iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

It is a beautiful reminder that we do not have to just passively observe the world around us. We get to shape it. What are you making today? 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

I think about this quote a lot. When I am dragging a shutter to capture an abstract blur or typing out a new chapter, I am definitely not just recording reality. I am trying to translate it. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Read the full post HERE: whereimaginationtake... 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Engaging in a bit of field-based inquiry: focusing on door hardware as a window into historical design and utility. These twelve variations from Prague were a reminder of how much we overlook in our daily transit. A practice in deep observation and artifact-based study. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

We touch them daily, but do we see them? A study of twelve door handles in Prague, from ornate brass to industrial iron. Sometimes the most revealing history is found in the mechanism that lets us through the door. Read the full post HERE: whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Each handprint is unique. Each one tells a story." ✋✨ In his latest Throwback Thursday, Todd Burleson reflects on a 34-year journey through education and the indelible marks students leave on our lives. A beautiful reminder of why we teach. 🦋 Full reflection: open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Read the full reflection and the original post on my Substack, and subscribe to follow the journey. open.substack.com/pu... 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Archives are not just for historians. I look back at photos of my former students' handprints and see the indelible marks they left on my career. Even as I pivot to writing historical non-fiction, these personal records remain my most important research. open.substack.com/pu... 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A pristine vintage camera is a museum piece. A scratched camera is a storyteller. I just published a new piece of historical fiction inspired by my beautifully battered Kodak Duaflex. It is a story about poverty, pride, and the weight of a single photograph. Read it here: open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In a world obsessed with sharp focus and perfect resolution, there is a deep, quiet relief in letting things soften. I wrote a new piece this morning about my history in the darkroom, shooting with an iPhone, and the strange courage it takes to embrace the blur. open.substack.com/pu...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

I wrote a piece about the lifelong connection to imagination, the importance of protecting whimsy, and why "let's pretend" is the most important work a child can do. Read more here: open.substack.com/pu... 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

It doesn’t matter if it’s my own daughter or the kids I’ve worked with throughout my career—that moment a child steps over the "threshold" into pretend play is pure magic. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

pieces of "sea glass" for my novel. It validates their curiosity! Let them gather the sand first. 🏖️📚 (Free research guides for The Secret War are on my site!) #EdSky #LibrariansOfBlueSky #WritingProcess #MiddleGrade 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Fellow librarians and teachers: do you have students whose brains seem to have "too many tabs open"? 🙋‍♂️ I’ve started sharing my own messy, chaotic writing process with kids—showing them how I use tools like NotebookLM to sift through hundreds of historical documents just to find a few 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

It makes the emotional weight of silencing marginalized voices incredibly tangible and sparks amazing conversations. Free to download on my site! Tags: #EdSky #Librarians #MiddleGrade #TeachingHistory #MediaLiteracy 3/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

In the free resource guide for The Secret War, I included a printable letter written by the Japanese American protagonist. We use thick black markers in class to do Blackout Poetry and act as WWII government censors. 2/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Fellow educators! Do you ever struggle to teach the concept of censorship to 6th graders? I've found that talking about it isn't enough; they have to feel the weight of it in their hands. 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Fellow educators! Do you ever struggle to teach the concept of censorship to 6th graders? I've found that talking about it isn't enough; they have to feel the weight of it in their hands. 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

It made me wonder: When you approach a massive, historic door, does the physical weight make you hesitate, or does it make you feel momentarily authoritative? Read the post and let me know what you think: whereimaginationtake... 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

"The entryway is the handshake of the building." In my newest post this morning, I'm writing about the freezing, heavy iron doors of Prague. You don't just turn a handle to enter these spaces; you have to lift the weight of history. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Read about the journey here: groggorg.blogspot.co... What’s a historical rabbit hole your own curiosity has led you down while researching a book? 2/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

Writing The Secret War was less of a straight line and more of a 13-year archaeological dig. Today on the GROG blog, I’m talking about the messy process of finding the true heart of a story, moving away from sci-fi tropes, and trusting middle-grade readers with real history. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

How do you all handle the "messy middle" of projects in your library or makerspace? open.substack.com/pu... #LibraryTwitter #EduSky #WritingProcess #MiddleGrade #PrimarySources 3/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

I’m using this to talk to kids about how "Gaman" (enduring the unbearable with dignity) helped shape my character Ken when Orville Wright couldn't save the day. It’s such a powerful concept for the classroom—turning "wrong turns" into fuel. 2/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Fellow educators: I just finished an "autopsy" of my decade-long writing process for The Secret War. It’s a great reminder for our students that "final" products are just the tip of the iceberg. I realized I wrote 500k words just to find the 35k that mattered! 1/3

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

If they reported a smoking primate in a derby hat, it was just a trip to the psychiatrist. Sometimes, the most playful path is the most ingenious. Read the full story: whereimaginationtake... 2/2

whereimaginationtakesflight.substack.com

The Gorilla in the Cockpit

A Masterclass in High-Altitude Hijinks

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

The Ultimate Gaslight 🦍✈️ In 1944, the secret to protecting America's first jet wasn't a vault—it was a gorilla mask and a cigar. Jack Woolams realized that if a pilot reported a "ghost plane," it was a security breach. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

Yellow has a way of acting like a spotlight on the world. While other colors blend into the background, yellow is a sudden beam of light that insists on being seen.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun." — Pablo Picasso

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

If you were tasked with hiding a giant secret, what bit of “brilliant silliness” would you use to disguise it? Sometimes, the most playful path is the most ingenious one. ✈️🤔 Read the full story: whereimaginationtake...

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Reposted by Todd Burleson

E Train Talks Books @etraintalks.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

It’s not easy to make the switch from #librarian to author, let alone do both at the same time. But that’s exactly what award-winning school librarian @tburleson.bsky.social set out to do with his #MGLit historical fiction debut, THE SECRET WAR… and he absolutely delivers! youtu.be/AhuNL1kEQ24?...

youtu.be

The Secret War I Book Review I Middle- Grade Historical Fiction Debut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

YouTube video by E Train Talks Books!

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

In 1944, test pilot Jack Woolams protected the secret of the P-59 jet by flying it while wearing a gorilla mask and a derby hat. 🦍🎩 Why? Because "I saw a jet" gets an investigation, but "I saw a cigar-smoking gorilla in a jet" gets you a psych evaluation. Absolute genius. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

My "Thresholds" series is all about the moments and places that vanish while we’re looking. If you like photography, local history, and slightly moody reflections on 2026 life, you’ll love this week's post. Subscribe to Where Imagination Takes Flight below! 👇 whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

I spent the morning thinking about how the smell of old hay and damp concrete was replaced by diesel exhaust and turned earth. Is there a landmark in your town that has completely changed its "soul"? What was there once? Exploring the thresholds of change here: whereimaginationtake... 🦋

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

The hayloft forgot how to hold anything. 🏚️ In Kenosha, I watched a 100-year-old barn and a coal plant vanish, replaced by a "For Sale" sign and the invisible hum of a data center. What happens to the soul of a place when its physical markers are erased? 📖 Read: whereimaginationtake...

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

I wrote the book, wrote the article, and created the bookmark in the image.

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

The most accurate map of 1944 wasn't in a war room—it was in the windows of ordinary homes. 🏘️ My latest blog post explores using historical "silent beacons" to help characters (and readers) navigate vulnerability. Plus, a look at the history behind my new MG novel, The Secret War. 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 14/05/2026

Check out my substack or website where I have been chronicling the 10+ year journey!

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

"Children do not need us to sanitize the world. They need us to help them breathe through it." I’m on The GROG today talking about anchoring grief in Middle Grade fiction through tangible objects—from WWII window banners to pocket watches. ⚓️📖 Full post here: groggorg.blogspot.co... 1/2

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"A hell of a lot of state, this Idaho... you’d have to come from a test tube and think like a machine not to engrave all of this in your head so that you never lose it." — Ernest Hemingway

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." — John Ruskin

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Todd Burleson @tburleson.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

Look at that joy! Mission Objective: Get copy of The Secret War is COMPLETE. Now for that little side trip around the Moon. safe travels, team! If you aren't leaving the atmosphere today, buy your copy here! 👇📚✨ #TheSecretWar #Artemis #HistoricalFiction #NASA #Godspeed

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