đđ˝Next Sober from Bullshit đ Recovery Club is Wednesday, April 7, at 7pm PST (NEXT WEEK). Wednesday night club meetings highlight a community memberâs story, a most moving experience - register here if you havenât already.
đđ˝April writing workshop is live, and the themeâinspired by this weekâs essayâis âDesert Rambles.â Register here (Sunday, 4/25, 10am - 12pm PST).
Last year, I listened to Rebecca Solnit be interviewed by Ezra Klein on his podcast (I HIGHLY recommend a listen). One of the things she said that had me immediately pause the show so I could jot it down on a post-it was, âThe margins are the great generative space.â I taped it to the wall above my desk. Iâm staring at it now.
I know sheâs not the first person to draw attention to the borderlands, and, I think hearing it said in such a sharp and concise manner had it land somewhere around my solar plexus in a new and more real way. I stare at those words a lot.
Today, in recognition of this weekâs Trans Day of Visibility, Iâd like to reaffirm my commitment to the inner and outer work required to assure the safety, protection, and full, all-out self expression of the trans community. I commit to the inner work of examining and dismantling my own internalized âisms, and the outer work of placing my body in such a way that everyone is safe to not only live but to live full and free and as desired.
Iâd also like to take a moment to thank the actual trans and non-binary people in my life.
Thank you for showing me what is possible in the beyond. Thank you for your joy, and magic, and wisdom. Thank you for adding beauty beyond measure to my life and this world. Thank you for expanding the literal wrinkles in my brain. Thank you for your laughter and humor. Thank you for your vision and for the way your existence causes all of us to rise, to do better, to evolve.
Who you are teaches me how to become more human, more awake, more free. I love you and I thank you for your friendship.
All right yâall. Take care of each other.
xxoo tuya
âď¸ dani
Oh! please please please read this out loud (or have someone read it to youâfeel free to call me Iâd be happy to recite it into your ear):
River I Dream About
Moon river, swollen river, river of starhole and bright, harness river, lichen river, river we velvet with our filth. River of butter and river of witches, river cracked open careful like egg, or burst apart, unleashing its violet load. River mouths, river beds, every back forty creek, every crick, made of trickles, made of synth, river of sound as vibration, river where we all get free. River that curve down a backbone, river through which I particle heat, feathery and wet, lemony and loud, river that still smell skin, browned around a neck, softened with sweat, river you wear tight on your hips, given in private, or out in the open. River I dream about. River from the inside. River where we shouts the feeling. Septum river, bundle river, river of mercy, sometimes edging so far into night the moon goes            (âŚ)      dark. Yes, all night river, burnt sugar river. We pull the river into our bellies, we go out walking. We river in darkness as entire paw prints of color and light. Everything rivers in motion. River of holy, river of freaks, river where my fur belong to me. Softer than it seem river. Honey and Vaseline river. Brown river, black river, off the map river. I will be there, printing textures of rock on the skin of me, belly down, face down, my god, it is good to be home.
Oliver Baez Bendorf, queer trans Latinx poet from the midwest
ââs for you, my favorite rabbits:
đđ˝America Ruined My Name for Me âAs Bich, I am a foreigner who makes people uncomfortable. As Beth, I am never complimented on my English.â (it so happens that Beth was my thesis advisor in grad school!)
đşđŹ âWeâve always known a lot earlier than the western world and other, quote, unquote, developed nations, that money was out of fashion and it was not a sustainable way to live.â A word from the visionaries creating The Ugandan City Built on Solar, Shea Butter and People Power
âMr. Miyagi is the perpetual foreigner who exists to serve the whiteness that surrounds him. This is still his role even in death, because Mr. Miyagiâs real self doesnât matter. Asian identity doesnât, either. Itâs karate moves and pan flute music and chaste, austere ideas about inner peace. Itâs sushi and bonsai. And it is all for the consumption, profit, triumph, and gain of white people.â
đ§ Kiese Laymonâs writing holds me close to the bone of life:
Sixty-eight young people from Baltimore did what our geriatric presidential candidates and moderator could not do the night before. They used word patterns theyâd never used. They talked freshly about fear of isolation. They collectively unraveled how capitalism encourages a speed that makes love, pleasure, and actual contemplation nearly impossible. They wondered why school didnât teach them how to gracefully lose and graciously win.
đł COVID Kitchen: âI think of my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather every time we do this. I stand in our kitchen straddled between past and presentâ (Itâs so damn weird to read all these reflections about one year in!)
đđ˝ Just Keep Working Hard: My Thoughts on Writing a Book and AAPI hate: âPlease stop for a minute and think about the women who are doing your nails, watching your children, sewing your clothing, and working at massage spas/businesses (the usage of the word parlor is antiquated and has an underlying sexual connotation). Like many immigrants and other working-class caregivers, they struggle and work hard in hopes that their children will have a different future.â
đ¤ An interview with one of my favorite poets, Ada LimĂłn, whose writing is described as âa gateway drug for poetryâ
đ I promise this will bring you so so so much joy.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community. If you like this newsletter, please consider leaving a comment, sending it to a friend or subscribing. Or email me and say hi, Iâd love to hear from you.
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36 // "the margins are the great generative space"
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đđ˝Next Sober from Bullshit đ Recovery Club is Wednesday, April 7, at 7pm PST (NEXT WEEK). Wednesday night club meetings highlight a community memberâs story, a most moving experience - register here if you havenât already.
đđ˝April writing workshop is live, and the themeâinspired by this weekâs essayâis âDesert Rambles.â Register here (Sunday, 4/25, 10am - 12pm PST).
Hey there yâall,
Happy Friday.
Last year, I listened to Rebecca Solnit be interviewed by Ezra Klein on his podcast (I HIGHLY recommend a listen). One of the things she said that had me immediately pause the show so I could jot it down on a post-it was, âThe margins are the great generative space.â I taped it to the wall above my desk. Iâm staring at it now.
I know sheâs not the first person to draw attention to the borderlands, and, I think hearing it said in such a sharp and concise manner had it land somewhere around my solar plexus in a new and more real way. I stare at those words a lot.
Today, in recognition of this weekâs Trans Day of Visibility, Iâd like to reaffirm my commitment to the inner and outer work required to assure the safety, protection, and full, all-out self expression of the trans community. I commit to the inner work of examining and dismantling my own internalized âisms, and the outer work of placing my body in such a way that everyone is safe to not only live but to live full and free and as desired.
Iâd also like to take a moment to thank the actual trans and non-binary people in my life.
Thank you for showing me what is possible in the beyond. Thank you for your joy, and magic, and wisdom. Thank you for adding beauty beyond measure to my life and this world. Thank you for expanding the literal wrinkles in my brain. Thank you for your laughter and humor. Thank you for your vision and for the way your existence causes all of us to rise, to do better, to evolve.
Who you are teaches me how to become more human, more awake, more free. I love you and I thank you for your friendship.
All right yâall. Take care of each other.
xxoo
tuya
âď¸ dani
Oh! please please please read this out loud (or have someone read it to youâfeel free to call me Iâd be happy to recite it into your ear):
River I Dream About
Moon river, swollen river, river of starhole
and bright, harness river, lichen river,
river we velvet with our filth.
River of butter and river of witches, river
cracked open careful like egg, or burst
apart, unleashing its violet load.
River mouths, river beds, every back
forty creek, every crick, made of
trickles, made of synth, river of sound
as vibration, river where we all get free.
River that curve down a backbone,
river through which I particle heat,
feathery and wet, lemony and loud,
river that still smell skin, browned
around a neck, softened with sweat,
river you wear tight on your hips,
given in private, or out in the open.
River I dream about.
River from the inside.
River where we shouts the feeling.
Septum river, bundle river, river of mercy,
sometimes edging so far into night
the moon goes            (âŚ)      dark.
Yes, all night river, burnt sugar river.
We pull the river into our bellies, we
go out walking. We river in darkness
as entire paw prints of color and light.
Everything rivers in motion. River
of holy, river of freaks, river where
my fur belong to me. Softer than
it seem river. Honey and Vaseline river.
Brown river, black river, off the map river.
I will be there, printing textures of rock
on the skin of me, belly down, face down,Â
my god, it is good to be home.
Oliver Baez Bendorf, queer trans Latinx poet from the midwest
ââs for you, my favorite rabbits:
đđ˝America Ruined My Name for Me âAs Bich, I am a foreigner who makes people uncomfortable. As Beth, I am never complimented on my English.â (it so happens that Beth was my thesis advisor in grad school!)
đşđŹ âWeâve always known a lot earlier than the western world and other, quote, unquote, developed nations, that money was out of fashion and it was not a sustainable way to live.â A word from the visionaries creating The Ugandan City Built on Solar, Shea Butter and People Power
â˝ď¸ From Megan Rapinoe: Bills to ban transgender kids from sports try to solve a problem that doesnât exist. âAdults canât pretend that we care about the well-being of children while actively creating environments that cause serious harm to them.â
đĽ Ok another one from Beth (!) What Mr. Miyagi Taught Me About Anti-Asian Racism in America.
đ§ Kiese Laymonâs writing holds me close to the bone of life:
đł COVID Kitchen: âI think of my mother, my grandmother, my grandfather every time we do this. I stand in our kitchen straddled between past and presentâ (Itâs so damn weird to read all these reflections about one year in!)
đđ˝ Just Keep Working Hard: My Thoughts on Writing a Book and AAPI hate: âPlease stop for a minute and think about the women who are doing your nails, watching your children, sewing your clothing, and working at massage spas/businesses (the usage of the word parlor is antiquated and has an underlying sexual connotation). Like many immigrants and other working-class caregivers, they struggle and work hard in hopes that their children will have a different future.â
đ¤ An interview with one of my favorite poets, Ada LimĂłn, whose writing is described as âa gateway drug for poetryâ
đ I promise this will bring you so so so much joy.
Thank you so much for being a part of this community. If you like this newsletter, please consider leaving a comment, sending it to a friend or subscribing. Or email me and say hi, Iâd love to hear from you.