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Around the Table Productions was founded by Sharonda Sheppard in Nov. 2005. She is an avid writer of novels, short stories, poems, children’s books, and musical stageplays. To date, she has won several awards and recognition for her literary submissions of all forms. With the grace of God & the help of her family, she has worked diligently to write, produce, and direct the stage plays, The House That Joy Built© and her newest release, Between Friends©.

Sharonda is the fourth child and oldest girl of thirteen children. She and her 12 siblings were raised in a two bedroom / one bath home in the rural town of Snow Hill, NC. Countless childhood misfortunes including the breakup of her parents’ marriage caused Sharonda to use writing as an escape as she contended with being forced to grow up faster than she wished. "When you grow up being the oldest girl of 13, you’re poor, and the only working parent in the house bails out, what other choice do you have but to grow up fast. It was a fly by night deal. After my dad left, my 3 older brothers and I had 9 younger siblings that we had to help my mother raise; I was only 12.”

It was at that point Sharonda began to earnestly realize what she was made of. “Even though it was tough for us kids, I could only imagine what it was like for my mother being left to raise 13 kids on her own. But I watched her faith and willingness to move forward in life and she instilled that same fortitude in us. She always reminds us that we are special; that we were set apart for a reason. God doesn’t take us through trials and tribulations for nothing; it’s to prepare us for something much greater. So, every time I hit a rough patch with these productions, I have to remind myself who I came from and to whom I belong."

So, why are they called Around the Table Productions? “As a child, my mom made all of the school kids sit at the kitchen table to do our homework and that’s where I composed my first short-story; I was in the 4th Grade. To this day, I still work around the table; even when my music directors and I are working to produce music for the shows, we do it at my mom’s house around the table. Old habits die hard; but some are worth keeping.”

Sharonda currently resides in Atlanta, GA with her son, Orion.
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