Well, @TorreyMaldonado...a Morning Post Simply to Say I'm Thankful for Your Brilliance, Leadership, Love of Youth, and Craft.

I hope nothing but greatness showers on Torrey Maldonado this weekend and for the rest of his life. Yesterday, the teacher-author, author-teacher presented to a room full of Bridgeport educators and youth participating in the MLK Youth Leadership Academy. His talk was beyond engaging, so much that students stayed afterwards to say they had no idea that individuals like them could write and publish books. At one point, when he asked how many of the students have not seen stories that represented them and their families in school and almost 100% raised their hands.

This is the heart of where we are in the 21st century. As the world talks about democracy and freedom, we have to be cautious about who really had freedom and democracy in U.S., especially now with the book-banning surge of parents and the gerrymandering of a narrative that hasn't been true for all. That is the power of a Torrey Maldonado's text. His books represent the stories of kids, and families, trying to find their way in the United States, when there stories haven't been told.

As I worked with the kids before and after Torrey Maldonado's presentation, one doodle in a notebook caught my attention. It was a young girl sketching the face from the main character of What Lane with a Martin Luther King, Jr. quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." She then wrote, "We are all born with a voice so if that is taken away from us, we are not able to emotionally show what we think, want, believe in and care about."

And that is the heart of yesterday's event - one hosted by CWP with the greatness of Rony Delva, Upward Bound, in the Oak Room full of beautiful teachers of Bridgeport and their students. Very appreciative of Yolehema Felican for being a leader, too, and stopping by to greet the students. 

The open mic at the end of the day was as it always is: beautiful. The writers read with new composition started by the models of great writers (yes, Torrey Maldonado offered us two). 

I'm inspired as always. 

Thank you, Torrey. You deserve nothing but joy, greatness, and the power of the next story to come.