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Check out my rad friend Raising Luminaries & hear about some good finds.

Let's Try Something New! Good Finds: An antidote to inbox tedium

Please consider donating to the amazing & brilliant Fidgets and Fries. I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you. Tiffany was a guest lecturer for our Trauma Informed Specialist certification & spoke about A Day With No Words with us. Sending care & hope that you find justice. 💚

"I am raising funds for legal fees. Filing a lawsuit is expensive. My husband had to pull from his retirement to help cover the first retainer. Our savings is almost depleted. And our dream of a stable home for our boys through ownership has been put on hold."

Hi. My name is Tiffany Hammond and I have made the difficult decision to sue the publisher of my #1 NYT bestselling book, "A Day with No Words".

There are many things that led me here, a couple being that royalties owed to me have not been paid, and I would like to acquire the rights to my book. While the suit is public record, I will divulge no more than this.

Living through what should have been the best year of my life with this book and watching it turn into something that has made me cry more than it has made me smile is heartbreaking and something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

I am raising funds for legal fees. Filing a lawsuit is expensive. My husband had to pull from his retirement to help cover the first retainer. Our savings is almost depleted. And our dream of a stable home for our boys through ownership has been put on hold.

I have hourly costs, filing fees, service fees, court costs, and more to cover.

The expense of it all is part of what has kept me from wanting to go this route, but I am heartbroken and upset...authors should be paid for their work.

As a disabled author whose writing is not only what kept me grounded for decades in social justice work but allowed me to produce a debut book that has won multiple awards and landed on two bestseller lists, it pains me to be at this point.

I earned every penny of every copy purchased. I went on tour after tour, city after city, promoting and selling a book knowing my contract was breached by withholding payment. I still smiled, shook hands, still told everyone to buy the book. I believed in the book so much, people needed it...even though I wasn't going to be paid for it.

Silence is not an option many of us can afford. I won't reveal in detail what is stated in the suit, but I will tell you that I feel I deserved far better than I have received.

I will provide the donation information in comments.

Please share.

ETA: Simon and Schuster is not my publisher.

May newsletter.

[image description:
quote that reads
"they ignore the suffering of millions
saying they do not understand it
but i ask them:
in what language does a child cry?" - Karim Wafa Al-Hussaini]

May Lesson: While Palestine Burns Dear Ones, This Memorial Day, if you have not spoken out against the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, it's time to pause & reflect. Remember that the bombs being dropped on Palestinian families and children are funded by your tax dollars. Remember that all children are our children. I'm enraged...

Join Ashia & the badass Raising Luminaries folks this summer.

Join the Summer Luminator Collective - Raising Luminaries Are you modeling healthy care work for your kids - or saviorism, martyrdom, and toxic hustle? Say goodbye to caregiver burnout forever...

Thanks for sharing this rad idea, Raising Luminaries 🥳 [celebration emoji]

Libraries & Lemonade — For The People A summer project spreading the word about why public libraries are so essential - and how you can get involved!

Educator Friends fighting for a better tomorrow, here is a toolkit for you.

"The purpose of this toolkit is to explain how false accusations of antisemitism are used to silence Palestinians and their allies in struggles against racism and colonialism. It lays out how K-12 teachers and librarians might realistically come under attack for fulfilling their professional and ethical obligations to include Palestinians in the world we teach to our children. It suggests how you can build support to try to reduce the impacts of attacks before they arise, and constructive ways to respond if they do."

Toolkit to defend K-12 educators & librarians against false accusations of antisemitism | Ida in the Middle View the Complete Toolkit Download an Editable Version Toolkit to Defend K-12 Educators and Librarians Against False Accusations of Antisemitism When librar ...

My March newsletter is ready for you. 💚

During a conversation with my therapist, we spoke about the type of grown-up childhood April needed when she was small. After some emotional reflections, she gently said, "April, you are becoming that person." How many of us are becoming the grown-up we needed when we were small?

If you're looking for some ways to lean in this spring, check out the invitations in the newsletter.

**Subscribe**
Heading to aprilbrownconsulting.com, scroll to the bottom of the page, and enter your email in the space under "Get Monthly Updates"

[Image description: 2-3-year-old April, wearing colorful hats and a bright yellow hat. She has a sly smile and looks quite pleased with herself.]

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/e2OuCPjAX?languageTag=en

March Lesson: Who She Deserves Dear Ones, It's that time of year when I'm not sure whether to cling to the last days of winter or begin preparing for spring. What I do know is that as the seasons begin to change, I feel a sort of awakening, too. My family has been sick almost monthly since October, and the warm weather brings hop...

Friends,

I'm excited to offer two sessions of Heart-Centered Community Circles for Educators this spring. With my first year at Columbia University School of Social Work finishing up at the end of April, I'll have more spaciousness to do what I love - hold space for you!

I'm offering a tiered rate for the sessions based on your reality and financial needs, so please fill out the Google form if you are interested & I'll be in touch: https://forms.gle/fcD5kMSGUz5jwEGR7

With gratitude,
April

[Image description: Text reads, "Heart-Centered Community Circles for Educators. Virtual. Replenish yourself and finish the year with some spaciousness in your mind and joy in your heart. Session 1: May 2, 9 & 16 - Session 2: May 29, June 5, June 12. aprilbrownconsulting.com. My logo is in the middle of the graphic, a heart that is split down the middle, the left side stays a heart and the right is a brain. This is to illuminate the brain and heart connection. Gold leaves hold the logo on either side.]

Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, We feel your silence.💔

As a collective of children’s book creators, we are asking the preeminent global kidlit organization to speak out against the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza where “there is no safe place for children” — our precious readers. 📚
Current, past, and prospective members: please join us in appealing to to stand in solidarity with Palestinian children and all the storytellers represented in our community.🙏🏽

You are invited to share this image, tag SCBWI, and please sign the open letter!

Link to letter, graphic, and caption in bio of
Art by Hatem Aly

Ilmage description: green bird with closed eyes and mouth taped shut. Background with smoke, explosions, and kites in sky.]

Via Abolitionist Teaching Network

We can’t end our series without Angela Davis, whose words help remind us that we are the change.

🌟Classroom Tip: Use this to guide your students through learning about Angela Davis.
➡️https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/angela-davis-feminist-solidarity

🖤February is Black History Month 🖤and ATN is celebrating with 29 Days of Abolitionist Writing by/about Black abolitionist visionaries & organizations, past and present.

[image description: a yellow background with a black and red border. In the bottom left corner is the Abolitionist Teaching Network logo, which entails red, black, green, and yellow horizontal stripes behind the outline of a young person reaching for a star. In the bottom left corner is a picture of Angela Davis. At the top is black text that reads, “I’m no longer accepting the things I cannot change...I’m changing the things I cannot accept.”]

Dr Gabor Mate is amazing. As a Holocaust survivor & former Zionist, he speaks truth from experience so we can move from dehumanizing an entire group of people and move toward collective liberation. Thank you, Gabor Maté ❤️ (red heart emoji)

“If you read with kids, plead for kids!” Artwork and text by .

(Second in the series)
The start of a series collaboration between Julie and Danielle () with the
intention to motivate and move folks in our industry. Because as children’s book creators, we have a responsibility to care for and thus fight for kids–with our words, art, books, voices, hands, actions.

And thanks to for the hashtag!

***************
Our young person is into his second semester in the upper grades of High school. There has not been a single mention of the gen@cide or an opportunity to discuss current world issues. He has intentionally included it in any assignment he felt able to, with the premise “I don’t care if I get detention or kicked out” - he’s been a fierce advocate.

When he plays in the snow, he creates protest signs large enough for all our neighbours to see. Physical protests are challenging for him, given the crowds and startling sounds, so he has found other ways to protest, whether it’s through reading or while playing online games.

He just received the reading list for English class, including 5 titles to choose from: The Handmaid’s Tale, The Kite Runner, The Great Gatsby, Moon of the Crusted Snow (his first choice so far) and All the Light we Cannot See. (I won’t comment here on the misleading readership age groups assigned by the book industry to drive sales). More importantly, as soon as the teacher asked if there were any questions, he posed the idea of Palest1nian authors as a choice. No comment so far but he’s hopeful.

This is all to say, children care deeply about what is happening in the world, especially when it is happening to people of their generation, to kids. They are yearning to speak about it in safe places. They want to learn more through stories and discussion. As creators of works for children, we have a responsibility to make sure that we can amplify those stories, whether through the coverage from grassroots journalists like , , Plestia and Motaz, or stories by Palest1nian creators.
(Cont. in comments)

The Department of Justice needs to conduct a civil rights investigation into Nex's death to find any wrongdoing and to protect the LGBTQ+ children that remain in the school and in the district. Sign & share!!

Justice for Nex Nex Benedict should be here right now. We need to hold the people in power accountable for the irreparable harm they've caused to LGBTQ+ communities with anti-transgender legislation and rhetoric. Sign the petition

My newest newsletter is out, and although brief, my question for you is, "Have you checked in with your heart lately?" ❤️

[Image description: My two-year-old wearing a shirt that reads, "All Children Are Our Children" with the Palestinian flag shaped like a heart and hummingbirds touching beaks."]

February Lesson: Humanity and Heart Dear Ones, Here we are, mid-February. Have you checked in with your heart lately? One of my favorite practices is to gently place my hand on my heart and take a few deep, natural breaths. I usually close my eyes, but you can also rest them on an object in front of you. Sometimes I include a "micro-d...

How's everyone doing? 💖

Via Raising Luminaries 🥰

This February we’re igniting a spark of compassion in our kids by getting honest about how the world really is – and what an amazing place it could be…

…IF we can resist false urgency and other nonsense that distracts us from dismantling injustice from the roots up.

[image: Father and child snuggling and laughing, orange monochrome image with doodles of stars, growing vines, megaphones & hearts. text: Raising luminaries february family action toolkit"]

February Family Action Toolkit - Books For Littles by Raising Luminaries Winter kids books, discussion guides & art activities for kids curious about diversity and social justice this February

The initial post was reported/removed so let's try this again...(also Facebook you are complicit in perpetuating false narratives and supremacy - policing those of us who are saying & )

“I wish children didn't die. I wish they would be temporarily elevated to the skies until the war ends. Then they would return home safe, and when their parents would ask them: "where were you?", they would say: "we were playing in the clouds" -Ghassan Kanafani

Friends & Family,

If you are looking for something to do this snowy/rainy Sunday, how about creating birds of solidarity for the martyred children of Gaza?

1) Choose a child to dedicate to.

Check the Children of Gaza list 💔 and decide which child you are making a bird in memory of. Make sure you check the name off the list. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-Fsk4sc_G4rHn2qnPXcOCi0NtEbQIySvwPUtmubguO0/edit?usp=sharing

2) Craft your bird.

Use the tutorials on b*rdsofgaza.com if you need help with some ideas. But feel free to get creative. Try to write the name of the child on the bird, (it doesn’t have to be the full name). You can also write a message or your own name and age, it's all up to you 😊

3) Complete the form.

This takes less than a minute! https://airtable.com/app5QSxzsZ68xeS0R/pagKGy2SKszhkW6Xo/form

4)Send in your pictures.

Take some pictures of your bird and send them to [email protected]. Share pictures of your progress on social media feel free to tag us on Instagram b*rdsofgaza

[Image description: The website B*rds of Gaza with the name in a dove and the text, "Birds made by children in memory of the children killed in Israel's war on Gaza" on a gray background with visible birds in the sky]

**I'm unable to say B*rds of Gaza because Facebook keeps flagging it at against community guidelines. 🤬

Friends & Family,

Are you looking for something to do on this rainy day in Vermont?

At our home, we are making kites & birds to show our solidarity and love for the martyred children of Gaza. 🕊️ 🪁 🇵🇸

1. Head to the website https://www.birdsofgaza.com/ & choose a child to create a bird for 🕊️

2. Download and print the Birds of Gaza template or get creative & make your own https://drive.google.com/.../153hHeRpHASe8JDigtTukAb.../view

3. Share your creations via this form so they can be shared with others https://airtable.com/app5QSxzsZ68xeS0R/pagKGy2SKszhkW6Xo/form

4. Hang the birds on a branch near a window or somewhere else that will call you to think of them in heart & prayer

5. Create kites using scrap paper or paper bags, we will be creating mini ones, and use symbols of Palestine as well as words that illustrate what you want for the people of Palestine (e.g., safety, care, comfort, food, shelter, joy, love, peace, etc.)

6. Tag & to share your solidarity

I love everything Autism Level UP creates ❤️

✨Support Sunday✨

For those who are new here, meet Bumper: A Whole Body Learner.

This is a long post, but we assure you it will be worth your while. Get comfy and get ready to Level UP! (excerpt from 9/22)

Whole Body Listening…we’re sure you’ve come into contact with the original pervasive concept:

Eyes for looking at the person talking to you, ears ready to hear, mouth quiet (no talking, humming, or making sounds), hands quiet in the lap or by the sides, feet quiet on the floor, body faces the speaker, brain thinking about what is being said and heart caring what the other person is saying. UGH. MAKE IT STOP!

(Yes, we are aware that Larry has gotten a makeover and we are thrilled that he has. Unfortunately, it will take awhile for Larry of yesteryear to really disappear and Bumper arrived on the scene to help in this quest before new Larry made his debut.)

The original concept of Whole Body Listening is so pervasive (and invasive) that we often see it in classrooms and schools even when the school and/or classroom culture does not mirror these expectations in any way! We have watched as teachers and staff reference and run through posters (not just OG Larry, there are lots of criss cross apple sauce renditions kicking around out there) and visuals of this concept with their class, and then proceed to use learning methods and activities that look nothing like Whole Body Listening (e.g., students can stand, sit, jump, spin, pace, rock, etc.). Of course, most unfortunately, we have definitely seen Whole Body Listening highly enforced as well, and merely the presence of these expectations is problematic for so many students that cannot possibly carry them out and/or cannot possibly listen and learn while forcing themselves and their ampy state of idle into stillness.

We will openly state that Jac has liberated classrooms of their Whole Body Listening posters (most of the time with full permission to do so from staff… most of the time). Jac has preached to staff that if this idea was ACTUALLY about listening with one’s WHOLE body, neurodivergent people would be the poster children for it, because we actually do use our entire bodies to listen and learn. To be fair, there are absolutely students and adults who listen and learn best using all or some of the ideas listed above, but there are many others who have different ways of listening and learning and that needs to be okay, too. Not to mention, we definitely think that most teachers would agree that a class full of students on the edge of their seats, coming over their desks with their knees on their chairs, creeping and bouncing forward, trying to get a better look, vocalizing excitedly and trying to touch and feel and do whatever the lesson or activity is would be a much better indicator of engagement than a room full of quiet, still students.

Propaganda removed and classrooms liberated is all well and good, but visual cues and ideas about active engagement are, indeed, a good idea, too. As is making it explicit to students that diverse learning styles are the expectation. So, we knew we needed to come up with something that could replace these super outdated, utterly ableist and maddeningly marginalizing posters, and thus, BUMPER (they/them/it) was born.
Bumper is a Whole Body Learner, and they use all of their tools, tricks, gears, and processing mechanisms to take in and analyze information. Bumper knows educators want engaged students in their classrooms and is on a mission to help achieve that goal. Bumper believes modeling is best when it comes to facilitating a classroom culture that supports active engagement. As such, they love to show students how they use a range of ways to learn and engage with materials. Check out Autism Level UP!’s Meet Bumper: A Whole Body Learner poster!

Bumper knows that not everyone uses their body to learn in the same way they do. And, they are quite interested in learning what you and/or your students look like when they’re learning! So, we’ve included an accompanying “What do YOU look like when you are learning?” Doodle Sheet! Encourage your students to sketch, type, write, scribble, color, or any other way they prefer to record information to start to create their own Whole Body Learning Profile! We say “start” because Bumper knows that while students likely already know some things that they do to detect, process, integrate, and accumulate knowledge, Bumper also knows that students are learning how to learn all the time. Bumper wants students to add to and edit their profiles all year long.

You might be questioning how you can help your students reflect on the tools, tricks, gears, and processing mechanisms they use to help them take in and analyze information. We’ve included one final page in this support, the Whole Body Learner Regulator. This is an adaptation of one of our core tools, The Regulator 2.0. Bumper’s version provides a framework for students to investigate how they use their mission control (aka head), tactile manipulators (aka hands and arms), mobility units (aka legs, feet, wheels), and inner mechanics (aka fuel and feelZzz) to learn. This format can also be used to help your students explore and discover new ways that support their active engagement and understanding.

Bumper has one other important thought. They think it would be amazing if students had a way to share their profiles with one another, so that students can start to appreciate that different tools, tricks, gears, and processing mechanisms work for different people! Bumper sees this as a basis for authentic peer education creating an equitable learning environment where unique learning profiles are validated and supported and simply expected to the norm. Imagine a room where you as a teacher can use Bumper’s language to help students understand and appreciate how they and others learn.

It's truly time to take the next step and Level UP! to Whole Body Learning with Bumper!

Image description: Schematic drawing of Bumper! A Whole Body Learner. They are a colorful adorable robot with - Mission Control for sensing, analyzing, processing and communicating. Tactile Manipulators for exploring, operating tools, building and communicating. Mobility units for moving, dancing, fidgeting, and bouncing. Inner Mechanics for charging, fueling, feeling, reacting. The introduction to the tool, a blank Bumper page and the regulator are also pictured in the image.

We have ideas and ArtsAflame brings them to life! So grateful and amazed by his talent!

We'll put information on how to access Bumper and the related tools for free below.

Via Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery

Parenting 4 Social Justice is on Spotify! ✨

Parenting 4 Social Justice Listen to Parenting 4 Social Justice on Spotify. Welcome to the audio version of the book, "Parenting 4 Social Justice: Tips, Tools, and Inspiration for Conversations & Action with Kids." The hard copy of the book is available through a variety of outlets, including Amazon Books. Each episode of thi...

Have you talked about Palestine with your kids? My friend Ashia Ray of Raising Luminaries curated an amazing toolkit of resources for caregivers (and grown-ups). Check it out!

[image: Two cartoon children holding Palestinian flags. one child wears a watermelon-seed patterned head covering, the other holds their hands up in a peace sign.]

Talking About Palestine With Your Kids - Books For Littles by Raising Luminaries Smashing the kyriarchy requires hard conversations - here are the children's books that help

My January newsletter is out!

"As a highly sensitive person, bearing witness to the injustice of the world means I must find ways to balance holding space for joy and pain simultaneously. As an educator and advocate for children, my life's commitment has always been to speak out against oppressive environments and mindsets."

Thank you for being here with me, using your actions and words to make the world a better place for everyone. ❤️

Scroll down to the bottom of my website to subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.aprilbrownconsulting.com/

**Currently working on divesting from Wix. Read more about the BDS movement here https://bdsmovement.net/Act-Now-Against-These-Companies-Profiting-From-Genocide**

January Lesson: Holding Space for Joy and Pain Dear Ones, December came in with a fury of work-related tasks and finals at Columbia School of Social Work. It left with some gentleness and spaciousness before the winter holidays we celebrate, but also gifted us a variety of viruses that my family is still healing from. Amidst all of the varying e...

Via Education Justice Coalition of Vermont

"Join us on Sunday, Nov 19th at 7 pm EST for guided meditation, silence and space as we turn our hearts, our bodies and our minds toward Palestine."

Join us on Sunday, Nov 19th at 7 pm EST for guided meditation, silence and space as we turn our hearts, our bodies and our minds toward Palestine. This is a space for us to be in relationship with our heartbreak, our confusion, our anger, our resistance, our numbness as we center the humanity of a population of people, a culture, and a land under attack.
Participants will be guided in earth-based meditation practices of receiving care and support so that we may offer all that arises to a love greater than our ideas, our reactions, and our beliefs. A love that invites forth our greatest capacity as human beings. We invite participants to bring the following: a candle/light a small bowl of water Come as you are, with all that you hold. in love and courage, Catarina, Denise, and Jabari. Google Form & Info: link in bio.

My newest newsletter is out & my ramblings are around radical love and showing up for each other during these times of grief and loss. ❤️

"The concept of wholeness has been front and center for me for quite some time now. There is a stark difference between what society considers whole and the reality and trueness of being a whole, imperfect being alongside other beings at this moment in time. Accepting one's wholeness comes with a certain level of self-awareness. Self-awareness allows for transformation to take place."

Image: a gorgeous sunrise in Vermont, taken by my husband. The sky is many shades of peach and yellow, settling into the whispy fog above the mountains.

November Lesson: Radical Love Hi, Loves, I had the best intention of creating a newsletter in October, but the month quickly passed by, similar to the urgency with which the trees outside my window shed their leaves to let us know that winter is just around the corner. This time of year can be difficult for our bodies, minds, an...

November is Hip-Hop History Month. Join Sesame Street as we celebrate and honor the originators, artists, and contributions of Hip-Hop.

Via Sesame Street 🫶

November is Hip-Hop History Month. Join Sesame Street as we celebrate and honor the originators, artists, and contributions of Hip-Hop.

Love this activity idea from PBS KIDS 🥰

This Diwali, let your creativity shine as bright as the Diya candles! 💖

Love these reminders from All the Write Colors ❄️👇🏻

"The Catrina is one of the most prominent symbols of Mexican culture in Mexico and in the United States. But do you know the history of this artwork? Learn about the full circle journey this symbol has taken from its origins until today."

Via Quetzal Education Consulting 💀