Angela Priso is a storyteller, creator, and visual narrator.

Welcome.

I’m a storyteller, creator, and visual narrator who builds worlds for children and adults—worlds rooted in culture, courage, and truth.

The official line.

I’m an author, radiologic science professional, and founder of Roots & Rhythms Stories, a growing children’s literature and multimedia brand that uplifts Central and West African traditions, global curiosity, and identity-affirming narratives.

I’ve spent nearly two decades in medical imaging, specializing in pediatrics and interventional radiology, a field that shaped both my discipline and my deep respect for visual language. That same clarity guides my books—from lyrical picture books to my graphic memoir Because They’re Just Boobs After All, a work that blends art and lived experience to explore breast cancer and resilience with honesty and grace.

I create stories that help children see themselves.
I create visual nonfiction that helps adults feel seen.
And I believe both are necessary.

The real line.

I write to honor where I come from and where I’m going.
I write to preserve culture—for my children, for all children.
I write because some truths demand pictures, some memories demand language, and some wounds demand art.

I’m proud of the communities that shaped me: Gary, Indiana; the global African diaspora; and the Central African heritage I share with my husband, Jean-Pierre. I’m equally proud of the readers—young and grown—who find pieces of themselves in my stories.

My motto right now?
“Tell the truth beautifully.”

If you’re here, thank you.

I hope my work reminds you to be curious, to be courageous, and to never underestimate the power of your own story.

F. A. Q.

  • My storytelling journey didn’t begin with a target age group, it began with a desire to tell the truth in whatever form it arrived. My stories arrive to me as shadows, memories, or unfiltered emotion meant for adults and some inspiring for children.

    For almost two decades, I worked in medical imaging, caring for children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. That experience shaped me deeply, and it taught me that stories don’t belong to one age, they belong to everyone. The truth belongs to everyone.

    Writing across genres is my way of honoring the full spectrum of who I am: the mother, the medical professional, the artist, the woman who survived breast cancer, and the girl from Gary who grew up loving comic strips and make believe. Children need magic. Adults need truth. Children need truth and sometime adults need magic to help us get through. I choose to create both.

  • Medical imaging taught me something that has never left me: the body tells the truth, even when we can’t find the words. After thousands of hours behind machines and monitors, I learned to read stories inside the human body, stories of pain, healing, courage, and survival.

    When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, that understanding shifted inward. I needed a way to communicate what was happening emotionally, not just physically. Visual language became my bridge. The graphic memoir format allowed me to express what trauma feels like, not just what it looks like in medical terms.

    The minimalist vignettes, the white space, the quiet frames, all of it came from the discipline of imaging: remove noise, highlight the essential, and let the picture speak when language falters.

  • My children’s stories are love letters to Black children, to African traditions, to identity, and to belonging. Letters to all children, that they all are beautiful. I was raised African American in Gary, Indiana, and later built a life connected to the rich traditions of Central and West Africa through marriage and community. That blend shaped the heart of my work.

    When I write about Cameroon, Tanzania, Mali, or the African diaspora, I’m not just creating stories; I’m preserving heritage. I’m showing children that their culture is not just beautiful it’s worthy of celebration, study, and joy.

    Every book is a bridge: from home to homeland, from history to imagination, from child to ancestor. My goal is simple to help young readers see themselves, and to help the world see them more clearly.