{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"","title":"Finding Out You're Having Twins, Confronting Racist Inquiries, and Being a High School Librarian with Jessica Grider","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/6968dcac0c88d43b28104d1e/942ae6f5439b7ac231b648ecda3abd81.jpg?height=200","description":"

In episode 19 of the Makers, Dreamers, Doers podcast, Morgan talks with Jessica Grider, a fellow mom-of-twins (+ a singleton!), high school librarian, hobby gardener, and writer. Morgan and Jessica compare notes on their experiences with finding out they were having twins, twin pregnancy, C-section birth, (tandem) breastfeeding, and the emotions that come with weaning but knowing that it's 'time'. Jessica shares about why she and her husband don't share a bedroom (spoiler: yes, they like each other, and, yes, they have sex) and how it's made them more intentional about spending time together.


Morgan and Jessica delve into a conversation about race: The difference between racist remarks and genuine curiosity about the differences between her skin color and her boys'—both are things that Jessica experiences often as a Black mother to biracial children; raising 'white-presenting' boys and how that may change how she and her husband have conversations with them about police brutality and racial bias when they are older; and the importance of open dialogue and honesty in interracial relationships.


Jessica also shares about her transition to becoming a high school librarian and what she loves most about her role in the 'hub' of her school (she was previously a high school English teacher for 12 years, including through the COVID-19 pandemic); what it's been like being a librarian in the midst of a frenzy of book bans from the political right across the country, and how her school district has mostly remained immune from the discriminatory bans happening in libraries across Missouri; and, lastly, why representation in libraries and literature matters (Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop: \"Mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors\")


Books Mentioned in This Episode



Lawrence mom gives birth to 'MoMo' twins — article referenced in the episode


You can learn more about Jessica and her life as a school librarian raising three boys by following her on Twitter and Instagram

You can learn more about Morgan and her work by following her on Instagram | morganbarrett.co

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