JaNay Brown-Wood writes to inspire young readers through her work as an author, speaker and educator, creating children’s books highlighting diversity to help kids find themselves reflected in the books they read.

Brown-Wood earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from University of California, Los Angeles in 2007, and later followed it with her master’s degree in child development at Sacramento State in 2011. Her final stop in her college education was at UC Davis in 2019 where she earned her Ph. D in education. After earning her Ph.D , Brown-Wood briefly worked as a child development assistant professor at Sac State.

Brown-Wood reflected on how her education and work taught her child development and ways to support children by creating inclusive, high quality learning environments.

“Learning about how children developed really set a foundation for me that helps me take that information and put it in my characters but also impacts the types of stories I write,” Brown-Wood said.

Focusing on incorporating learning and diversity into her books, Brown-Wood wants children to find themselves in the pages that they read. Writing themes of family, love, Black joy, perseverance and community, Brown-Wood believes children can carry out similar ideas when exposed to them in adolescence.

“When you read books that have all these diverse characters coming together, working together, playing and building their community then why can’t you also do that in your own life,” Brown-Wood said. “Books are showing you even if we look different we can work together, we can play together, we can learn together.”

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Kimberly Biddle, fellow author and former child and adolescent development professor at Sac State, was one of Brown-Wood’s professors and spoke to her professionalism.

“She was very competent and able to do her task,” Biddle said. “She was also very supportive as a colleague, she would support other colleagues and she’s been very supportive of me along my writing journey for children.”

Growing up, Brown-Wood said she hated reading. As a kid, she didn’t have access to books that included diverse storytelling or characters. In response, she decided to write her own stories that were inspired by herself or her family to offer Black children the feeling of joy in finding themselves in literacy.

When Brown-Wood began attending UCLA she started brainstorming ideas on her first book “Imani’s Moon.” During its production, Brown-Wood faced many rejections from editors.

“It took eight years from the idea of ‘Imani’s Moon’ to holding a published book and during the whole time it was filled with rejections,” Brown-Wood said. “Instead of letting that stop me I just kept learning about how to write strong stories.”

Even though she already had her bachelor’s degree at the time, Brown-Wood decided to take writing classes at American River College. During that time, she joined a critique group where she was recommended by a friend to submit “Imani’s Moon” for a contest run by the National Association of Elementary School Principles (NAESP) to win a publication contract. “Imani Moon” won the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award and was released on Oct. 14, 2014.

Brown-Wood has then released 37 publications consisting of children’s books and poems for anthologies she’s written in. After the release of “Imani’s Moon,” Brown-Wood then published “Grandma’s Tiny House” in 2017 and “Shhh! The Baby’s Asleep” in 2021.

Her latest book, “This Hair Belongs,” released on Jan. 13 2026, is an ode to Black hair types, and exemplifies her advocacy for Black representation in literature. Brown-Wood talks on the stigmatization of Black hair and the euro-centric expectations of hair in society.

“We’re told it needs to be straightened and long and that it looks unprofessional and all of these messages I’ve grown up with,” Brown-Wood said. “‘This Hair Belongs’ pushes back against that and says, ‘No your hair is beautiful, your hair is magic and you belong.’”

Passionate about teaching kids to love reading, Brown-Wood writes in a blog delving into the literacy rates of kids. Within the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress Report Card for reading, Brown-Wood found that 40% of fourth graders and a third of eight graders in the U.S. aren’t meeting basic level of proficiency in reading.

“That’s where my fire comes from. I just know that literacy skills are so important within society and if you don’t have strong literacy skills that can impact the trajectory of your life,” Brown-Wood said.

Brown-Wood also serves as president of 916 Ink, a nonprofit organization that focuses on creative writing and literacy tutoring for kids around Sacramento. Ian Hadley, executive director of 916 Ink, spoke on Brown-Wood’s dedication to the 916 Ink mission to transform youths into strong readers.

“She’s an incredibly busy and successful person right now and she still dedicates a ton of time to 916 Ink,” Hadley said. “She believes in the mission, she wants to push it forward and if she agrees to do something she is gonna give it everything she has.”

When Brown-Wood performs read-alouds to kids, she reads interactively. Her goal is for children to be entertained and develop independent thinking.

“I try to read very interactively because I understand that helps engage kids and keep their attention, but then when I’m doing things like asking questions, they’re listening and processing and having to produce an answer,” Brown-Wood said.

Brown-Wood speaks of encouraging parents to inspire their kids to find joy in reading.

“You can start to build these really wonderful, warm and positive associations around literacy,” Brown-Wood said. “I want parents to model reading which means they have to be reading themselves.”

Hoping that young women heading into the work field can find the strength to push against the challenges they may face, Brown-Wood offers advice on how they can persevere for a future they want.

“Don’t quit but also expect the challenges,” Brown-Wood said. “When you hear ‘no,’ don’t just accept it, keep pushing, find a solution, try a different route, don’t let those things stop you especially if it’s something you’re passionate about.”