Published inSimple Word Publications·Mar 6Member-onlyFull STEAM Ahead: A Seven-Point Remedy Toward Opening Up STEM Education for AllThe Roots of STEM STEM education has unique limitations that can be effectively remedied with an added creative perspective. This article opens up the throttle toward what lies ahead. While the acronym for the convergence of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) in education is very new, the concept itself is age-old and…Education10 min readEducation10 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Jan 27Member-onlyBlack-on-Black Racism Is a Part of the System: The Tyre Nichols TragedyLet’s start here: You don’t have to be white to perpetrate a racist attack or offense against other citizens of color. You don’t even have to be angry. All you have to be is complicit. Yesterday, five Black Memphis police officers were fired and charged with murder and other crimes…Racism3 min readRacism3 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Nov 25, 2022Member-onlyThe Man Who Tried to “Swat” Black Girl Joy Who Was Outside Swatting Spotted LanternfliesThis is a short story about racism, but it’s not what you think you’re going to hear because it’s not a story about hatred, prejudice, false superiority, or even being mean. It’s a story about power. Racism is like rape in the way rape might appear to be about sex…Racism5 min readRacism5 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Nov 11, 2022Member-onlyModeling Wakanda Forever, or “How to Build a Better STEAM Camp”Every once in a while, a visionary new movie helps us all to see what was right in front of our eyes all along, offering a flight plan to the future. On Friday, November 4, I was watching “Black Panther: In Search of Wakanda” on ABC’s 20/20, a preview of…Creativity9 min readCreativity9 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Dec 29, 2021Member-onlyIt’s My Birthday and I’ll Write if I Want ToIt’s been a very difficult year — so many losses. But today is my birthday and I wanted to write. I don’t have a plan for this new bit of writing and perhaps that’s the best way to exit 2021 and enter 2022 as another December 28 comes and goes…Life3 min readLife3 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Oct 11, 2021Member-onlyI Am an Anti-Racist Because Everyday Monsters Live Among UsHow to vaccinate yourself against apathy and indifference — I am an anti-racist because everyday monsters live among us. …Anti Racism5 min readAnti Racism5 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Oct 7, 2021Member-onlyFour Ways to Jump-Start Your Creative CollaborationsThe Best Path To Your Next Creative Leap Is Through Collaboration, Not Competition — While the practice of free market competition makes for a compelling story, it’s not actually how the most enduring creative leaps have been made throughout human history. The real story of explosive growth and sustained development is collaborative, not competitive. Within our communities of creative and business practice as well…Startup4 min readStartup4 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Sep 29, 2021Member-onlyResilience After Isolation: The Restorative Power of Creative ActivityOne of the lessons I’ve learned in 2021 is that to move forward, sometimes I must echo the shape I once held. Every human life holds a place in relation to one another. We each have a sentient and spiritual presence that shapes us — that makes us identifiable and…Life7 min readLife7 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Sep 29, 2021Member-onlyRethinking Creativity: Making Something From NothingYou aren’t only what you eat…you’re what you practice — I recently gave a virtual talk to local art students at Henninger High School in the Central New York city of Syracuse to get them thinking as early as possible about where creative habits of mind come from — the kind of habits that will make them effective creators, makers…Creativity9 min readCreativity9 min read
Published inSimple Word Publications·Sep 11, 2021Member-onlyI Am an Anti-Racist Art Educator. Here’s WhyI am an anti-racist art educator because racism, its internalized razor wire, and stark social byproducts are still active and visible in the world we walk in. Anti-racist educators must be just as active and visible. I am an anti-racist art educator because racism now accuses anti-racists of being “racists”…Anti Racism4 min readAnti Racism4 min read