I didn’t expect to have such a good day! Woke with yet another migraine because I can’t get my sinuses figured out despite the double dose of allergy medication I’m taking and using the neti pot twice a day. I got my second dose of the Moderna vaccine last week and thankfully didn’t have the severe reaction some of my friends described. But the day after ended with a migraine and the day after that started with another. I’m blowing through my migraine pills even though I just got a refill at the start of the month; my previous batch lasted more than a year but at this rate, I’ll need another refill long before May ends. My doctor suggested a CAT scan, which seemed extreme at the time but now I really do want a look inside my head. Sinus headaches hurt, make it hard to focus, and make late-day naps hard to resist. The pressure keeps building until I just give up and go to bed, hoping for relief in the morning. So waking up with a migraine today wasn’t auspicious but I stayed in bed until the medication kicked in, and then got up and made French toast for breakfast. I had to resubscribe to Disney+ in order to watch Up but it was worth it; I laughed, I cried, and felt reassured that my vision for the Dragons in a Bag film is viable. Last week I sent a list of my concerns to the studio head, hoping we could trash the existing treatment and start over. I was trying to think of animated movies that I enjoyed because they were funny and sweet rather than action-packed. Pixar has a formula, of course, but Soul felt different and I remembered my sister urging me to see Up because it was a tear-jerker. Watching it for the second time, I was surprised by how similar it is to Dragons in a Bag. I know now that what I want is what’s largely missing from the field—a film about a Black boy who’s nerdy and vulnerable and brave. The current treatment has Jax getting suspended from school for assaulting another student—NO. I had two teachers reach out last week to tell me how much my book has meant to their students during the pandemic. One told me his first-graders didn’t always show up for online classes, but they never missed story time because they knew he’d be reading another chapter of Dragons in a Bag. The other teacher said her fifth graders appreciated the temporary escape from pandemic life that my novel provided. I included this part of her email in my letter to the studio head:

I cannot put into words how insane this year has been for both teachers and students but I thought I’d share the joy that your work has brought to our class. I am in the process of implementing a fantasy writing unit as our last big writing project for the year. I chose your book, Dragons in a Bag as our mentor text for studying fantasy. We are halfway through the book, but my goodness, my students, my co teacher, and I LOVE this book. My students are so sweet and creative and seeing a story like this out in the world allows them to know what’s possible. We have such great discussions about the character of Jax and his identity, we love how you’re able to envision Brooklyn and everyday city things as magical objects and beings, and I know that many of my students feel seen in this story. One of my students who transferred into the class halfway through the year talked about how the character of Jax looks like him, something that he’s never experienced before in fantasy. Adding a few illustrations into the story was such a powerful move to make. My students have experienced so much trauma and chaos this year, so to know that we can all escape into this world and feel so many different emotions, it’s kind of everything right now. So thank you for that.

Will it make a difference? I don’t know. The studio wants a “hit” but I’m the one who will have to face thousands of irate kids if the film isn’t true to the book. My editor let me know that we’ve sold over 120,000 copies of the first book in the series and the sequel is selling well now that it’s out in paperback. When it comes to the film, I don’t have veto power, though I’m technically listed as executive producer. I hope they’ll treat me like an asset because otherwise I will become a liability. And they definitely don’t want that. I finished Up and wanted to get back to work on my alternate film treatment but instead made myself focus on finishing the first round of copy edits for Moonwalking. They were due Friday so I’m a little late but now that they’re done, I can turn back to the film treatment and a new picture book that’s been percolating for a while. This week I only have ONE Zoom presentation and one podcast, so I feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The school year is winding down and I’ve decided not to book more gigs for the fall. I don’t even know what four months off would feel like but I’m ready to find out! The pandemic isn’t over but here in the US things are starting to open up…we’ve sent my Say Her Name play out to directors…we found an illustrator for Juneteenth Song…writing an alternate film treatment means starting Book #4, The Enchanted Bridge, sooner than expected…but if I’m not doing half a dozen Zooms each week, then there’s time for everything. I could even sign up for another art class this summer and maybe try a sculpture class in the fall.

It’s been a month since I blogged so I have a few links to share. If you missed the 2021 Augusta Baker Lecture, you can find the recording on YouTube. I did two read-alouds of Roots Run Deep, starting with a slideshow of ancestor photos; you can watch the recording of Story Time with Mr. Limata on Facebook. My IG Live conversation with Dena Simmons of LiberatED ran into technical difficulties so I’m going to get a new phone this month and hopefully we can try again.

Time for the treadmill! Happy Mother’s Day to all the mamas out there and all the “other mothers” who pick up the slack.