Of all the people who do essentially the same thing that I do as a job, Ms. Ella Jenkins is the queen. There would be no Justin Roberts, Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes--there would likely be no RAFFI without Ms. Jenkins.
But she is not my she-ro just because we do (more-or-less) the same job. I had the opportunity to experience a live "performance" with her at the final Kindiefest conference in 2013, and discovered what thousands upon thousands of children and adults knew before me: Ms. Jenkins's greatest gift is not her voice or her musicianship, but herself. She is present with her audience in a way that demands that the members of the audience be present in that moment with her! I have found this presence to be very rare, and so necessary in a world where we are so often somewhere else: on our phones, on social media, in our own minds worrying and planning for the future. I can promise you that no one at Kindiefest was on their smart phones while Ms. Ella Jenkins was on the stage.
I aspire to be more like her in my own endeavors. She is a treasure! She is a she-ro.
Ella Jenkins on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Glennon Doyle Melton (Momastery)
Glennon Melton is SUCH a truth-teller, she even tells the truth about how hard it is to be a truth-teller, because the world teaches us to lie. In her writing and speaking, she "makes the unknown known" about the messy, complicated, beautiful parts of life on earth that many of us spend lots of time and effort avoiding. And exposes the truth that life, as she puts it in this TEDx talk, is "brut-iful."
Check out Glennon's remarkable writing on "Momastery"
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
Check out Glennon's remarkable writing on "Momastery"
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-Ro: Phyllis Omido
I read this story about Ms. Omido on the NPR website earlier this week. She is a crusader in her homeland of Kenya for corporate accountability for environmental impact. Here is her story:
You Don't Want to Mess with an Angry Mother: Goats and Soda Blog (NPR)
I am so impressed with Ms. Omido's ability to keep fighting for the health and safety of her community in the face of corporate greed and government corruption. And I am so thankful that the world has she-roes like her!
Phyllis Omido biography - Goldman Environmental Foundation
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
You Don't Want to Mess with an Angry Mother: Goats and Soda Blog (NPR)
I am so impressed with Ms. Omido's ability to keep fighting for the health and safety of her community in the face of corporate greed and government corruption. And I am so thankful that the world has she-roes like her!
Phyllis Omido biography - Goldman Environmental Foundation
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Kyle Schwartz
Ms. Schwartz is a third grade teacher in Denver, Colorado. The story of how she is a she-ro to her students aired last week on ABC News:
http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/colorado-teacher-shares-heartbreaking-notes-graders/story?id=30368103
Sometimes all it takes to be a hero or she-ro is to ask what someone needs, and then listen to the answer. I hope this story will inspire many more people (me included!) to do just that.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life Hero: Sir Nicholas Winton
Who says that only the good die young? (Well, I guess Billy Joel did in that song, among other people.) Clearly this is not the case, as demonstrated by the example of Sir Nicholas Winton. This hero rescued 669 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during the second world war. And in about a month from now, he will celebrate his 106th birthday!
Nicholas Winton on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
Nicholas Winton on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Melanie Jones
The novelist Jonathan Safran Foer said something about writing/the impetus to create which I really love:
"Writing is the vehicle, and it's the most efficient vehicle, and I can't foresee a better vehicle--for me. But it is not the destination. The destination is this disclosure, this transferring things from the inside to the outside. "
I am reminded of this quote when I read the words of Melanie Jones. Melanie's "vehicle" is making theater--I first discovered her when my good friend Jessica Ammirati (of Going to Tahiti Productions) raved about Melanie's theatrical endeavor, "Endurance." (Inadequate synopsis: A one woman play "about" running, which took place outdoors and required all of the audience to wear headsets, "running" along!)
Personally, I frequently struggle with the call to disclosure in that JSF quote, to make the work that is inside of me and get it out into the world--a world which to a great extent is oblivious and indifferent to it. It can be very difficult.
Because of this, I feel deep admiration for Melanie's determination to do her work. Not only does she create with courage, but she blogs about it with brutally vulnerable honesty. She tells the truth about how simultaneously crazy-making and life-giving it is. In spite of the fact that my work is almost entirely solitary (after all, it's not like I'm "Miss Lynn and the Lynnettes" or something), I have read Melanie's blog on numerous occasions and been reminded of the value in what we do. I have felt less alone.
Melanie's most recent work, "Canadians are Mean," is happening right now in Brooklyn! If you are in that area, I would strongly encourage you to go see it. Sadly, I will be in Nashville--but I will be keeping up with Melanie's blog and continue to be inspired by her tenacity and bravery. She is my she-ro.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
"Writing is the vehicle, and it's the most efficient vehicle, and I can't foresee a better vehicle--for me. But it is not the destination. The destination is this disclosure, this transferring things from the inside to the outside. "
I am reminded of this quote when I read the words of Melanie Jones. Melanie's "vehicle" is making theater--I first discovered her when my good friend Jessica Ammirati (of Going to Tahiti Productions) raved about Melanie's theatrical endeavor, "Endurance." (Inadequate synopsis: A one woman play "about" running, which took place outdoors and required all of the audience to wear headsets, "running" along!)
Personally, I frequently struggle with the call to disclosure in that JSF quote, to make the work that is inside of me and get it out into the world--a world which to a great extent is oblivious and indifferent to it. It can be very difficult.
Because of this, I feel deep admiration for Melanie's determination to do her work. Not only does she create with courage, but she blogs about it with brutally vulnerable honesty. She tells the truth about how simultaneously crazy-making and life-giving it is. In spite of the fact that my work is almost entirely solitary (after all, it's not like I'm "Miss Lynn and the Lynnettes" or something), I have read Melanie's blog on numerous occasions and been reminded of the value in what we do. I have felt less alone.
Melanie's most recent work, "Canadians are Mean," is happening right now in Brooklyn! If you are in that area, I would strongly encourage you to go see it. Sadly, I will be in Nashville--but I will be keeping up with Melanie's blog and continue to be inspired by her tenacity and bravery. She is my she-ro.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Tish Scolnik
I don't think I can improve on the excellent biography the folks at "A Mighty Girl" wrote about Ms. Scolnik on their Facebook page, so here it is:
She is using her natural abilities and her specialized training to make the world a better place for so many people!
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Anne Lamott
How have I gotten a full month into this blog project without writing about Anne Lamott? She is certainly one of my literary she-roes!
I can no longer remember the exact circumstances that encouraged me to read Operating Instructions, but I know it was around 1995 and I was still quite new at being an adult, my grown-up paint not yet totally dry. My mind was blown by how brutally honest she was--and she remains to this day one of the most honest authors I have encountered. In a world that celebrates easy answers and bumper sticker band-aids to cover life's trials, I consider her willingness to tell the messy truth about the complicated realities of life nothing short of heroic. Here is the way she puts it in one passage of her book, Stitches:
Our lives and humanity are untidy: disorganized and careworn. Life on earth is often a raunchy and violent experience. It can be agony just to get through the day.
And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth but when people put a pretty bow on scary things instead of saying, "This is a nightmare. I hate everything. I'm going to go hide in the garage."
I am so grateful to have the encouragement and laughter her books provide in those moments when I want to hide in the garage (and/or companionship when I am hiding there.)
In spite of being a bestselling author (which role, I presume, brings with it a great deal of pressure to maintain one's status as such), she recently announced on her Facebook page that she would not be writing any more books for the foreseeable future. Her commitment to telling the truth, to being her most authentic self, to not letting others define her (as, for example, a "bestselling author") is astonishing. Twenty years after "meeting" her, she continues to inspire me to endeavor to be brave and true to myself.
Anne Lamott on Wikipedia
Anne Lamott on Facebook
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
I can no longer remember the exact circumstances that encouraged me to read Operating Instructions, but I know it was around 1995 and I was still quite new at being an adult, my grown-up paint not yet totally dry. My mind was blown by how brutally honest she was--and she remains to this day one of the most honest authors I have encountered. In a world that celebrates easy answers and bumper sticker band-aids to cover life's trials, I consider her willingness to tell the messy truth about the complicated realities of life nothing short of heroic. Here is the way she puts it in one passage of her book, Stitches:
Our lives and humanity are untidy: disorganized and careworn. Life on earth is often a raunchy and violent experience. It can be agony just to get through the day.
And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth but when people put a pretty bow on scary things instead of saying, "This is a nightmare. I hate everything. I'm going to go hide in the garage."
I am so grateful to have the encouragement and laughter her books provide in those moments when I want to hide in the garage (and/or companionship when I am hiding there.)
In spite of being a bestselling author (which role, I presume, brings with it a great deal of pressure to maintain one's status as such), she recently announced on her Facebook page that she would not be writing any more books for the foreseeable future. Her commitment to telling the truth, to being her most authentic self, to not letting others define her (as, for example, a "bestselling author") is astonishing. Twenty years after "meeting" her, she continues to inspire me to endeavor to be brave and true to myself.
Anne Lamott on Wikipedia
Anne Lamott on Facebook
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life Hero: David Hyche
My mom brought the story of David Hyche and his ingenious invention to my attention. Mr. Hyche's daughter, Rachel, lost her sight as a baby. As she grew, her clever dad invented audible Easter eggs, so she would be able to participate in Easter egg hunts like sighted kids.
The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (oh yeah, did I mention that David Hyche is also a BOMB TECHNICIAN?!?!?) funded the production of these eggs on a larger scale, so they can be enjoyed by more kids with visual impairment.
Here is the story as told by two news outlets, the UK Mirror and UNILAD:
Bomb technician dad invents beeping Easter eggs for blind daughter to hunt (Mirror)
Dad Creates Beeping Easter Eggs For Blind Daughter To Hunt (UNILAD)
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
The International Association of Bomb Technicians and Investigators (oh yeah, did I mention that David Hyche is also a BOMB TECHNICIAN?!?!?) funded the production of these eggs on a larger scale, so they can be enjoyed by more kids with visual impairment.
Here is the story as told by two news outlets, the UK Mirror and UNILAD:
Bomb technician dad invents beeping Easter eggs for blind daughter to hunt (Mirror)
Dad Creates Beeping Easter Eggs For Blind Daughter To Hunt (UNILAD)
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life Hero: Jason Evans
This story has gotten picked up by numerous online media outlets, so it's possible that it would have come across my Facebook feed eventually, but I was actually one of the very first people to see the photo of the two onesies that Jason Evans posted last Thursday (April 2, 2015). Here is the story as related by Upworthy:
When one employee saw these onesies, he almost lost it. Here's how the store responded.
Jason is a hero because he saw something wrong, and he DID SOMETHING. And he didn't just post a photo to social media, he made the effort to bring it to the attention of people with sway over the decisions made in the campus bookstore. And it made a difference! What if each of us took the time and energy to do something small when confronted with injustice?
Here's a photo of me and Jason from our college reunion last June.
When one employee saw these onesies, he almost lost it. Here's how the store responded.
Jason is a hero because he saw something wrong, and he DID SOMETHING. And he didn't just post a photo to social media, he made the effort to bring it to the attention of people with sway over the decisions made in the campus bookstore. And it made a difference! What if each of us took the time and energy to do something small when confronted with injustice?
Here's a photo of me and Jason from our college reunion last June.
Thanks for doing something, Jason. You are a hero!
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life Hero: (Sir) Ken Robinson
Anyone who knows me at all well knows that one of the driving forces behind why I do what I do (which is to say, make music for kids and adults) is my steadfast belief in the unique giftedness and potential of each individual. There are few people I have heard speak with as much authority, passion, and humor on this topic than (Sir) Ken Robinson. I first became aware of him after watching his wonderful TED Talk from 2007 (or 2006?) It is worth the 20 minutes to watch it in its entirety!
Fun fact: Sir Ken was born in Liverpool and went to school with a young (Sir) Paul McCartney!
Ken Robinson on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life Hero: William Wilberforce
Confession: I am prone to idealize Great Britain, particularly its history and past. From the comfortable distance of two hundred-plus years, life in Georgian and Elizabethan England can appear fairly idyllic to contemporary viewers--the clothes, the poetry, the art. But the reality for most British citizens during that period was actually quite bleak. For all but the wealthiest members of society, much of life was unsafe and unsanitary. The class system dominated life, and the notion that the life of a common person had equal value as his own was not a notion that would have occurred to a member of the ruling class.
One of the great reformers of this era was William Wilberforce, a superstar among his contemporaries, yet now largely unknown. He and his fellow members of the Clapham Sect are responsible for many social reforms that we take for granted today, such as improved conditions for prisoners, laborers of all sorts, and animals--he founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), which exists to this day and was the precursor to its American cousin, the ASPCA.
One of the greatest crusades of Wilberforce's life was the abolition of the British slave trade, for which he worked for practically his entire life. The House of Lords passed the Slavery Abolition Act just weeks after his death in July 1833.
I first learned about Wilberforce in Michael Apted's film, "Amazing Grace," and then subsequently the companion book of the same title by Eric Metaxas. Both are excellent and highly recommended!
William Wilberforce on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
One of the great reformers of this era was William Wilberforce, a superstar among his contemporaries, yet now largely unknown. He and his fellow members of the Clapham Sect are responsible for many social reforms that we take for granted today, such as improved conditions for prisoners, laborers of all sorts, and animals--he founded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), which exists to this day and was the precursor to its American cousin, the ASPCA.
One of the greatest crusades of Wilberforce's life was the abolition of the British slave trade, for which he worked for practically his entire life. The House of Lords passed the Slavery Abolition Act just weeks after his death in July 1833.
I first learned about Wilberforce in Michael Apted's film, "Amazing Grace," and then subsequently the companion book of the same title by Eric Metaxas. Both are excellent and highly recommended!
William Wilberforce on Wikipedia
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
A Real-Life She-ro: Mrs. Ryor
I shared a piece last week about great teachers, but today I wanted to be more specific. I have been fortunate to have numerous educators in my past and present who have influenced my life tremendously. But when I think of the teacher who changed everything, one name surfaces above the rest: Mrs. Ryor.
Middle school is pretty much the WORST, and I was really terrible at it--not necessarily academically, but in every other possible way. I felt perpetually out of place, had no idea who I really was, and spent way too much time and effort trying to be what I thought other people wanted me to be.
Mrs. Ryor was my sixth grade reading teacher (and later seventh and eighth grades, too). She was the first teacher I ever had look at me and say, "You are a writer." She didn't say it in those direct words, but in the comments and encouragements she gave me over the three years I was privileged to be her student, say it she did. And despite my enormous uncertainty and insecurity, she helped me to see it, as well. Through thirty years, I can trace a direct lineage from the sense of creative identity she fostered in me to the work I do today.
Unfortunately (or possibly not!), any of the writing I did for her during those three years is now lost to the sands of time. However, I do still have my copy of a note she wrote to all of her eighth graders after our performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (I played Cassius):
Like the lost poems and essays, whatever gift we collectively gave her after the play is long gone from my memory, but the gifts she gave me (and, I have no doubt, my classmates) are ones that shaped me, and that I continue to use today.
Thank you, Mrs. Ryor. You are my she-ro.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
Middle school is pretty much the WORST, and I was really terrible at it--not necessarily academically, but in every other possible way. I felt perpetually out of place, had no idea who I really was, and spent way too much time and effort trying to be what I thought other people wanted me to be.
Mrs. Ryor was my sixth grade reading teacher (and later seventh and eighth grades, too). She was the first teacher I ever had look at me and say, "You are a writer." She didn't say it in those direct words, but in the comments and encouragements she gave me over the three years I was privileged to be her student, say it she did. And despite my enormous uncertainty and insecurity, she helped me to see it, as well. Through thirty years, I can trace a direct lineage from the sense of creative identity she fostered in me to the work I do today.
Unfortunately (or possibly not!), any of the writing I did for her during those three years is now lost to the sands of time. However, I do still have my copy of a note she wrote to all of her eighth graders after our performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (I played Cassius):
Like the lost poems and essays, whatever gift we collectively gave her after the play is long gone from my memory, but the gifts she gave me (and, I have no doubt, my classmates) are ones that shaped me, and that I continue to use today.
Thank you, Mrs. Ryor. You are my she-ro.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
Real-Life Heroes and She-roes: Autism Advocates
Today is World Autism Day. I know quite a few kids with ASD, and today I would like to highlight the hard work of the adults in their lives who act as advocates for them--and those kids, learning to advocate for themselves. These folks have a hard road in a world that still frequently fears and misrepresents the (incredibly varied) manifestations of autism. I am so proud to know these folks fighting for those with ASD to be seen and treated as gifted, complicated, unique individuals.
One of those folks is my friend Melissa, who blogs about her experiences as an "austism mom" and media professional at The iQ Journals.
This is also a wonderful and pertinent blog entry to read today--I recommend it very highly: No More--A Letter to Suzanne Wright.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
One of those folks is my friend Melissa, who blogs about her experiences as an "austism mom" and media professional at The iQ Journals.
This is also a wonderful and pertinent blog entry to read today--I recommend it very highly: No More--A Letter to Suzanne Wright.
(Have a real-life hero or she-ro to nominate for this blog? Let me know at misslynn [at] misslynn [dot] com!)
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