All Love To Louisville Writing Project Today @KentuckyWP @UofLCEHD. Generations Right Here. Ubuntu

In 1994, when I arrived to the University of Louisville to work on my first Masters degree in English Education, Dr. Ann Larson was hired as new faculty. She quickly took me under her wings, pushed my professional world forward, and advocated for my 'out of the box' teaching philosophy. Soon after, Jean Hicks introduced herself to me as she worked with Dr. Marjorie Kaiser with the Louisville Writing Project.

Time flies. Obviously Jean became the Director of LWP and now Ann Larson is the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development!

Yesterday, Chitunga and I were touring the University of Louisville to check out their Business and Accounting degrees, and both Ann and Jean were able to take us to lunch at the University Club (where we also ran into Marcelle Gianelloni of the my Louisville Nature Center days and Robin Lipsey from my Critical Friends/Brown School days). It was wonderful to catch up with everyone, albeit briefly) before we headed out into the heat.

Today is the Louisville Writing Project's fall conference and I'm wishing all the presenters, including the new ones who recently went through the summer institute, the best workshops. It's hard for me to get my head around where I was in 1994 and where I am in 2016 and how much all of this is swirled together with memories, support, trust, education, and love. It is all overwhelming.

It was, however, fantastic to see so much mentorship in one photograph - an explosion of story and history.

Go Cards! Go LWP! Go CEHD! Ann and Jean, I love you both!