In My Next Life, I Need to be a Contractor. Now I Really Want to Build School Based on the Needs of Young People.

Perks of being a community-oriented scholar is when I'm invited, with my colleague Matt Tullis, to get a sneak preview of renovations at a local library. The premiere is not until June, but yesterday afternoon we were asked to tour the restructuring of this location, with its vision of community outreach, technology, books, and programming.

This will be the new Westport Public Library beginning in the summer of 2019. The vision for the site is remarkable, with recording studio, radio space, computer areas, maker's space, books, community room, writing rooms, meeting rooms, and a central theater for author visits, performances, and other gatherings. To say the space is remarkable is an understatement. The visionaries are staying true to the mission of a library - to pull people together. I was in absolute awe with what I saw and it is far from finished. My out-of-the-box brain immediately began to think of this location as an off-campus resource and classroom for some of the courses I teach - it is an imaginative hub for the curious, creative, innovative, and seeking! Brilliant.

And look at the yellow - the yellow I've used in my own home (well, not this one) to feel alive, welcomed and ready to go! I cannot wait for the completion and am so happy for everyone and all who have helped to envision this remarkable location for the future.

I am sure this will be a go-to place for southern Connecticut about what is possible when minds come together to envision the needs of the people. It's democracy and I offer my standing ovation.

In the meantime, it's another 12-hour day and I have to teach, prepare, present, and attend. Here we go, world!