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
Todd Burleson
@tburleson.bsky.social
Educator, librarian, and author with 34 years of experience, 2016 SLJ Librarian of the Year, and global speaker. Passionate about reading, tech in education, ethical AI, and finding joy in creativity through photography, design, and storytelling.
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
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...
"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...
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
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...
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...
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
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
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
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
"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
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
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
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
"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun." — Pablo Picasso
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...
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?...
The Secret War I Book Review I Middle- Grade Historical Fiction Debut ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
YouTube video by E Train Talks Books!
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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
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...
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... 🦋
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...
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
"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
"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
"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." — John Ruskin
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
