BALTIMORE — In her debut book, “Real Talk: A Journey to Faith, Hope, and Love,” teen author Shakira Rayann has penned a series of prose, essays, affirmations and poetry about the challenges she faced during her time in middle and high school, including: bullying.
Divided into nine sections, which includes: About Me, Honestly, The Power of Affirmations, Man, He’s Fine and more, Rayann offers guidance, as well as different strategies that helped her survive through her most challenging days.
The topic of bullying and other issues faced by teens has taken center stage in the last few years due to an increase in teen suicides. Much of the attention has been focused on cyberbullying, however, statistics show that about 28 percent of students ages 12–18 reported being bullied at school during the school year, according to the Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2013 report. Rayann’s book focuses on her school experiences.
“I wanted to share my stories about challenges I experienced in school. My goal is to encourage other young women, who I call Queens in my book, to open up about tough topics and find solutions that come from an inner place,” said Rayann.
Rayann will participate in the 5th Langston Hughes Book Fair on Sunday, July 22, 2018 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Empowerment Temple AME Church in Baltimore City.
As an early high school graduate, Rayann plans to major in psychology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University.
To learn more about Shakira Rayann and her book, visit: www.shakirarayann.com