The Corner

The Corner is storytelling for today.  It moves kids out of their seats and into worlds painted by thoughtful literature and the rhythm of the spoken word.  Whether the story is about a missing sock, choosing a book, or feeling left out The Corner delivers on storytelling like a modern day Shel Silverstein with a rhythmic twist.

The first offering from the Corner is a book with an accompanying Hip-hop soundtrack on vinyl (CD/Digital Download too:) Yeah, that’s right.  We are literally making a vinyl record for children.  The gatefold of the record will be the children's book. We are also working on "The Corner Video Series."  This video series will feature ongoing quality video content for children that parents will not just approve, but appreciate. 

Will you make a pledge today and become part of The Corner?

If you do, we have all kinds of cool perks over there on the side ------>


Now that we told you what we are doing and asked for you to join us let's go back a few years. We want you to know how The Corner story came about.

Several years ago Vernard Fields called me (Adam Hayden) and said “I'm making a children's album. Do you want to be a part of it?” Of course I did. Like Vern, I love music and I enjoy working with children. It was a perfect fit.

Then life hit. Marriages, children, a spouse w/ cancer, jobs, etc... The children's project was stuck in Greatideaville, NoWhere.

Fast forward to 2012. I am working as an assistant teacher with Cincinnati Public Schools. Which, actually means I was the lead teacher a good amount of time. One day I was once again left in charge of a group of 25 unruly first grade students. I ran through a few explicatives in my mind. I kept them there. Then, I quickly grabbed a book of children's poetry. I started reading. I realized I could rap these poems pretty easily. So, I started rapping. And just like that the kids sat up with enthusiasm. That was that.

Fast forward again to early 2014. I'm cleaning out a children's library. And what do you know. I come across that same book of poetry. And just like that the light bulb went off. I pulled out my cell phone and called my old buddy, Vern. “You still want to make music for kids?” He said “Yes” and we were off.

Vern and I began meeting weekly. We would simply rap the poems from that book to some of our favorite beats (from producers like Pete Rock, J Dilla, DJ Premier, Q-Tip, etc...). It was great. We were having a ball.

Soon, we tried it out on a group of 30 pre schoolers. It was a huge hit. The kids loved it. We loved it. The teachers were impressed that we held a group of 3-year-old's attention for 30 minutes! We were onto something special.


That's when I mentioned what we were doing to Matt Fischer. Matt owns and operates a marketing/advertising firm called Curiosity 360. Okay, I didn't just mention it to him. I asked if he would give me some input. He did! Then, he introduced Vern and I to his friend Charlie Padgett.  The Corner was formed.

Charlie is an illustrator who creates worlds for children to explore and their parents to do the same. His work is incredible, edgy, and altering. After Vern and I met with Charlie we quickly realized we were on the same page: we wanted to create children's content in the irreverent tradition of our heroes like Shel Silverstein, Roald Dahl, and Maurice Sendak. Stories that we would enjoy.
Illustrations that intrigue us as parents and at the same time are engaging for very young people. Art that does not shy away from the conflicting humanity within us all, but embraces it, celebrates it, and wrestles with it.  That is the essence of The Corner. 

The last piece to the corner puzzle is Larita Hayden.  Larita is a living testament to embracing her humanity.  She has survived cancer and is currently surviving being a parent to her two children!  Larita is a licensed yoga instructor and teaches yoga to kids ages 3-17.  She adds a warm, triumphant, and enthusiastic spirit to the heart of the Corner.

Also at the core is an altruistic attitude. Sure, we have personal ambitious reasons for this to be successful. But, we want to make sure the success of The Corner is intrinsically tied to making this world just a little bit better place. To that end we have set up perks that not only benefit you, but your favorite teacher! Go one step further and help us gift financially strapped schools across this country with resources from The Corner. These resources include a book, a vinyl record (can you imagine kindergartners learning what a record is!), and a CD! These resources will assist teachers as they try to convince their classrooms that reading is cool and FUN!

Secure your copy while passing along the love today!