lqb2weekly #189 (10 sept 2023)

Sep 10, 2023

hey,

i’ve got 3 big-ish personal things to share and then some other things and then all of the other things. first up…

it’s happening this week!!! my first sabbatical. WILD.

in just a couple of days, i should be offline and in the woods. likely (hopefully), the next time you hear from me, i’ll be on the other side of 4 weeks off. getting to this moment has felt harrowing in terms of both physical prep (getting gear; getting my apartment ready; finding plant care), work/job prep (making sure all/most/some of my paid or movement work is able to move forward without me), and emotional prep (saying bye for a month to all my friends and nibblings; trying to keep my family from freaking out about me doing this). i think i’m at the point where i’m just letting lots of stuff go that’s not gonna happen and that feels both good and bad. but however it feels, i’m headed out! bananas.

second thing: i have been working on my first solo podcast for like a year plus and it’s still not totally ready but i’m ready to give yall a sneak preview! it’s called ‘we are what we practice.’ (the title is quoting alta starr’s essay: cultivating the self). here’s the first two episodes. i wanted to get this out before i left for the woods but when i come back, it’ll go into an official podcast feed so you can listen to it in all the places and have visuals and stuff. for now, i actually DON’T want you to share it. sharing will be for later when the whole season is out and it’s on more platforms. and also, real talk, i didn’t mention the inspirations for the show in the intro and i think i don’t want this to spread too far without fixing that. so yea, don’t share or post links but def enjoy this early peek.

3rd big update: the liberation tarot kickstarter is done and was v successful! we got $31,609 in pledges from 424 backers. so dope. i will keep folks posted on when the events will be as well as when the decks will come out. and just because you didn’t get in on the kickstarters, doesn’t mean you can’t get a deck. it’ll just be a lil later than the kickstarter folks.

ok, now that those three big updates are outta the way, here’s some other things on my radar right now:

Generative Climate Fiction: A Workshop Where Doom is Not on the Table*
an old friend and mentee in boston-area needs some help, contact info included.
from my friend, gloribell:

I wanted to share Ayni's upcoming Fall virtual and in-person offerings, if you might be interested and can share with your network. We have reciprocity scholarships for folks that are interested.
- Fall 2023 In-Person Training
- Fall 2023 Virtual Cohorts Trainings
- see these offerings as a 2-page PDF: Ayni Fall Semester 2023 Offerings 2 Pager.pdf
a message from nisha, my friend, about her upcoming rebirth retreat: I’m sharing a short video invitation (3 min 45 seconds) to the Rebirth Retreat which I’m co-facilitating this October at the Watershed Center in Millertown, NY. Registration is open until September 30.
my friend, paige, has recently left the ujima project and in her outgoing message, she shared a link to a collection of her writing. it’s so good! if you want to follow a dope black environmental journalist, follow paige! read some of paige’s selected writing over here
my partner is helping a friend find a boston-area bicycle organizer (good money!)
my friend, kendra, is being honored at a long-standing community organization’s award ceremony and fundraising dinner (tickets start at $150). if you’re local to boston and want to learn about/support the work of these powerful black women doing incredible work, check it out, attend if you’d like, or spread the word! i attended one of these a few years back and it was sweet. community change inc: drylongso awards - fri 22 sept 2023

there is so much more happening but i gotta get this newsletter out so i can get back to being overwhelmed about packing lol.

on to the things!

(!!) pick of the pack

writing

some things i’ve written since the last newsletter:

quotes

there is nothing new under the sun. also, full transparency, many of these quotes come from james clear’s 3-2-1 newsletter (which i love).

Most of the time you don’t need more information, you need more courage. — James Clear

Avoiding mistakes is an underrated way to improve. It’s easier to fend off a bad day than achieve a perfect day. Rather than do your best, avoid your worst. — James Clear

The proof you can do hard things is one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself. — Nat Eliason

Excitement is a better motivator than discipline. The people who appear to have an exceptional work ethic or remarkable discipline are often those with a genuine curiosity or interest in that area. The person who smiles is more likely to keep working than the person gritting their teeth. — James Clear

Writing is one of the only ways to outlive yourself. People still read books from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The author’s physical life ended long ago, but their mental life remains alive and meaningful even today. — James Clear

The function, the very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do. Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing. — Toni Morrison

Do what you can. If you can’t do something you wanted to do, then you will be forgiven, but if you don’t want to try to do anything, you will not be forgiven. — Nikolai Vavilov

In imagination we feel sure that it would be lovely to live with a full and rich awareness of the world. But in practice sensitiveness hurts. It is not possible to develop the capacity to see beauty without developing also the capacity to see ugliness, for they are the same capacity. The capacity for joy is also the capacity for pain. We soon find that any increase in our sensitiveness to what is lovely in the world increases also our capacity for being hurt. That is the dilemma in which life has placed us. We must choose between a life that is thin and narrow, uncreative and mechanical, with the assurance that even if it is not very exciting it will not be intolerably painful; and a life in which the increase in its fullness and creativeness brings a vast increase in delight, but also in pain and hurt. — John Macmurray

Even before you do anything to help, your wholehearted presence already brings some relief, because when we suffer, we have great need for presence of the person we love. If we are suffering and the person we love ignores us, we suffer more. So what you can do—right away—is to manifest your true presence to your beloved and say the mantra with all your mindfulness: “Dear one, I know you are suffering. That is why I am here for you.” And already your loved one will feel better. — Thich Nhat Hanh

poetry

you talk so proper — justen ross

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:

jobs

now co-hosted with my friend, nadav david. here’s nadav’s updates for aug/sept. super excellent. and below are some more jobs; some are in his list, some aren’t.

national

For even more movement jobs, visit New Economy Coalition’s monthly newsletter (link)
Grünewald Guild: Executive Director - $70k (link)
Building Movement Project: Director of Research - $110-140k (link)
Center for Anti-Violence Education: Executive Director - $130k (link)
Social Movement Technologies: North America Campaign Lead / Senior Campaigner - $75-120k (link)
Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100): Interim Managing Director, Organizing Director, Communications Director, Chapter Organizer, Movement Archivist Fellow, Communications Manager - $71-95K (link)
If Not Now: Communications Director - $45-59K (link)
Jewish Voice for Peace: Senior Fundraising Campaigns Coordinator - $60k (link)
Contracted Positions / Request for Proposals
- New Economy Coalition: Request for Proposal, Contract to manage development of Funders/Investors Database - $5-8K (link)

local

Director of Communications and External Affairs, Councilor Lara - $73k (link)
Neighborhood Birth Center: Manager of Communications and Engagement (link) and Manager of Sustainability and Operations (link) - $70k
City Life/Vida Urbana: Bilingual Community Organizer - $50-60k (link)
Community Servings: Volunteer Coordinator - $65k (link)
I Have a Future: Co-Lead Organizer - $65k (link) and Admin Organizer, $21/hour PT (link)

upcoming events

see intro section

$$ (fun-raising)

QTBIPOC Death Doula Services & Scholarship Fund
Thank you to those who've donated to our Floripondio Queer and Trans, Black, Indigenous People of Color (QTBIPOC) Death Doula Services & Scholarships Fund. We encourage everyone to consider contributing to support our community in receiving the vital care, services, and education they deserve. 100% of your donations go towards QTBIPOC receiving death doula care and also scholarships for class tuition. We are currently looking to raise scholarship money for our upcoming Embracing Endings course and we continually welcome funds for clients who cannot afford our services. Visit our website today and click the 'Donate Now' button. Any and every amount is helpful and appreciated!
stone soup farm lost 80% of their crops all at once. fundraiser for them ($33k of 50k)
a lot of maui burned. i was there in oct. fundraiser for friend of a friend. ($39k of 90k)
a staff member at the Urban Farming Institute (UFI) sister recently passed away. if you have funds to help them out, i’d appreciate it. ($4k of 7k)
wildseed gofundme ($2k of 40k)

other opportunities

PROTECTING YOUR STORYTELLING POWER — Strategies For Black Artists

newsletters

bad environmentalist: a hike to remember
emet ezell: time keepers of sky
building belonging: Belonging @ Scale: Part 1

right now i’m learning…

how hard it is to take a planned 4 weeks off when no one else is! also learning what wx radio is.

mood

(how i feel about my packing process)