Join us for a special free 2nd Monday at the Holland Museum, sponsored by The Meijer Foundation. In recognition of March Reading Month, hear local authors read excerpts from their books that tell stories of inclusion and diverse cultures, participate in fun crafts in the galleries, and make creative inventions in Spark!Lab.

Guests are encouraged to donate books about world cultures, diversity, equity, and inclusion to help support our Diversity and Culture Celebration Book Club (DCC Book Club) for kids and families! Donated books will be handed out to kids at next summer’s Meet Up and Eat Up program which provides free meals and activities to under-resourced families. Thank you to the participating authors and to our program partner, Empowering Youth Global Connection.

Featured Authors and Books:

4:30 pm Katelyn Herrygers, I am Me
5:00 pm Kate Meyer, The Red Couch
5:30 pm Kate Motaung, A Place to Land: As Story of Longing and Belonging
6:00 pm Nkechy Ekere Ezeh, Nwaenyi: Child of an Elephant
6:30 pm Rebecca Deng, What They Meant for Evil: How a Lost Girl of Sudan Found Healing, Peace, and Purpose in the Midst of Suffering

This family event took place at the Holland Museum on Monday, March 14, 202

Cultural Lens Program

This is a “Free Second Monday” program (free admission) sponsored by The Meijer Foundation.

Meet the Authors

Katelyn S. Herrygers

Katelyn S. Herrygers, a Holland resident, is the author of I Am Me / Yo soy yo and mother to Jameson, “Jay.” Writing is her passion and purpose. Katelyn wrote I Am Me out of love and support for her son Jay, who has Down syndrome. It is her goal as his mother, and advocate, to make sure he knows (and the world!) that he is super just the way he is. As the book says, “You are you and I am me, just exactly how life is meant to be.” Read more of Katelyn’s work at www.katelynshae.net or follow her on Instagram at @IAmMeMeantToBe or @KatelynShae.

Kate Motaung

Kate Motaung is the author of A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging, Letters to Grief, and The Five-Minute Writing Prompt Journal, and co-author of Influence: Building a Platform that Elevates Jesus (Not Me). She is the host of Five-Minute Friday (fiveminutefriday.com), an online community that encourages and equips Christian writers, and owner of Refine Services (refineservices.com), a company that offers writing and editing services. Kate grew up in Holland, Michigan before moving to Cape Town, South Africa for ten years. She and her South African husband have three teenagers and currently live in West Michigan.

Dr. Nkechy Ekere Ezeh

Dr. Nkechy Ekere Ezeh is an award-winning, international scholar who is passionate about helping vulnerable children and parents who are often left out in the educational system. Dr. Ezeh is a professor of education at Aquinas College and the founder and pedagogical leader of the landmark Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative (ELNC) – a trusted, place-based, early learning collaborative that provides funding, innovative shared support services, and advocacy to partner organizations rooted in vulnerable communities. Dr. Ezeh’s work has taken her across the globe to train teachers and empower parents and to the state government to testify and advocate for vulnerable children. She recently published her memoir – Nwaenyi: Child of an Elephant; Lessons Learned from My Father, a Nigerian Chief, about Child Development and Affirmations.

Kate J. Meyer

Kate J. Meyer is an author, the host of #MentalHealthMondayswithKate, a public speaker, professional counselor, and ordained minister. She is a lifelong reader and began writing her own stories early on. It wasn’t until college, though, that she got ‘the writing bug’. In the years since, she has explored a variety of writing styles including blogs, devotionals, professional book reviews, and newspaper articles, yet was hesitant to take the leap into her dream of publishing fiction. Finally, after many stops and starts, that dream is now a reality! In addition to the professional hats she wears, Kate is also a wife and dog mom to two chocolate labs, and an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers. Kate was born and raised in Sheboygan, WI before relocating to West Michigan. www.katejmeyer.com