What Color Is Goodness?

Inspired by the question of her cartwheeling five-year-old niece, “Emmy, What Color is Goodness?,” this poem was written to help readers find goodness in the most unexpected places.

First-time author EMILY MORRISON offers a vision of kindness, acceptance, and understanding in unsettled times within this beautiful poem, featuring the delightful illustrations of accomplished artist PAM MCDONNELL. The book is a discovery of the infinite colors of goodness and all the places where it can be found. In its exploration, the tale takes the reader through all the colors of the rainbow, delving inside brown boxes and ribboned packages, in dark grey spaces, and even deep inside all of us. 

Goodness is found while dancing wildly, singing joyfully and in quiet spaces with almost no color. 

Morrison hopes to transport readers to a world where poetry tells a powerful story that relates to audiences of all ages. She believes lyrical poetry has the power to inspire emotions that can create change. What Color Is Goodness? explores friendships, vulnerability, mindfulness, gratitude, acceptance, and community, lessons that connect all generations.

Emily Morrison spent her childhood immersed in reading, feeling most at home in the world of poetry. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in English and completing her law and business degrees at Tulane University, she detoured with a sixteen-year career on Wall Street. More recently, Morrison founded Elysian, an artisanal lifestyle brand selling handmade pieces from Istanbul, Turkey, as featured in "Forbes", "The New York Times Style Magazine", "Town & Country", "Veranda", and "Harper’s Bazaar". Her imagination cultivated, she wrote lyrical poetry to inspire emotions that can create change. This is her first published work, and she looks forward to the upcoming publication of her collection of children’s poems. A native South Carolinian, Morrison lived in New Orleans for over twenty years and recently moved to Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, with her husband, Stirling; ten-year-old triplets, Stirling, Logan, and Rhett; and their dog, Biscuit.

Pam McDonnell was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1969 and has resided in Memphis, Tennessee, since 1996. Her alma mater is the University of Memphis, where she completed her BFA in 2005 and is currently an MFA painting candidate set to finish her studies in the spring of 2023. She combines expressive graphite drawings with thinly layered oil glazes to create work that speaks the language of spirit and connection. McDonnell has been exhibiting her work in the Memphis area since 2014 and has pieces in the public collections of West Cancer Center, Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Church Health, and Iberia Bank. Additionally, she has volunteered her time to serve on the board of ArtsMemphis and has also served in various capacities on committees within the community to support and further the arts in Memphis.