Muriel Miller Branch has researched and written about neglected historic personalities and events in women's and African-American history and culture since 1980.  She has authored or co-authored several books, one being selected by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association as one of the "Best Books for Young Readers," and Chicago Public Libraries, "Best of the Best for 1998."  Branch is a recipient of numerous awards and she is active in organizations related to writing, education, women and African-American culture.    She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and her mother, who she claims as one of her greatest sources of inspiration.  She has five children and three grandchildren.

" I must be one of the most fortunate people in the work world, for I've been blessed with several careers.  For thirty-one years, I was a school librarian, a career I knew I wanted to pursue as for back as my freshman year at Luther P. Jackson High School in Cumberland County, Virginia.  I am a storyteller, an avocation that evolved naturally from being the daughter of a country preacher and from years of listening to family storytellers: a historian, thanks to the oral histories passed on to me with such flourish by my elders; and a writer because my mentor, Brent Ashabranner, discerned a talent I had not recognized in myself.  I strive to be a good steward of the gifts and talents God has given me, and I have been richly blessed for my diligence and perseverance." --Muriel Miller Branch

Some Gullah words with African origins. The language or country of origin is listed in parentheses whenever possible: