Shout out to everyone who made the Theatre for Young Audiences conference in DC so wonderful! I had a great time presenting my study on antiracist children’s theatre, and hearing so many other good presentations. Bonus visit to the Smithsonian museum of African American History Museum!
Nana passed last night. Funny how cyclical life can be - I started out as a child asking for your back scratches and listening to you sing. This week in the same house I stroked your arms and held your hand, and sang you the lullabies you sang for me. Thank you, Nana, for teaching me to care for and be delighted by children, and for encouraging me as an artist. I’ll never forget your smile, your funny looks, your singing and dancing, your laughter, and your love.
Weekly visit with Nana. We listened to some cello favorites. I stroked her hair and read her some Billy Collins.
‘And I should not have to remind you
that little time is given here
to rest on a wayside bench,
to stop and bend to the wildflowers,
or to study a bird on a branch—
not when the young
are always shoving from behind,
not when the old keep tugging us forward,
pulling on our arms with all their feeble strength.’
