So Thankful to Share the Ways Young People Harbor One Another with @CWPFairfield. Looking Forward to #FPLOBOT on March 18.

Last night, as part of Fairfield Public Library's One Book, One Town selection of Jacqueline Woodson texts, my colleagues Sonya Huber and Steve Otfinoski, and I had the opportunity to kick-off a month of local events to celebrate Harbor Me and The Day You Begin. For my part, I realized that anything I had to say would pale in comparison to the incredible work of Jessica Baldizon and William King in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In their work, they harbor the stories and lives of English language learners on a daily basis. They help young people to begin telling their stories by embracing Ubuntu, writing, and the National Writing Project model.

It was wonderful to hear them tell part of the story of how books like Harbor Me and The Day You Begin have influenced their reading, writing, and English-speaking lives. When the young men in my research taught me that I had a responsibility to speak out, I learned that this meant finding opportunities to bring forward the stories of immigrant and refugee youth. Finding perfect texts for such an audience has been a mission ever since.

Jacqueline Woodson's Harbor Me is a perfect match for this work and we can't wait to hear her wisdom on March 18th at the Quick Center on Fairfield University's Campus. We are enamored by the author's words and look forward to the harboring she'll provide for our community of readers and writers.

In the meantime, it is Friday - one of the T.G.I.F. sorts. I am hoping to slide into the day finishing the last minute deadlines so I can use the weekend to catch up with the grading I desperately need to do.

Ah, but last night was all I hoped it could be. So proud to be part of the communities I belong to.