Keystotacklingbigcityproblems plaguingyoursmallcommunity
MostofAmericaʼssmalltownsarelargeenoughtohavebigcity problems,yetsmallenoughthatyoucanmakeadifference
e l c o m e t o
Matt Bird is the Founder of PublishU, an international publishing house that helps first-time and serial non-fiction authorswrite,publishandmarkettheir booksworldwide.
P u b l i s h U
Welcome to this edition of the PublishU Magazine featuring Aaron J. Anderson and hisinsightfulnewbook,UnlikelyGood.
Many small towns now face tough, complex problems that usually happen in big cities. Drawing from his years of bringing local leaders and police together, Aaron shares howtogetpeopletositdownandbuildtrust amidst deep divisions. His book proves you can make a genuine difference by addressing what breaks your heart in your community.
This special feature invites you to discover how you can plant seeds of hope right whereyoulive.
We are proud to share Aaron's inspiring messagewithyou.
PLANTINGSEEDS OFHOPE
InterviewwithAaronJ.Anderson, authorofUnlikelyGood
For those who haven't met you before,tellusaboutyou,Aaron.
Ilivewithmywife,sixkidsanda grandbaby,inYork,Pennsylvania, which is a little town on the East Coast. I serve as CEO of a small school that's really focused on serving kids who are underresourced. We've been running the school since 1998 and trying to give kids an opportunity to thrive
thrive, have hope and some opportunity in this culture. I also serve as the lead pastor of a large congregation of a few thousand people here. And so I live in a dual role and get to do some really neat work in my community.
When did you first think about writingabook?
I've been writing for some time. And I've been blogging for some time. But for some years, I've been
been thinking I really should sit downandtakethetimetowritea book. And it just took a friend, coach and mentor, who actually you had helped as well, to say, “Hey, you should really think about that.ˮ And so that was sometime last year that we had that conversation. And I'm gratefulwedidit.
Your book is called Unlikely Good.Tellusmoreaboutit.
Well, my hope is that we'll all be inspired to move towards some unlikelygood.Theideacameout ofsomeconversationsinmyown community. As many people know in the US, police have a really hard time developing trust in our communities. Back in the late 60s, we had massive race riotshereinYork,wheretheyhad to bring in the National Guard. And there's a deep distrust between the Black community and our police that goes back to that. I had relationships at the time with both Black leaders, Black ministers and with our police. We started meeting together to have conversations around how to build trust and to work together, as a lot of U.S. cities were actually burning. That'swherethetitlecamefrom. There are problems in our communities that seem unlikely toe
to ever change, and how do we workforgoodinthoseproblems, where we can actually accomplish some unlikely good? It'sreallyaboutplantingseedsof hopeinyourcommunity.
What's your highest hope for what the book achieves in the world?
I really wrote it with emerging leaders in mind, even some leaderswho'vetriedtheirhandat makingsomechangeandmaybe feel like they failed. My hope is that it will inspire people to say, “We really can make a difference.ˮIfwetakethetimeto sit down with the people who need to be involved, and work together. If I could see and hear stories of where people are tackling challenges that would seem to be impossible, I'd feel likethat'swhatIwashopingfor.
It'sreallyabout plantingseedsof hopeinyour community.
AaronJ.Anderson AuthorofUnlikelyGood
YOUHAVEA BOOKINYOUTOO
There comes a moment for many people, sometimes quietly and sometimes persistently, when a thought begins to surface…Ihaveabookinme.
It may be a story you have lived, a lesson you have learned or a message you feel called to share, something that could encourage, guide or change the life of someoneelse.Andyet,formany,itremains unwritten, held back by doubt, uncertainty ornotknowingwheretobegin.
Thetruthisthis.Youdohaveabookinyou andyouaremorecapableofwritingitthan yourealise.
Writingabookiseasierthanyouthink,but onlywhenyouknowhow.
With the right structure, support and encouragement, what once felt overwhelming becomes achievable, even enjoyable.
That is why PublishU exists, to walk with you from idea to manuscript, from manuscript to book, and from book to opportunities.
“Matt Birdʼs PublishU ‘Writing My Bookʼ course offers a comprehensive and engaging process to navigating the adventure of book writing. PublishU equips aspiring authors with the tools and knowledge they need to turn their writing dreams intoreality.ˮ
GuyWasko
“Matt Bird invited me to join his ‘Writing My Bookʼ programmeandwalkedus through a step-by-step process. Thanks to Mattʼs powerful process, I could putthebonesofthatbook together and I have two books!ˮ
CarltonDeal
“The process and opportunity provided by PublishU through the writers cohort has been an inspirational and encouraging way to find motivation to stir one another on to the achievement of this amazinggoal:afirstdraft in100days!ˮ
SteveGriffin
