Title:A family duet: alumna, sister-in-law co-author picture book

Psychotherapist Maris Pasquale Doran (C’03) and her sister-in-law, actress Phillipa Soo, both work with stories for a living. But their decision to actually write one didn’t take place until a family event in 2018.

After her Grammy-winning performance in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton, Soo wrote an afterword for Eliza: The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. Doran, who often read picture books to her sons when they were young and also uses stories in her psychotherapy practice, spent time discussing storytelling, which led to “this really beautiful marriage” of their values and skills, Doran says.

Piper Chen Sings, now a New York Times bestseller, “really is an extension of both of us,” says Soo. In the book, music-loving main character Piper Chen must hold both her fear and fire at once when presented with an opportunity to solo in the school choir show.

The Chinese-American main character is inspired in part by Soo, and the authors hope the story will continue to increase representation in picture books and show all children that experiences and emotions are universal. Soo—who says she connected with her grandmother through food, music, and the Mandarin language—hopes others will recall similar experiences of bilingual families, intergenerational households, or simply having fun with grandparents. The book, which features a dedication from Soo to her grandmother, has a reader pronunciation guide for words in Mandarin.

Piper Chen Sings was named the 2024 selection for Read for the Record: a global campaign to increase literacy efforts, in partnership with the early childhood program Jumpstart. The authors recently spoke at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Since the process from story creation to publication is so lengthy, the opportunity to finally “[engage] with kids around the story has been so fun,” Doran says.

In the book, a conversation with her music-loving grandmother helps Piper work through her emotions. The authors hope the story serves as an empowering tool for all readers, children and adults alike, to practice mindfulness and emotional awareness. These topics, Doran says, are “relevant across all industries and jobs.”

Doran took her first psychology classes during her time as an undergraduate at Georgetown, and was encouraged by a first-year English professor to consider a writing career. She still keeps in touch with her college “sister friends” today— and believes the classes she took helped her gain insights into people and how they engage with each other.

“Georgetown holds one of the most special places in my heart,” Doran says. “It was the best four years ever.”