Award-winning poet Steaven L. Misher says his latest book allows him to share his views on what it means to be a hero.
“A hero is someone who has the guts and courage to be themselves, to be authentic and to be unique, and the perseverance and the temerity to continue forward with their dreams,” says Misher. “I put in the foreword that if they’re not in the book, that doesn’t mean they’re not heroes. I emphasize that your teachers, doctors and parents are heroes, too.”

Misher, 48, of McDonough, recently published a children’s book titled The ABCs Of Black Heroes. He says the book spotlights, in rhyming fashion, notable Black figures throughout history – one representing each letter of the alphabet.
Misher said it was important for him to write a children’s book in a way that kids can embrace.

“The children’s books that I have seen, the artwork is good, but I thought the words weren’t simple enough for the average elementary student. So I decided to model it after Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat, and I made sure the reading level didn’t go above fourth grade.”

He says some of those figures may resonate with his readers more than others.

“It’s a children’s book, so they may not be as familiar with [New York Rep.] Adam Clayton Powell or Jackie Robinson,” says Misher.

Misher began writing the book in October of 2021 and released it on September 19. He says it has been well received thus far.

“Readers have responded to the book extremely positively – children and parents alike, students and teachers alike,” says Misher. “I actually had children preview the book prior to publishing it. The book was aimed for them. I didn’t just want to get the opinions of adults. I also wanted to get the opinions of those who the book was marketed toward.”

Misher says he was surprised by the response to one hero mentioned in the book.

“I didn’t realize the impact that Chadwick Boseman had on people,” says Misher. “But every young man who reads the book, he’s their favorite.”

Misher says the book has found an audience with students at locations including: Red Oak Elementary School in Stockbridge; Dutchtown Elementary School in Hampton; Lake City Elementary School in Morrow; and Bizee Brains Learning Academy in Lake Spivey Estates.

The book, he continues, has gained readers beyond Georgia as well.

“I’ve mailed the books as far as Texas and Rhode Island,” says Misher. He graduated high school in 1992. As for his own heroes, he cites his parents – Tommie and Rosalind Chatman – as well as his wife, Dr. Lashonda Misher.

The latter, he says, was instrumental in his writing pursuits.

“I was a poet before I even knew it,” says Steaven. “I was probably a poet in the womb. I was always writing. I used to be a corrections officer. Even in the prison, I’d be writing poetry. But it wasn’t until I married my hero that she convinced me that I was good enough to make a difference in the world with my poetry.”

He also credits his three children – Cornelious, Isaiah, and Malia – as additional heroes in his life.

The ABCs of Black Heroes marks Misher’s fourth time as a book author. He released his first book, Eagles Fly Low, in 2013, and followed it the next year with Healing in His Wings. He released Heaven Has Windows in 2017.

Misher won the Inspirational Poet of the Year award for the Gifted Artists Neo Soul and Poetry Awards in 2017 and 2020. He has written books and poetry for Sen. Raphael Warnock, former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, former U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and the family of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Misher recently established the P.O.E.T. Foundation to help young people improve their communication skills. P.O.E.T. is an acronym for Poetic Outreach that Empowers and Transforms.

The foundation will host an event in Henry County in February. The motto for the foundation is “educating lives one writer at a time,” says Misher.

For him, writing a children’s book is like being a chef. He says he enjoyed putting the “ingredients” of the book together and the “delicious taste” they create.

“The difference is, writing a children’s book forces you to think from a different perspective,” adds Misher “You have to put yourself in the shoes of the person to whom the book is dedicated.”

Misher hopes readers will learn what it takes to be a hero in their community and the world.

“I want it to be known that Steaven Misher is dedicated to the uplifting of the community, and improving knowledge of children,” says Misher. “In the process, this can not only uplift children, but it can also save us.

The book is available online at www.steavenlmisher.com, barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com.