[1] She has said: "I was very fortunate in that my parents taught us to respect people from all walks of life and showed us that what mattered was not money or status but warmth, compassion, humour and integrity – values rooted in self-respect and human dignity.
"[8] In 1999, Staunton left Baobab and began setting up Weaver Press with Murray McCartney, also working part-time for the Heinemann African Writers Series until 2003.
[1] Established as a small independent general publishing company, producing books by and about Zimbabwe (encompassing literary fiction, history, politics, social studies and gender issues),[13][14] Weaver Press now counts among its successful authors Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, NoViolet Bulawayo, Brian Chikwava, Shimmer Chinodya, Petina Gappah, Tendai Huchu, Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Sekai Nzenza, Valerie Tagwira, Yvonne Vera, among others.
[15][16] Tinashe Mushkavanhu has written of Staunton: "It was the work of writers she published that always occupied center stage, winning international accolades, or getting translated.
[13][18] Staunton has for many years concerned herself with research through oral histories, sometimes in projects with other organizations, focusing on otherwise unheard African voices, particularly of Zimbabwean women and children.
It paints vivid pictures of what it is like to grow up on commercial farms in Zimbabwe, with work responsibilities from a very young age integrated into education and upbringing, as a legitimate aspect of the local traditions.