A national storytelling movement
Dear 13,

Letters to My
13-Year-Old Self

Wisdom · Wounds · Wins

Grown men sit down and write a hundred words to the boy they used to be — what they wish they'd known, what nearly broke them, what they made it through. Then we put those letters in the hands of boys who need them now.

Read the book Submit your letter
A movement — not just a book.
Book cover: Letters to My 13-Year-Old Self, edited by Antoine Medley, MBA, and David C. Miller, Ph.D. A painted profile of a young Black boy in cream, gold, and slate-blue.
The movement

It starts with one honest letter.

Too many boys grow up without a man telling them the truth in time. We close that gap — one hundred words at a time. Men from every walk of life write the letter they needed at thirteen. We collect them, share them, and carry them into schools, barbershops, churches, and homes for boys ages 10 to 18.

W.

Wisdom

The lessons that arrived too late for us — handed down on time for them.

W.

Wounds

Naming the hurt out loud, so a boy doesn't have to carry it in silence.

W.

Wins

Proof, in a man's own hand, that there is another side to get to.

Why a hundred words? Long enough to tell the truth. Short enough that a thirteen-year-old will actually read it.
Letters to My 13-Year-Old Self book cover.
The book

Generations of fathers, mentors, and survivors — in one collection.

Edited by Antoine L. Medley, MBA & David C. Miller, Ph.D.

Page after page, men speak directly to their younger selves: the fear, the fronting, the first heartbreak, the missing father, the choices that changed everything. Read together, the letters become a map — for the men writing them, and for the boys reading them next.

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Workshop delivery

Where the letter actually gets written.

The book opens the door. The workshop is the room where it happens — a guided 60-to-90-minute session that walks men and boys, side by side, through writing their own 100-word letter. No experience with writing required. Just honesty, and a little time.

  1. We set the room

    A facilitator opens with a real letter and the why behind it, so everyone knows this is a safe place to be honest — not a writing test.

  2. We hand out the prompts

    Simple, guided questions help each person find the one thing their thirteen-year-old self most needed to hear.

  3. Everyone writes their hundred words

    Quiet, protected writing time. Men and boys draft side by side — that shared act is where the connection starts.

  4. We share what we're willing to

    Reading aloud is always optional. The ones who do give the room permission to feel something real.

  5. You keep going

    Participants leave with their letter, prompts to keep writing, and an invitation to add their voice to the movement.

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Where we'll be

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Book signings, speaking dates, workshops, and festival stops as they're booked. This list updates straight from our schedule.

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The editors

The men who gathered the letters.

AM

Antoine L. Medley, MBA

Co-editor & movement founder
  • Founder of Sankofa Innovations LLC and creator of the Letters to My 13-Year-Old Self movement.
  • Holds an MBA, bringing a strategist's eye to building the initiative into a national platform.
  • [Add a line on his background — career path, ministry, or community roots.]
  • [Add his "why" — the personal reason this work matters to him.]
  • [Add notable work — programs led, organizations served, or impact reached.]
  • [Add a personal note — family, hometown, or a value he stands on.]
DM

David C. Miller, Ph.D.

Co-editor
  • [Add his title/role and field — e.g., educator, author, or advocate for Black male achievement.]
  • [Add his doctoral focus and area of expertise.]
  • [Add signature work — books authored, curricula created, or programs founded.]
  • [Add organizations or institutions he's helped lead.]
  • [Add national reach — speaking, media, or recognitions.]
  • [Add his "why" or a personal note tied to mentoring boys.]
Work with us

Bring L2M13 to your stage, your school, your community.

  • Speaking engagements

    Keynotes, assemblies, and panels on Black male achievement, mentorship, healing, fatherhood, and legacy.

  • Book signings

    Author appearances and signings for stores, libraries, conferences, and community events.

  • Workshop delivery

    Live, guided letter-writing sessions for men and boys — in person or virtual.

We read every message and reply personally — usually within a few days.