what i’m reading
My academic background is mostly in philosophy and so I spent many years being trained to write and think in ways that are heavily shaped by logical argumentation. While this may be a useful skill, the older I get the more interested I become in the art of reading and writing itself, in engaging with the written word for the purpose of connecting with the beauty around me.
As our political landscape has become more divisive, the notion of being “right” or having the most sound argument has become less and less compelling. I have found myself longing for a space away from “discourse,” where I can be reminded of goodness and beauty.
For this reason, I am finding myself drawn to the poets. While I am not a poet myself, reading poetry and listening to interviews with poets is feeding my soul and reminding me to pay attention to my surroundings, the people I love, and the joy that can be found in everyday encounters.
This week I picked up poet David Whyte’s book of essays, “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.” In it, he moves through many of the words that we encounter throughout our day—words that become more or less important at different stages of our lives—exploring their meaning. Each chapter is a meditation on a single word: e.g., alone, destiny, friendship, heartbreak, maturity, pain, and vulnerability. His sustained attention to the words that shape our emotional lives opens up space for deep personal reflection on the part of the reader; slow and deliberate, sustained attention.
For example, in his chapter on ambition, he reminds us that ambition and vocation are not the same thing. While ambition is legible to those around us, vocation—or calling—is that which points us to directions outside of ourselves. He says,
Ambition left to itself always becomes tedious, its only object the creation of larger and larger empires of control; but a true vocation calls us beyond ourselves, breaks our heart in the process and then humbles, simplifies and enlightens us about the hidden, core nature of the work that entices us in the first place.
It has been a pleasure to read into the meaning of these words along with Whyte, spending time meditating on what I feel truly called to do and to be.
what I’m thinking about
This week I am thinking about community and solidarity. Along the lines of vocation, I have been reflecting on what it means to do the work that I do, and how to best be in community with those who share my vocation. This is natural given that June 2nd is International Whores’ Day, a day to recognize the labor of sex workers and their often exploited working conditions under criminalization.
The stigmatization and criminalization of sex work often have us feeling alone, especially in a post-FOSTA/SESTA world where even information sharing could put us in danger. Around the world, sex workers are organizing events on this day to bring people together in protest of a world that is intent on isolating and shaming us. These events are important. But small acts of resistance are also important.
It is here that I again turn to poet David White, who reminds us that even when we feel alone, we aren’t; that attention to each other and to the world around us calls us to be who we are.
This poem, while it isn’t about sex work, invites us to put our alone-ness down and to join the chorus of those around us, just as International Whores’ Day does.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmA4s8r630s&list=PPSV
what I’m excited for
June is bringing lots of fun travel! I will be going to Buffalo and seeing Niagara Falls this weekend, and next weekend I’ll get to spend 4 days in NYC seeing some old friends and some new ones! I am also doing a couple of photoshoots with photographers that I am very excited to work with while I’m in New York! Can’t wait to share those with you!
availability & booking
I have thankfully recovered from COVID! I’m taking bookings this month in Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, and Buffalo.
You can see my travel schedule here. My availability is limited, especially while traveling, and give priority to longer dates.