SPEAKING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Dr. Michelle D. Dartis brings history, storytelling, literature, and lived experience into conversation through engaging presentations, workshops, author talks, and community programs. Her work invites audiences to explore the stories we inherit, the histories we recover, and the connections that shape who we are.
Stories are meant to be shared.
PUBLIC HISTORY & CULTURAL MEMORY
Presentations and programs exploring recovered history, historical erasure, Black history, cultural memory, community, place, and the stories that deserve to remain part of the public record.
AUTHOR TALKS & LITERARY PROGRAMS
Engaging conversations centered on books, storytelling, the creative process, family stories, identity, intergenerational connections, and the power of seeing ourselves reflected in literature.
SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES & COMMUNITY EVENTS
Interactive programs designed for schools, libraries, universities, community organizations, and public events, with experiences tailored to the audience, setting, and purpose of each gathering.
The Visionary Behind the Stories
Dr. Michelle D. Dartis
Dr. Michelle D. Dartis is an author, storyteller, researcher, and public historian whose work centers stories too often overlooked, forgotten, or left untold. Through children’s literature, adult fiction, family narratives, and recovered Black history, she explores identity, culture, memory, and the power of storytelling to preserve what matters.
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As founder of Leave A Mark Press LLC, she brings these threads together through one guiding belief: stories can affirm who we are, preserve where we come from, and leave something meaningful for those who come after us.
What Readers Are Saying About My Children’s Books
“A wonderful book with a wonderful message! The world would be a better place if books like this were required reading. Kids deserve to be proud of who they are!”
— Trace Moore, Verified Amazon Purchase
“This is a beautiful story that gently addresses issues of identity, self-esteem, and the importance of embracing who we are.”
— Amazon Customer, 5-Star Review
“Huge shout-out to Dr. M. Denise Dartis! This charming story of chili, music, and heartwarming moments belongs in every reader’s hands. I’m placing it in my little free library in Newburgh, Indiana, and praying it finds readers who will take the time to read and review it before placing it back in another LFL to continue its travel.”
— Amazon Customer, 5-Star Review
COMING SOON
More stories are taking root!
Bibi’s HeartSeed Conversations
You Look Like Me: A Real MiMi & Trinity Story
Echo’s Adventures at Holliday Park
A tender new series created to help children and the grown-ups who love them talk about growing, changing, and understanding their bodies with warmth, honesty, and reassurance. Through loving conversations between Bibi and Sanaa, everyday questions become opportunities for connection, confidence, and self-discovery.
A heartfelt story inspired by a real MiMi and granddaughter relationship, celebrating family resemblance, identity, love, and the special connections passed from one generation to the next. Through a simple childhood observation, Trinity and her MiMi explore what it means to see pieces of ourselves reflected in the people we love.
An imaginative children’s adventure inspired by one of Indianapolis’s beloved outdoor spaces. Follow Echo as curiosity turns an ordinary visit to Holliday Park into a journey filled with discovery, nature, exploration, and unexpected adventure. A story celebrating childhood wonder, imagination, and the joy of discovering the world right in your own community.
Maddy’s Gift of Art
Maddy sees possibilities where others see ordinary things. Although words sometimes come slowly, her creativity speaks through crayons, flowers, beads, yarn, paper, and nearly anything she can transform into art. Inspired by a real child and her extraordinary creative spirit, this heartfelt story celebrates self-expression, neurodiversity, imagination, and the unique gifts every child carries within.
Rootwalkers: Book One — Echoes in the Earth
Fourteen-year-old Sundaii Vandever has spent years wondering about the mysterious limp that makes her different. But when the earth begins humming beneath her feet and an unexpected discovery awakens something ancient, Sundaii realizes her body may be carrying more than anyone imagined. Rooted in ancestry, memory, mystery, and the power of the land, Echoes in the Earth follows one Black girl’s journey toward discovering that what sets her apart may be connected to a legacy far older than herself.
ABOUT DR. DARTIS
Writer. Researcher. Storyteller. Keeper of Stories.
Dr. Michelle D. Dartis is a writer, researcher, storyteller, and founder of Leave A Mark Press LLC whose work is rooted in the power of stories to preserve memory, affirm identity, strengthen connection, and recover histories that might otherwise be forgotten.
Her work moves across children’s literature, family storytelling, public history, cultural memory, and community engagement. Whether writing stories that help children see themselves reflected on the page, tracing an overlooked family history back into the public record, or bringing audiences together through presentations and conversations, Dr. Dartis approaches storytelling as both creative expression and an act of preservation.
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: our stories matter—and when we preserve them, share them, and pass them forward, they can leave a mark far beyond us.
“Stories connect us. History grounds us. What we preserve becomes part of what comes next.”
MEET THE YOUNG
CO-AUTHOR
TRINITY N. M. ROBINSON
Co-author of You’re Rich, MiMi!
Trinity M. Robinson is the young co-author of You’re Rich, MiMi!, a heartfelt story inspired by real conversations and experiences shared with her MiMi, Dr. Michelle D. Dartis. Trinity’s voice and perspective helped shape a story that invites young readers to think differently about what it truly means to be rich—not through money or possessions, but through love, encouragement, kindness, connection, and the people who make us feel valued.
Sometimes the smallest voices help tell the biggest stories.