Dear Reader, As I was wandering bookstores this weekend, I was pretty excited to notice Mac Barnett's new book, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children on the front page of the Indie Next flyer - listed as this month's "#1 Great Read" - and yes, I mean on the issue they publish for adult readers! I was excited because I have read this book - and in my opinion, it is one of the best declarations of what it means to hold a strong image of the child that I have ever encountered. That wasn't...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, Last weekend I had the privilege to sit alongside a beloved childcare center and support their process of saying goodbye to the work they've done for over 30 years in service to families in our local community. What a sorrowful gathering it was. What a joyful gathering it was. No one but the corporation that owned their property was ready for them to end their program - no one asked for their input or perspective or inquired about the impact the closure would have on those who...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, Earlier this month, Matt and I had the tremendous privilege of visiting Children First in Durham, NC. We got to spend a beautiful day alongside the children and teachers and facilitate a workshop with local folks who we've gotten to know through The Studio. I left some reflections over on Substack - and invite you to take a look! in solidarity and with appreciation, Early Registration is Open Join us in 26-27 You are invited to join a small global cohort dedicated to constructing...
4 months ago • 1 min read
Dear Reader, Matt posted this poem this week in The Studio. It speaks of trust, and family, the power of the arts, the past, and hopes for what might come next, and I wanted to pass it along to all of you as we begin this new year with big doses of both love and fear. Beginnings by Jacqueline Johnson I did not expect to find a riverso far inland.What underground tributary,lake is your source?It goes on for miles into thecenter of an unending earth. Back then everything was music,wind running...
6 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, The Studio community this month has been engaged in inquiries around our relationship with time and so my awareness of the off-beat rhythm of this newsletter has been heightened. Matt and I try to offer something of value to your inbox, predictably, a couple of times a month - but I don't seem to struggle any less with deadlines now than I ever have at any point in my life. Maybe that's why I find the topic so interesting, and the world beyond the linear ways we typically use...
8 months ago • 3 min read
Dear Reader, “What we need right now is tenderness and vulnerability… If I can fight in some way to hold onto that, to show the softness, to show the importance of love, as silly as that may sound, when everything feels violent and horrific, to point out the beautiful thing when everything feels, you know, like, there's no hope–I guess I want to keep doing that. And I want to make sure I do it not just for others but for my own soul, for my own self.” Ada Limón A couple of weeks ago, Matt...
8 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, "With attention and intention, we can shape our system in ways that resource the pathways that nourish our well-being (Deb Dana, Anchored, p. 105)." In July and August in The Studio for Playful Inquiry, we read Anchored and Inciting Joy together as we focused on the practice of finding glimmers - which is Deb Dana’s word for paying attention to the world and our experiences with the intention to perceive what brings us joy, delight, happiness, or comfort. In many ways, our...
10 months ago • 2 min read
The Studio for Playful Inquiry Leading for Playful Inquiry This week, we're on retreat with our first leadership cohort in Cannon Beach, Oregon, thinking and reflecting and planning with the friends we have made through our online program over the year - meeting in person for the first time - sharing food (lots of food) and impressions that can only be shared when you are breathing the same air, feeling the same ocean mist together in the three-dimensional world. So we're stopping by your...
12 months ago • 1 min read
I'm hearing it constantly: In these wild times, it's really important for everyone to write. Maybe that's a message you're hearing, too. But you might be wondering where to start - or what that call has to do with your work with young people. We've designed an antidote to that: a short series to get you started. Over just four meetings - each designed to attend live or at your convenience - we'll help you put pen to paper in a way that you'll find meaningful. And it's cheap - we've got pick...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read