A Story That Brings Communities Into Conversation
Activating civic storytelling across Wichita.

Kansas Book of the Year | 2025 Audie Award Winner
Supported in part by an Activation Grant from the City of Wichita Arts & Cultural Services.
proven impact
The "Oscars of Audiobooks" and beyond—honoring narrative power and historical integrity:
  • 2019 Book of the Year - Kansas Authors Club
  • 2025 Audie Award Winner – The industry’s highest honor for production excellence.
  • AudioFile Earphones Award – For exceptional narrative performance.
  • IPPY Gold Medal – The international benchmark for independent publishing.
From Classroom to Community
The Real Education of TJ Crowley is the award-winning narrative at the center of The Real Education Project.
Set in Wichita in 1968, The Real Education of TJ Crowley anchors a listening-centered model used in secondary classrooms, university coursework, and public events.
Used in Wichita State University Coursework
In Dr. Michael L. Birzer’s Racial Profiling course at Wichita State University, students use TJ Crowley to support structured discussion of bias and professional responsibility.
Dr. Jay M. Price selected TJ Crowley as supplemental reading for History of Wichita.
“In local history, it’s not uncommon for the most insightful works to be fiction,” Dr. Price says. “Fiction can give you a sense of tone, connection, identity, and place—and this novel meets all of those criteria.”
Community activation
Selected for 2026 Cultural Funding Activation Grant support, The Real Education Project is expanding a citywide listening series built around TJ Crowley. The series launched at Watermark Books & Café, with additional events scheduled throughout the year.
scale what's working
Your partnership expands proven narrative storytelling into classrooms, universities, and public spaces across Kansas.
  • Educator toolkits
  • Access for schools and libraries
  • Listening series events
Your Gift Makes This Possible
Your gift sustains the infrastructure behind the story — research, educator materials, audio production, and community programming. It allows this work to remain locally rooted while expanding access statewide.
SUPPORT THE REAL EDUCATION PROJECT
Operates under fiscal sponsorship of NonprofitGO.
Institutional Support
Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission
National Endowment for the Arts
City of Wichita (Arts & Cultural Services)
United Way of the Plains