🌗 June Last Quarter Links
“The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation.” — Jonathon Larson, "Rent" 🌗
In this time of immense disorder and upheaval, I feel encouraged seeing people lean into creation. I’m witnessing many (re)commit to creative processes and projects. Me too—I am people. My upstate writing retreat last week (thank you Jocelyn!) drove home the truth that, for me, deep work requires space and time. There is entirely too much going on in the world for me to be generative if I’m continually distracted.
Years ago, I read an interview with a yoga teacher who described engaging with the news before her asana practice. She intentionally brought the information and any subsequent feelings with her onto the mat. I love the sentiment. And that’s not gonna work for me. I do wish stay informed and engaged in ways that feel meaningful. I also feel increasingly certain about the need to protect my own coherence within the current tsunami of data.
I’ve felt tempted in the past couple of weeks to check the news in the morning. Declaring my commitment to you has been one discipline check that’s kept me to my promise of No News Before Noon. Because I wake up quite early, this allows me multiple hours to cohere my body/heart/mind. To prioritize where and how I direct my energies. It’s never perfect. It often feels wobbly. I hope you’re finding your own ways.
I appreciate your presence, thank you for being here. June’s links and memes are below.
🌗 Last Quarter List 🌗
If you click nothing else in this post, please read this (and watch the videos linked inside not missing the one with Burna Boy and listen to the audio interview and then do it all again). Can we put these young men in charge of something? Everything? And why does it take Canadian media to report on something so inspiring (thanks CBC and Peter for sending it!)? Like, get it together Grey Lady! Sheesh. Yes, I want to know what’s happening in the world. Even when it’s horrifying. No, I don’t want it balanced with stories about ostentatious home renovations or outrageously expensive watches. More Black Boy Joy!
It was extremely difficult to avoid all the chatter so I could go in fresh, but, last month, I finally saw Sinners when it returned to IMAX for one week. Um, 😮. So. much. beauty. Such depth. Layers upon layers! Ryan Coogler deserves all the flowers. I want to talk about this film with everyone.
This essay by the brilliant J Wortham where they eloquently capture the hopes and disappointments of this moment…. “it is not a political act to live in despair.” Phew.
“Earlier this week, I was sharing my exuberance over these accumulations with an artist friend over lunch, and then I got embarrassed, like I was somehow erasing the very real horrors of this world by allowing myself a little joy about these collective refusals that are gathering steam. He gently put his hand on mine and reminded me that it is not a political act to live in despair. This is maybe the most hopeful I’ve felt in the last few years.”
And this one by the fantastic Shira Erlichman outlining “artist mode.”
“Artist mode is a way of being. It is a way of waking up. It is egalitarian: a restaurant paper napkin is just as viable as a canvas in a studio. Whether you have a camera or not, it’s your inner artist lens that matters. Around every corner is possibility: a new texture, color, or shape. With every turn we ask: What makes something beautiful? What sings to my blood? Artist mode is wholly concerned with discovery, possibility, & joy.”
Speaking of artist mode.. My OG upstate love, Jacky, gave me Brian Eno’s new book What Art Does. It’s a small, delightful exploration of the definition and purpose of art. The illustrations (by Bette A.) are hilarious and along with the layouts provide surprising delights where form evokes content driving home the whole point about how art impacts and transforms us. Also, the book is hot pink!!
My new friend, the wonderful artist Betelhem Makonnen, is developing a collective prayer flag. She is seeking contributions of prayer beads, rosaries, or similar sacred objects that are no longer in active use. She says: “Perhaps they're broken, or maybe they now reside quietly in a drawer or box. For most people, it often feels wrong to simply discard something so meaningful even when they are no longer of use. If this resonates with you, and you'd be willing to give your cherished item a new, collective purpose through this artwork, I invite you to consider contributing it.” You can find more info about the project and how to participate here.
I cannot claim to understand much about AI. This frightens me and this makes me hopeful and this I have yet to comprehend.
I forgot how powerful (and relevant to now) this song/video is. The Hamilton Mixtape: Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)
MY FELLOW NEW YORKERS, the time has come! Please rank the Working Families Party slate for mayor. New York City is a global city. Everyone watches us whether they want to or not. How cute and POWERFUL is it that Mamdani and Lander endorsed each other? What an example of how politics can be about coalition building and the greatest good for all. Right now, we have the real opportunity to elect the most progressive mayor in our city’s history. Go Zohran!
I sent Black Boy Joy to the men in my lives. It was so refreshing! Much needed in the swampy prevailing zeitgeist .
Gawd soooo much joy I got form this posting. So much. The Black Boy Joy made me cry. I can't explain it (or maybe it really is just Jupiter in Cancer), but I feel genuinely like I've turned a corner of some kind, like I feel on the other side of something in a way I can't explain and I need to share this with everyone right now because it feels big and expansive and collective. I have such hope, more than I've had in a really long time. Everything you have brought to our attention here has only made that feeling stronger. I feel like we're actually gonna be ok. Some kind of tide is turning, I can feel it in my bones. I am so grateful for you Seb, and everyone in this community. Blessings to you all. (And I'm bi so Pedro Pascal is very much in the running for me, as that last one notes is not a surprise as I am, also, alive. lolol)