Soul Food, Family & Healing: The Story Behind the Brown Sugar Collection

When I first started The Paper Riot Store, my goal was simple: make coloring books that didn’t stress people out. I wanted to eliminate the tiny, frustrating details and create large-print, bold designs. But as the store grew, I realized there was a massive gap in the adult coloring book market, particularly for Black women.

The missing representation

I would walk through bookstores or browse Amazon, and the “adult coloring” section was a sea of generic mandalas, European castles, and fairies. While those are beautiful, there was very little that reflected the warmth, culture, and day-to-day beauty of the African American experience. I wanted a coloring book that looked like my family, my kitchen, and my culture. And I wanted it in large print, so the women in my family could actually see it.

That realization birthed the Brown Sugar Collection.

Crafting the Collection

I set out to create a series of books that felt like a warm hug. Each book in the collection had to represent a different pillar of African American joy and healing.

The first was Brown Sugar & Cast Iron. The kitchen is the anchor of so many Black families. I wanted pages filled with the things on every Southern kitchen counter: the cast iron skillet, the cornmeal, the hot sauce, the pound cake on its stand, Grandma’s apron and the family recipe book. It’s a celebration of culinary heritage and the love poured into every meal.

Next came Brown Sugar & Kin. This book is all about togetherness. It honors the strength of the Black family—from grandparents sharing stories on the porch to quiet moments of domestic peace.

I knew I also needed a book dedicated purely to self-care for Black women, which led to Brown Sugar & Bloom. This book pairs beautiful illustrations of natural hair and relaxing self-care routines with positive, empowering affirmations. It’s designed to be a tool for self-love on those days when you just need a minute to breathe.

Finally, we released Brown Sugar & Soul to celebrate the unmatched healing power of Black music. From the deep emotional roots of the blues to the uplifting energy of gospel and R&B, this book is a visual rhythm.

Large print, with more to color

It was crucial to me that these books were accessible. They are large print, with clear outlines and no microscopic patterns, so a grandmother can see them and a busy mother can sit down with one at the end of the day. They are drawn with more detail than our bold and easy shelf, though: fuller scenes, more line work, more to work with. I label them that way on every book page, because nobody should buy a book expecting one thing and get another.

Conclusion

The Brown Sugar Collection is my love letter to my community. Seeing yourself in the pages of a book matters, even in something as simple as a coloring book. I hope these books bring as much peace to your home as they have to mine.