I want to thank my friends at the Underhill Street Beautification Association for the most lovely morning at the Blair-Coltrane open house, and the High Point Museum for sharing an amazing new exhibit with the people of High Point. Both groups allowed me to spend an entire day absorbing the history and culture of my adopted hometown. Even after having spent years of my life research John Coltrane’s life and music in order to write my new young adult novel, ON THE WAY TO BIRDLAND, there is no way I could have ever substituted the first hand knowledge of my gracious hosts in addition to members of the Underhill Street community who arrived for the tour prepared with their own Coltrane-inspired stories and experiences to tell. Simply having the chance to set foot inside a personal hero’s childhood home made the countless hours I spent writing On the Way to Birdland worth the effort.

I hope you will one day have a chance to tour the Blair-Coltrane House in High Point, North Carolina when the home is fully restored and open to the public. In the meantime, please stop by the High Point Museum to enjoy a breathtaking, new exhibit dedicated to John Coltrane and featuring the photography of Chuck Stewart. The exhibit runs from now until December 3.