Born and raised in Magnolia, North Carolina, Trudy Mathis-Jarman formed a view of the world that was influenced by unspoken rules that are all too familiar to those who grew up in the South during the Civil Rights movement. While a sophomore at North Carolina Central University, she discovered a love for storytelling. Unfortunately, Trudy’s story would go untold for years due to her dedication to her family. 

Trudy is a wife, mother, and grandmother; and because of her fulltime devotion to her family, it has taken her over twelve years to write and publish BRAIDS, which she began writing while caring for her aunt who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. During the eight years in which she cared for her aunt, she took on the added responsibility of raising an infant paternal grandson who was abandoned by his mother. On September 2, 1999, Trudy was selected as the “Thursday Morning Mom” on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, a popular, nationally-syndicated radio show.

Sadly, Trudy’s aunt lost her bout with Alzheimer’s disease September 19, 2000. Although the loss was painful, it did provide more time for writing. However, shortly thereafter, her mother became ill. Again the completion of braids was postponed as she cared for her mother who passed away October 18, 2005. Now after years of perseverance, BRAIDS is her story.