lqb2weekly #178 (8 nov 2022)

Nov 09, 2022

hey,

it’s fall and i have been struuuuuuggling with the inertia of summer… the built up momentum of doing all the things in spring and summer is creating big tension in life as i try to slow down. the energy of trying to finish all the things started in the first 8 months of the year is strong. but… tbh, fall always brings this on for me. a couple weeks ago, i found my way into a sweet, nature teaching: for many trees that lose their leaves, right before they fall off, they turn really bright colors (more about that here). that’s kind of how i feel: i’m in the final blaze before winter comes. or at least, that’s what i hope/am telling myself.

ok so anyways, here’s some things i am excited to share with yall:

first off, the coach training program i went through is opening up its 2023 cohort. it transformed my life and contributed in a major way to the human that i am today. i made a lil IG post saying more about its impacts on me and you can check that out here. the moral of the story though is to go see their website and apply if you’re interested. https://www.healingjusticeliberation.org/cohort

next up, one of my nibblings, my very first intentionally chosen nibbling, jayden, was on his favorite podcast. and in all honesty, the podcast episode that taught me some really interesting stuff! it was DOUBLY great that it was about imagination given my work related to science fiction and the unleashing alternative futures collective! i have shared it with many folks and i really encourage you to check it out. Where does your imagination come from? - Brains On

to the 18 of you who are new to the newsletter since the last edition went out on oct 5, welcommmmmmmme :D i hope you love it here. i read and respond to (almost) every reply sent to me from the newsletter. feel free to respond and share what’s on your mind or what impacted you from this edition.

a very exciting thing: the retreat center had its first retreat over this past weekend! and nothing burned down!!! i/we learned a tonnnnn about how to do this and while it wasn’t perfect, i think it was pretty great. big milestone there methinks! 💫

alright, one more general thing: a friend and men’s work co-organizer, charles knight, has collected these 8 themes/common threads on feminist leadership. i think they’re worth checking out if feminist leadership is up your alley (and if you’re a subscriber to this newsletter, it probably is!).

and now, some personal promotion stuff: last month i was interviewed for a regional mankind project (mkp) newsletter. here’s a lil overview:

This issue features an interview of Lawrence Barriner II, a member of the Core Team of the Greater Boston Men's Network, as well as a detailed description of that organization and its history. The Newsletter regularly includes news and events related to the Mankind Project USA New England Greater Boston Community.

check out the MKP newsletter which includes the interview if you want to hear a lot about how i came to men’s work.

also, i have very exciting news! that liberation tarot deck i been telling yall about has been accepted for publishing by PM press (PM is founded by one of the founders of AK press which is like… a pretty cool thing i think). i still have no idea when it’ll be ready but this is a BIG milestone in the process. if you like tarot and want a rad deck, get readyyyyyyy. also omg that’s so wild: a tarot deck is gonna have MY writing in in the booklet. kewl beans.

ok ok, now before going on to all of the things, two quick notes: (1) i drafted this newsletter edition in like mid-october. i’m just getting around to sending it. (2) so please forgive me as it has nothing related to tonight’s election results.

and now… on to the things!

(!!) pick of the pack

writing

some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:

Oct 21, 2022 | happy "no new things" day 2022!
Oct 20, 2022 | metaphor: leaves changing colors in fall
Oct 8, 2022 | sit time from mother earth
Oct 5, 2022 | encouragement to show up fully when you are away

quotes

there is nothing new under the sun.

Life presents an endless series of interruptions and distractions.
You will continually be pulled off course or asked to put out a fire created by someone else. People will disrespect your time and steal your attention—usually with no intention of malice, but simply because different people have different priorities.
When your day is interrupted or your progress stalls, it’s easy for your mindset to collapse as well. You may feel guilty for not following through on what you intended to do. But you are not guilty, you are human.
Everyone gets distracted. In many ways, the real divide is between those who get back on track quickly and those who let interruptions expand into longer periods of inactivity.
Top performers get back on track faster than most. This is the skill to develop. You will be interrupted, but you can choose to keep it brief. — James Clear

The daily routine of most adults is so heavy and artificial that we are closed off to much of the world. We have to do this in order to get our work done. I think one purpose of art is to get us out of those routines.
When we hear music or poetry or stories, the world opens up again. We’re drawn in — or out — and the windows of our perception are cleansed, as William Blake said. The same thing can happen when we’re around young children or adults who have unlearned those habits of shutting the world out. — Science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin discusses how art opens our eyes, ears, and souls to the real world

Healing is about taking the time to notice what gets in the way of feeling connected to your life, in your community, and your sense of possibility. Healing, in its core, is about slowing down so that we can better listen, to ourselves and each other. — susan raffo

Freedom is not without
responsibility. We are
accountable to one another,
this landscape, and everything
that lives on it. — Bobbie Conner

In the history of physics, every time we’ve looked beyond the scales and energies we were familiar with, we’ve found things that we wouldn’t have thought were there. You look inside the atom and eventually you discover quarks. Who would have thought that? It’s hubris to think that the way we see things is everything there is. — Lisa Randall

Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One person gets only a week’s value out of a year while another gets a full year’s value out of a week. — Charles Richards

Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a qualitative change in our lives. — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Perfection is attained not when no more can be added, but when no more can be removed. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Over long time frames, simply staying in the game is impressive.
- Health and fitness: Can you stay injury free and not miss workouts?
- Wealth and finance: Can you avoid debt and continue to save?
- Business: Can you maintain cash flow and stay in business?
Longevity is its own form of greatness. — James Clear

There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do. — Freya Stark

Let’s start with a test: Do you have any opinions that you would be reluctant to express in front of a group of your peers?
If the answer is no, you might want to stop and think about that. If everything you believe is something you’re supposed to believe, could that possibly be a coincidence?
Odds are it isn’t. Odds are you just think whatever you’re told. — Paul Graham

What appears to be a rapid shift is often preceded by a gradual process. Our results gradually explode or vanish thanks to the small habits we repeat each day.
What radical change are you slowly marching toward? An incremental explosion or an incremental vanishing? — James Clear

Go and love someone exactly as they are. And then watch how quickly they transform into the greatest, truest version of themselves. When one feels seen and appreciated in their own essence, one is instantly empowered. — Wes Angelozzi

What percentage of the media you consume on a daily basis was created in the last year? What percentage of the best and most useful information was created in the last year?
— Nat Eliason

poetry

this poem by nayyirah waheed from her book, salt

reads

some things i’ve read since the last newsletter:

listens

some audio and/or podcasts i’ve listened to since the last newsletter:

watches

some videos i watched since the last newsletter:

jams

some things i’ve been (aurally) enjoying since the last newsletter:

Shania Twain - You're Still The One (The Side Project + Akie Bermiss) (!!)
Moontricks - Bones (An-Ten-Nae feat. Jade Sol Remix)
panic! at the disco — nine in the afternoon
justin timberlake — let the groove get in
sonny stitt — i got rhythm
tank and the bangas — she’s a rainbow

jobs

Fiscal Sponsorship Co-Director | Resist | $65k | Remote
Baby University Father Facilitator, Childcare & Family Support Services | City of Cambridge Human Service Programs | $37.5/hour | Cambridge, MA
Director of Development | Never Again Action | $40-60k | Remote
Research Manager | Builders of Color Coalition | $85-95K | Boston, MA
Core Consultant/Trainer | Racial Healing Initiative | $20k ($75/hour) | Remote
Clean Transportation Program Director | Union of Concerned Scientists | $171,000-$191,000 | Remote
Mijente
- Development Project Manager | $73-77k | Remote
- Director of Transformational Giving | $80-87k | Remote
ICA Group
- Communications Director | $73-78.6k | Remote
- Executive Director for the Fund for Jobs Worth Owning | $95-105k | Remote
- Cooperative Growth Consultant | $62-66k | Remote
- Director of People and Culture | $75-81k | Northampton, MA
Muslim Justice League
- Campaign Organizer | $50k | Boston
- Communications Director | $50k | Boston
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
- Executive Director | $80-90k | NYC
- Lead Organizer | $65-70k | NYC
Responsible Computer Science Challenge Fellow | Mozilla | $45k PT | Kenya
Boston Neighborhood CLT
- Project and Operations Manager | $80-90k | Boston
- Resident/Neighborhood Organizer | $60-65k | Boston
Consultant - Program Director | Breakthrough Strategies & Solutions | $140-160k PT
ECCO
- Field Coordinators: English-speaking, Bilingual English-Spanish, Bilingual English-Haitian Creole
- Community Ambassadors: English, Spanish, or Haitian Creole speaking
- Data Coordinator
- All the positions

events

The HeArt of Black Leadership Fall 2022 Session | Applications due nov 15

fun-raising

priestess of twerk

other opportunities

exploring histories of education advocacy before and after brown v board w/ my friend tomashi

newsletters

black ecologie: road rage
solstice newsletter: #4 - eclipsed + w/ updates!
emet ezell: how do you make your body big enough for all the feelings?
building belonging: Belonging and the identity trap
astroradicals: THE MOOD: On Pause
better humans daily: Pleasure is fine, but satisfaction is what you should chase.

right now i’m learning…

what it means to “settle in” when living somewhere for 3 months.