This past weekend, Cynthia Erivo joined us at our 151 Mercer store with an important message to share: dream big. The award-winning actress — she is just one award away from achieving EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony), an accomplishment only six women, including Audrey Hepburn and Barbara Streisand, have reached — read from her newly released children’s book, Remember to Dream, Ebere. It has a beautiful lesson, encouraging young girls to chase their dreams.

The story is inspired by Cynthia’s own family — her sister’s middle name is Ebere — but especially her mother, who always reminded her to reach for the stars. Throughout her life, Cynthia has fearlessly pursued her dreams as an actor, singer, songwriter, producer and now author. On camera and stage, she frequently portrays empowering women and, last year, she launched Edith’s Daughter, a production company that focuses on stories and people who are often underrepresented in media. Cynthia is an example of someone who has achieved big because she dared to dream big. With Remember to Dream, Ebere, we can all learn to dream a little bigger.