establish better weekly routines.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Before the pandemic, I was used to networking and attending author events to grow my client base. But now, with the pandemic restrictions, I’ve had to shift my focus to social media engagement. Although I’m not the best at using social media, I realized that I needed to show up more frequently in order to connect with my clients and understand their wants and needs. I’m still learning how to effectively use social media, but I know it’s important to be present and active in order to reach a wider audience. I’ve been trying to interact more with my followers, post regularly, and share my work and experiences. It’s not always easy, but I’m committed to improving my skills and finding new ways to connect with people in this digital age.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.littleaidenpress.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littleaidenpress/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleaidenpress
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-wiggins-8773b67/

Image Credits
Will Starks, Stefanie Magness, Ajaezia Scott