When Dreams and Reality Are In Sync

Long before it became a reality, Tiger Stripe Publishing, a small indie press based out of Chicago and Phoenix, Joy E. Triche, its founder, was putting a plan into action. An avid reader as a child, she entered her teenage years with a dream to publish her own magazine. The magazine never came to fruition, but Joy’s passion for reading fueled her college major: journalism with a minor in business.

Joy’s first experience in the publishing business came during her senior year of college when she assisted friends who wanted to self-publish their work. Then she became an editor for both small and large educational publishers. This ultimately prepared her for running her own small press, Tiger Stripe Publishing. Joy continues to do consulting work for educational publishing houses in the areas of online instructional and academic design. Her specialty focuses on making sure content is culturally responsible and anti-racist.

While Tiger Stripe Publishing’s roots began in editorial and publishing services in 2006, the press continued to change and grow. In 2014, TSP’s main mission became publishing high quality children’s books that celebrate underrepresented people. The press’s mission statement is still evolving as Joy and her team are moving to use the term BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) instead of underrepresented people as it better communicates their intentions and foreseeable future publishing plans.

Tiger Stripe Publishing has 12 books under its belt, most of them are picture books. She has 2 middle grade novels, and Joy would love to publish a YA (young adult) series that fits with her mission. Running a publishing house and fulfilling her consulting job leaves little time to pen a book of her own, but she did just that in 2018. NURI MEANS LIGHT is a picture book about a preschooler who wants to understand the origin of her name.

Another first for Joy was the publishing of A SONG FOR ROBIN by Amanda Caverzasi, TSP’s first historical fiction. It’s also the first book that doesn’t have BIPOC characters depicted on the cover.

I asked Joy about this and she replied, “I’ve never struggled so with a book cover. Long story short, we ended up using a pattern and overall look that was reminiscent of the time period in the book, the 1950’s. Before publishing it, I found that my test reader had no idea of the race of the main child character. As a result, I wanted to stay away from depicting her on the cover, like I would usually do. While it was not what I initially envisioned for the cover, I’m so happy with it because I believe that it works to invite everyone in to read with an open mind.”

MIDDLE GRADE:

A SONG FOR ROBIN by Amanda Caversazi (also highlighted in September’s blog post Small But Mighty)

BECAUSE OF KHALID by Carolyn Armstrong is a coming of age middle grade novel about an African American boy from Chicago who moves to the Serengeti National Park, Africa and befriends a Maasai warrior at the height of the elephant poaching crisis.

PICTURE BOOKS:

NURI MEANS LIGHT by Joy E. Triche
Nuri wants to understand the origin of her name

Q SAVES THE SUN by Isaac Perry
During bedtime stories with his dad, a boy transforms into a superhero to defeat aliens

COMING SOON:

Q TANGLES WITH TIME by Isaac Perry (book 2)
Super-Q and his sidekick, Brian the dinosaur, are back in a brand new adventure. The fearless heroes must don capes and masks and enter the dreamscape to battle a time-stopping villain.

HOW I BECAME WE by Raquel L. Monroe, Ph.D.
Embracing the love of others over the love of material things