- More than 7,000 people across the country—including yours truly—recently signed up to volunteer with Loose Ends, an organization for knitting and crocheting volunteers. Our mission? To finish the projects of those who have passed away. (I did this some years ago on my own—read about it in my story “Knit Together.”)
- New favorite author alert! Jacqueline Woodson‘s “Another Brooklyn” turned me into a fan, and I so look forward to reading more of her incredibly tight-yet-deep work.
- I love resources like the book Uncommon Sense Teaching that recognize the big picture of living as educators (there’s also a free Coursera course by the authors).
- I am especially wowed by art projects that involve repurposing. I was reminded recently of a local organization called Art Start that provides both materials and instruction!
- A recent purchase: Haikubes! I can’t wait to play around with them both on my own and with my writing group.
- My fifth-grade students and I read Amelia Lost together and wrote our own informational articles based on our learnings. What a fascinating personality she was and reckless venture she undertook!
- Journey to the Cross: A 40-day Lenten Devotional by Paul David Tripp rings of his poetic voice but offers some great practical insights on what sacrifice and humility can really look like in life.
- I can’t wait to watch this “Many Beautiful Things” documentary about Christian artist Lilias Trotter. Given what I’ve watched and read so far, Trotter is going to bound to make the list of my favorite artistic ancestors.
- I haven’t tried my hand at a crocheted tapestry of this scale before, but I’m eager to give it a try over the next couple months. My yarn stash is ready for the assignment!
- I am currently judging writing contest entries for The Writing Revolution, a makes-sense curriculum I used among students who struggle to learn and a powerful method for anyone who wants to write better.
Barbara Farland 