Deb Shine Valentine and Dave Valentine

Dr. Deborah Shine Valentine has one of the coolest job titles we can imagine: play movement scholar.

Her new book-- a new addition to the beloved Arcadia Images in America Series-- is all about the Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, a 125+-year-old playground in Philadelphia. The evolution of Smith's Playground and Playhouse and the numerous other programs and facilities it ran across the city over its first 125 years follows the development and theories of the playground movement and other child-saving campaigns of the 19th and 20th centuries.

In other words, it's a great starting point for conversations about the impact of play, play as resistance in challenging times, and playgrounds as sites of learning to connect across difference. Deb Valentine and her husband Dave Valentine, who also spent many hours playing with their children at the playground, join us for a conversation on the Ivy patio. And we hope you will, too.

Order SMITH MEMORIAL PLAYGROUND AND PLAYHOUSE here!

Deb Shine Valentine, MA, PhD, is a coach, writer, speaker, and independent historian whose work explores how we can recover the freedom to love life without betraying our values. She is the co-author of Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse and the primary author and editor of Feel Better. Do Better: A Guide for People Who Want to Change the World, But Sometimes Have Trouble Making It to Lunch. Through her writing, coaching, and speaking, Deb invites people to rediscover play, joy, and community as essential resources for creating a more just world.

David Valentine, MBA, serves as Vice President of Finance and Investments for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Throughout his career, he has helped steward the financial health of colleges, universities, foundations, and nonprofits while championing the public institutions that help communities thrive. He currently serves on the board of Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library. Originally from Philadelphia and now a proud Baltimore resident, David and his wife, Deb, raised their two sons, Joshua and Devin, with many memorable adventures at Smith Memorial Playground.