(creator, pilot & organizer)
In the beginning, 26 Blocks was an impulse. Shapeless and nebulous, it nonetheless had weight and certainty. What it lacked however, was unknown and unknowable.
November 12, 2009. Charles Wells – an extraordinarily gifted composer, pianist and instructor; the fourth teacher in a direct line from Brahms; my best friend and the best man at my March 15, 2008 wedding – passes away abruptly and unexpectedly.
Within days, 26 Blocks is baptized in a wave of emotions that culminates in a new truth: “Time is shorter than I imagined. Great things can occur, but not if I keep waiting for them to come to me. There isn’t time for fear.”
I recently overheard someone, who didn’t know I was within earshot, say that I was greatness in the making. Ever since then, whenever I see someone who’s homeless or hopeless, uncertain or unkempt, socially awkward, mentally challenged, or just plain lonely, I think, “There goes greatness in the making.” And then I wonder how close that person is to freeing some dormant impulse in their life.
It’s a hard thing to access properly, but I’d say my greatest talents are wordsmithery, a passion for learning, and a strong desire to encourage others. The question is no longer what I will do with my talents, but when.
26 Blocks is part of the how.
The who is you.
There are many stories about downtown Phoenix that have yet to be heard and seen. Not because they don’t have an outlet, but because they haven’t been created. Why downtown Phoenix, you ask? Because all that Metro Phoenix is, started there. Because it’s the heart of the whole city. Because this heart gets its lifeblood from the people of its cities, towns, and urban villages. We feed it and make it strong.
One of the first ways children get strong in their minds and hearts is by forming words with the 26 letters of the alphabet. It’s a stepping-stone to communication. With 26 Blocks, writers and photographers that call Metro Phoenix home can now build a skyscraper’s worth of stories in a way that’s never been done before. All we need is imagination, a unique perspective, a desire to learn, and a willingness to share our stories with others.