When You Have a Hunch, You Know. When You Know, You Trust. When You Trust You Throw It to the Great Whatever & Let Milo Imagine His World in Connecticut, too.

I'm always listening to the drumbeats of the universe, following the instincts of the rhythm, and looking for the magic (new music) of what hasn't been sung before. This is true for my friend Kathy Silver, too, who is a Principal at Harding High School in Bridgeport. "Crandall," she says, "This is my vision and I know you get me. My faculty is working with higher order thinking skills (HOTS) and you know I always want to promote the arts. I need something to boost morale and to give us a theme for the rest of the year. You know our students." 

I hang up the phone. I begin to brainstorm. Then I see a writing sage, Matt de la Peña put a video out about Milo who Imagines the World. It was almost simultaneous to saying "Good-bye" to Kathy (Yellow, if you want to know, to my Stripe). All I needed was to see the trailer, and because I knew Love, because I knew We Were Here, and because I still use The Last Stop on Market Street and Carmella Full of Wishes in schools during professional development sessions, I knew I had the direction. My mother, who crushes big time on Matt de la Peña would approve - I read because of her, and when she read We Were Here she simply she said, "There's something about that book that I will never forget." 

The boys don't crush on Matt like my mom, but I can tell you they won't part with his copies. As Dr. Susan James and I know, he offers readers a superpower of hope. He helped us to bring digital ubuntu to 6 high schools in 2016, a Writing Our Lives event we'll never forget. 

Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending the San Francisco Library's interview with Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, and listened to the special birth of Milo Imagines the World (this is the first time I listened to the artist discussing his craft - previously, all I knew was the appreciation for the work. Now, the story(ies) behind the craft add more fun and funk. I selected the perfect book for Spring 2021, not only for K-8 school professional development, but for high schools, too. I am looking forward to developing curriculum and workshops to help young people and adults to think critically about Milo's insights, creativity, hopes, and possibilities, especially in context of the world he'll inherit.

How do you imagine your world? How might this world be imagined together?

A special shout out to Atticus Bookstore and Cafe in New Haven - they were the champions of the day, ordering boxes and boxes and assuring they'd quickly be delivered to my home. "Why, yes, Mr. UPS man, these are boxes and boxes of books."

Another shout out to Hill Central Academy in New Haven. Vice Principal Brown is looking out for you. I'm coming your way, too. 

They made my Friday extra special, and I was thrilled that, at night, I was able to walk a copy to my favorite 1st-grade Basquiat, another Milo, who I hope woke up this morning ready to imagine his world, too. 

I'm ready to put this book in the hand of educators, in hopes for a better world.