
Water's at the Root with Gwendolyn Wallace and Tonya Engel
From Black & Published by Nikesha Elise Williams
April 28, 2026 · 38 min · Season 6 · Episode 17
About this episode
Nikesha Elise Williams interviews Gwendolyn Wallace and Tonya Engel about their picture book 'Dancing with Water' and its themes of love, tradition, and storytelling.
Order Your Copy of The Seven Daughters of Dupree ! This week on Black & Published, Nikesha speaks with Gwendolyn Wallace and Tonya Engel , the author and illustrator of the new picture book, Dancing with Water . It's a story about a young queer child and their love for their grandfather who is a water diviner. In our conversation, Gwendolyn explains why she believes stories are truly born at the intersection of science and the humanities. Plus, how Tonya and Gwen see children’s literature as a way to preserve Black traditions. Mahogany Books Mentioned in this episode: Rate & Review Thanks for listening, family! Please do us a solid and take a quick moment to rate and/or leave a review for this podcast. It will go a long way to making sure content featuring our stories and perspectives are seen on this platform
People in this episode
Host: Nikesha Elise Williams
Guests: Gwendolyn Wallace, Tonya Engel
Topics covered
- children's literature
- Black traditions
- queer representation
- storytelling
- science and humanities
Keywords
- children's book
- queer child
- water diviner
- Black culture
- illustration
- storytelling
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Mahogany Books
Books & works: Dancing with Water, The Seven Daughters of Dupree
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