Dana Drucker Bio

When publishing houses said America wasn't ready for a character like Apricot Brown, Dana Drucker proved them wrong—one classroom, one child, one story at a time.

Raised in Mt. Vernon, New York, Dana graduated from Hofstra University with a Bachelor of Arts degree and worked as a marketing and advertising executive before following her true calling: writing children's books that unify and celebrate the beauty of our diverse cultures.

After multiple rejections, Dana hired 3D artist Sky Hand Zan (her cousin) and self-published Apricot Brown: Miss Undefinable. No stranger to rejection, she carved her own path and found homes for Apricot Brown at the Children's Museum of Manhattan, the Japanese American National Museum, Empire Camp, Prose Inc., NYC Public Libraries, and schools across the city. She hosted author visits and workshops centered on identity, multiculturalism, anti-bullying, anti-racism, inclusion, oneness, and the celebration of diversity.

A twenty-first century girl coming of age in a twentieth-century world was challenging for Dana, but she believes it is all part of her purpose on the planet. "I am the product of a multicultural, interreligious, and international family. Fitting in always made me feel like an imposter. Today I know that my identity journey is a gift bestowed to help others discover themselves in the face of others."

In 2018, nearly a decade after her debut, Dana read her book via a live moms' Facebook group. It was viewed over ten thousand times that day, re-energizing her to expand the Apricot Brown universe into a musical.

Everything changed when she began substitute teaching during COVID. Working in elementary and middle schools across NYC, she witnessed a painful irony: America's most diverse city had some of its most segregated schools, where messages of unity were being replaced by division. She pulled boxes of her original books from storage and began reading them in classrooms citywide. Children clamored for copies. She gave them away until she ran out. When offered a choice, most kids preferred digital libraries—sparking her vision to reimagine the book for a new generation.

Dana is currently producing Apricot Brown: Miss Undefinable - Vol. 2 as an animated book and podcast launching on YouTube for Back to School 2026.

Dana lives undefinably in the ultimate melting pot, Manhattan, with her two sons. She believes that diversity is America's greatest strength and the world's brightest future.

Apricot Brown LLC is an edutainment company publishing content and creating empowerment workshops inspired by Dana's own identity journey. She dreams of a world of oneness where everyone is celebrated from Apricot to Brown.