Hi everyone! We have gotten so many new social media followers over the past couple months we decided to capitalize on waiting for our awesome forthcoming Sound off Saturday-ers and have a post about ourselves! Hope you enjoy it, and learn a thing or two as well 🙂
Introduce yourself/your organization!
Although we recently got the BIGGEST compliment which called our operation ‘a team’ of people, The Tiny Activist is fueled by the two Locke-Hardy’s: Corrie & Lee, as well as a hefty dose of coffee. Corrie is fastidious about making and keeping cold brew daily in the refrigerator! We started this website and social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram) just under a year ago, and have been floored by the support we have received from the children’s literature community, and we can’t wait to see where we go in the year ahead! We would eventually love to post more detailed curriculum about the books we love, as well as a video or two.
What are you passionate about?
CLH: I am passionate about curriculum redesign and development. I think the majority of our public school curriculum and standards are Eurocentric, ableist, and marginalizing to a variety of experiences. I would love to be able to make my mark by providing lessons that uplift marginalized communities and provide support to the educators already doing this important work. On a lighter note, I’ve recently gotten into printmaking and am in love with that process of design and creation!
LLH: I am passionate about art, music and making others feel loved. I am passionate about working to heal inherited trauma, and building community (whether online or IRL) for nonbinary and other GNC (gender non-conforming) people.
I’m also passionate about the McElroy Family of Products™, including the podcasts My Brother, My Brother and Me, Sawbones and Wonderful. You can pretty much guarantee that at any given time of the day that I’m somewhere laughing out loud in joy at the silly jokes and goofs.
CLH: In grad school this summer and upcoming fall semester I have gotten the opportunity to pilot my own research study! I will be interviewing and observing educators who are already teaching the type of curriculum I believe should be in every classroom. This summer I am also managing the town farmers market, which has been a fun new experience for me! Getting paid to hang out in the sunshine with farmers is an ideal job for me
LLH: Since I started a new job, I’ve been learning at how to be the best at it, and most of my time outside work is spent listening to podcasts (see above) or making art on my iPad using the app Procreate. I like to take photos of things I see out and about and make art with them!
How can people support you on your journey?
CLH: Provide book recommendations for The Tiny Activist, share my research study with those you think might be interested, and share meaningful books to those within your own life!
LLH: Like Corrie said above, we always welcome recommendations, and if people can continue to spread the word about the work that we’re doing, we are so grateful for the opportunity to amplify the books and projects of other activists!
What book was your favorite in 2019 so far?
CLH: Alright buckle up folx, we’re here to categorize. Favorite book that I’ve reread in 2019 is Sapiens: A Brief History of Mankind by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s excellent, and details a lot of the evolution of both humans and society by breaking history down into four revolutions; the cognitive, agricultural, unification, and scientific revolutions have been the foundation for where we find ourselves today. Favorite children’s books published this year have been Our Rainbow, Lubna and Pebble, Hair Love, and I Will Be Fierce!
LLH: I am guilty of not reading long-form books, but my favorite children’s book I have read thus far is Our Rainbow. I really enjoy reading The Boston Globe every morning to keep up with townie news (I have my favorite columnists), and reading my oracle cards (I use Spirit de la Lune). My other favorite reads are the painfully accurate clickbait articles on Reductress. Basically I read everything but books-oops!
What are you looking forward to in the coming year?
CLH: We are embarking on our biggest adventure yet: buying land! Lee and I are on the search for the perfect piece of land to build a tiny cabin on, and I may or may not be (but definitely am) spending hours everyday poring over options online and planning everything down to the letter in the most endearing and neurotic way possible. I am also looking forward to beginning the second year of my masters program, and deciding if a doctoral program is the next step.
LLH: I am looking forward to growing more confident in my skills at work, and working on my mental and physical health, and like Corrie said above, begin the adventure of buying land and creating an intentional space that is all our own for the first time in our relationship!