If you’re not telling your own stories, someone else is telling them for you. —Danielle Brown, Ph.D.
My People Tell Stories is the brainchild of multidisciplinary artist and ethnomusicologist, Danielle Brown, Ph.D. Originally a hub for Brown’s creative and scholarly works, My People Tell Stories was started based on the premise that people of color need to tell and interpret their own stories. The business tagline cautions: “If you’re not telling your own stories, someone else is telling them for you.” Since its humble beginnings, My People Tell Stories has grown to offer an array of cultural and educational products as well as various services in arts education. The latter includes professional development for artists, educators, researchers, and administrators who seek to center diverse, inclusive, and equitable practices in their work. At My People Tell Stories, we strive to do work that leads to the healing of mind, body, spirit, and soul. Learn more about our products and services below.
Our products.
BOOKS. The tale of a rogue ethnomusicologist who quits her job and embarks on a journey to remember herself and validate her culture through music, East of Flatbush, North of Love: An Ethnography of Home offers something for both the culture enthusiast and the educator. The companion East of Flatbush, North of Love: Teacher Guidebook provides tools and strategies for using the book in a classroom setting.
MUSIC: A free supplementary resource containing the songs mentioned in the book can be found on the East of Flatbush Playlist on Spotify.
“Brown is the consummate griot…”
—Glenville Ashby, Jamaica Gleaner
“So, to go along with my early, ‘Wow!,’ of approval, let me add this: If you are part of the Caribbean diaspora you should read this book. If you are part of the Trinidad and Tobago diaspora you have to read this book. Everyone else is invited.”
— Jeff Hercules, Big Drum Nation
Our services.
From music workshops and performances, to travel tours and free services for writers, My People Tell Stories offers an array of services for educators, creatives, and culture enthusiasts. See below for a detailed listing of our services. Contact us for bookings or inquiries.
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Meet the Author.
Join author, Danielle Brown, Ph.D., for a conversation and Q&A about her process of writing East of Flatbush, North of Love. Speaker fee is waived with a purchase of 35 or more print copies.
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Open Conversation.
An open dialogue between Danielle Brown, Ph.D. and audience that is sparked by impromptu or prepared questions by members of the host community. A separate Q&A session may follow.
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Keynote Presentations
Engage in an up to 90-minute presentation and Q&A with Danielle Brown, Ph.D. Presentations may be on topics ranging from social justice in music to the life of an artist-scholar-entrepreneur.
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Music Pedagogy Workshops
Throughout the year we offer half-day and full-day pedagogy workshops that focus on social justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion in music. Our signature workshop—the Caribbean Music Pedagogy Workshop—takes place annually during the summer and is open to the public. Click on the link above for more information, or contact us to host a half-day or full-day workshop at your institution.
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Interrogating Race in Music Series
The Interrogating Race in Music Series explores the role of race in music and offers strategies to create classroom environments that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive. These short webinars (90-120 minutes) are open to the general public and introduce participants to topics that are explored in depth in our more comprehensive half-day, full-day, and summer workshops.
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Teaching & Artist Residencies
Residencies take place anywhere from 2 days to a semester. They may include a combination of keynote presentations, performances, classroom visits, custom workshops, and more. Contact us to learn more about hosting a residency at your institution.
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Interactive Performances
Join vocalist and cuatro player, Danielle Brown, Ph.D., for 60-minute interactive performances of music from the African diaspora that reflect her story of growing up Caribbean in the United States.
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Sprint & Chat
Sprint & Chats are 75-minute gatherings to help writers complete their projects. We write for 45 minutes and use the remaining time to chat and build community. There is no cost to attend. Register to receive notifications of upcoming events.
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Travel with Purpose
We launched our travel services in February 2020 with an educational and cultural tour of Havana, Cuba. Then the pandemic hit! After being on hiatus for some time, we recently relaunched our travel services in November 2023 with a tour of Panama.