A Diverse Career:
FSU Higher Education Alumnus Becomes Published Children’s Book Author By Josh Duke
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ike many of us, Dorsey Spencer, Jr. found himself with a little bit more free time this past year because of the pandemic. Nightly events were cancelled, social hours postponed and travel for events came to a halt. As most of us discovered, we needed a pandemic project, but while some of us were busy perfecting sourdough starters and reorganizing our closets, Spencer decided to accomplish something he had wanted to do for a while: write a children’s book. It just so happened to be his new year’s resolution that year, and with so much extra time on his hands, he realized it was the perfect time to accomplish his goal. Spencer has spent much of his professional career working with students. While earning his doctoral degree in higher education from the FSU College of Education, he served in a number of roles at FSU, including as the director of administration for the Division of Student Affairs, before becoming the dean of students at Colgate University last summer. While he has worked with college-aged students for most of his career, he recognizes the importance of supporting young children. But he wanted to go beyond just encouraging literacy and provide young readers something he missed growing up: representation. “I wanted to write a book with a Black boy as the main character,” Spencer says. “Growing up, I don’t remember reading many children’s books with protagonists of color.” His research interests inform his understanding of representation and the power of positive role models, and he focuses much of his work on issues of student success, leadership learning and Black men in higher education. As a Black man, he wanted to be sure that young children could find someone who looked more like them in their earliest books. “I believe it is important for children to see themselves reflected in the books they read,” he says. “It is equally important for all children to see main characters from diverse backgrounds.” Finally, he wanted to be sure that the book included a “positive relationship between a father and son, like I have with my own son.” In this way, the book draws on his own experiences and insight as a parent.
14 | THE TORCH - COLLEGE OF EDUCATION MAGAZINE
Dorsey Spencer, Jr.
GONE FISHING With all this in mind, his book started to take shape, and “Worms Are A Yummy Snack” solidified. The book tells the story of a father and son who go fishing for the first time. Through their day, the son learns that fishing is much more involved than he imagined, but that the experience is worth it in the end. Spencer hopes the reader learns about the importance of patience and resilience, especially when trying something new. The book is intended for readers aged 5 to 8, and like many books at this age level, it presents a colorful exploration of important life skills through beautiful illustrations and easy-to-understand language. Spencer wrote the story but wanted to find an illustrator that could bring to life his vision for the story. That proved to be trickier than he thought and turned out to be his biggest challenge.
