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Personal and Professional Experience Peppered with Poetry!

Picture
Photo credit Jonathan Rosemond



​Personal     
Born Latoya Bosworth, she dubbed herself Brenda's Child
 at the age of 21, in honor of her late mother Brenda Kay Swinton.
Brenda's Child has overcome childhood tragedy, adolescent eating disorders/ body image issues &  adult  interpersonal violence. Through reframing those experiences, she has transformed herself into the self-proclaimed
Queen of Self-Esteem.
She attributes her healing and evolution to writing as an outlet, strong mentors, and giving back. 

Professional
Brenda's Child began her first job in human services at 19, and since then she has worked with youth and families in several capacities,  from crisis intervention to family stabilization.  She has collaborated with and consulted for  with the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Youth Services, after school programs, Job Corps, summer camps, and community centers. In 2006, she established her own arts and mentoring program,
 ​KYDS -Keep Youth Dreaming and Striving.In 2010 she published her memoir  and parenting advice book- 
The Right Amount of Sunshine...Cultivating Little Girls into Young Ladies

With a special education teacher certification,  Brenda's Child has been teaching in alternative high schools for 15 years and is also an adjunct professor.  She has B.A. in Sociology, and an M.S. in Nonprofit and Philanthropy,  and a PhD ​in Social and Community Service. Her research of course, involves young women.

Poetry 
Using her pen name, Brenda's Child began sharing her poetry in front of audiences, with hopes of  inspiring them to overcome similar obstacles. With little bit of brass, plenty of bold, and  the right amount of vulnerability,  she has performed as a spoken word artist all over from her hometown of Springfield, MA to San Diego, CA. In 2007 she published her first poetry collection. Since then she has published 10 more books of various genres, all with similar themes of  
H.E.R.S ( Health, Empowerment, Resiliency, Self-worth).

In 2012 she challenged herself by collaborating with two fellow artists to  help write, direct, and act in the stage play
 The Thick Chronicles...A Body Image Story 
which has toured college campuses in the New England  Area.


Brenda's Child has been a longtime contributor for the monthly publication
 An African-American Point of View Newspaper. Her parenting and self-esteem articles are have been featured on Blackandmarriedwithkids.com and  ForHarriet.com 
​She was also an original columnist for Lioness Magazine
​She has received multiple wards for her empowerment work including: Eye of the Beholder, 100 Women of Color,  Eyes of Courage, and Business West's 40 under 40. 

Brenda's Child continuously spreads her message of  H.E.R.S - 
health, empowerment, resiliency, and self-worth
 in workshops, as keynote speaker,
 in print and on stage.