Joann “Auntie Jojo” Frasier Dasent of Cheltenham Township recently donated 43 of her self-published Aesop’s fables to two third grade classrooms at the William Dick School in North Philadelphia.

Dasent told Glenside Local that the gesture was in honor of Mr. Joseph Dinkins, her late fourth grade teacher who she first heard recite poetry 61 years ago at her alma mater, the Anna B. Pratt Elementary School.

Dasent noted that she and Mr. Dinkins reconnected at a National Association of Black Storytellers Convention years later, during which he told his former student that he still has a copy of her class picture. A week later, she received the following in the mail:

Anna B. Pratt was closed in 2013 as part of Philadelphia’s shutdown of 23 district-run schools. Students were ushered to the William Dick School following the closure.

“The entire school received renovations and looks spectacular. I felt a warmth when I reached out to Principal Stacie Beverly-Prince and Vice Principal Paul Trommelen,” Dasent said.

Dasent, who holds an MA in Oral Traditions from The Graduate Institute located in Bethany, Connecticut  is also celebrating her 20th year of graduating from Arcadia University. In 2022, she hosted a Superhero Camp on campus to promote literacy among youth.

“Although I’ve lived in Glenside for over 26 years, I still stay connected to my North Philadelphia,” she said. “I hope this story will remind children in the city to reach for the stars.”

Her revised Aesop fable, “A Farmer, His Son and Their Mule”, was published by the National Association Of Black Storytellers in their first anthology Sayin’ Somethin’. 

To purchase Dasent’s books on Amazon.com, you can click here.

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Photos: Joanne Dasent