Motherhood is not for the faint of heart or the fond of sleeping. It’s unfiltered madness that’s simultaneously enlightening, exhausting, and affirming. The first five years especially are an emotional upheaval complete with stretch marks, and for mother of three Dionne Joyner-Weems, no parenting book in the world could have prepared her for the reality of raising three sons. In That Part!: What Some Know but Won’t Tell You about Motherhood, Joyner-Weems opens her diary and invites readers to share in some of the more vulnerable, challenging, and eye-opening moments of her motherhood experience. She shows, in writing that’s honest, humorous, and deeply relatable, how becoming a mother can be an opportunity to embrace the blessings in the lessons and become more accepting of all the messy, meaningful lived experience that comes with becoming a parent.

Dionne Joyner-Weems will be joined in conversation by FOX45 Morning News anchor Patrice Sanders. 

About the Author: 

Dionne Joyner-Weems is a natural-born storyteller who hails from the Westside of Baltimore, Maryland. She and her husband are proud Morgan State University graduates, and they are raising their three dynamic sons a stone’s throw away from their alma mater. Dionne is known as
a CEO mommy with a colorful energy that is authentic and unparalleled. The author’s extraordinary career spans more than 20 years in branding and social innovation. As the CEO of Audacity Group LLC., a global marketing company for bold impact, she works with social entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and small businesses to help them own their brand narrative and share their story with the world. The CLLCTIVLY 2023 Changemaker is also the Founder of #MyBmore Project and serves on the Maryland Marketing Partnership Board.

About the Moderator: 

Patrice Sanders has been a staple of the Baltimore community for nearly 21 years as the Anchor for Fox45 Morning News. She joined the morning news team in April of 2003. In that time, she has received numerous awards and community distinctions for her work, including several AP Awards and Towson University’s Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award. In 2023, Patrice was selected for and is now one of the newest graduates of Towson University’s Professional Women’s Leadership Program. In addition to her work on-air, Patrice has a large digital media following. You can find her on multiple media-platforms from her YouTube/Podcast series, “Lunch with the Ladies” to past episodes of her podcast, “TV News Moms Unfiltered.”

About the Program: 

• Registration opens on Monday, May 13 at 12pm. 
• This FREE event will be presented in-person and virtually.   
• To attend in person please register here. 
• Greedy Reads will be on-site and have books available for purchase.
• Doors will open to registered attendees at 5 pm. 
• Free parking vouchers are available to program attendees who park at the Franklin Street Garage (15 W. Franklin Street) after 4pm.  Ask Pratt event staff for your parking voucher prior to or after the program.