shit's crazy. meanwhile...
Dear Beloved,
Shit’s crazy, yeah? And life has never been an easy endeavor. In this whirlwind of a decade, now past the halfway point, shit has only gotten crazier and life become harder for us. It’s hard to be in the moment when you’re processing past traumas or anxious about the future. It’s hard to breathe, let alone sit in the present and just exist.
Many of us are not allowed afforded the time. Time is money, and capitalism’s clock is ticking away lives. We’re grinding, we’re hustling, we’re clocking in and out and into our second, third jobs. All so we can pay rent, mortgage, bills, insurance, prescriptions, gas, bus fare, food, water, heat, time off, schools, debt, to forget —
But then, sometimes, this world pauses. Because a child is smiling and waving at strangers on the metro. Or because you saw the first magnolia bloom at the bus stop. Or you spot a cat in a window on your commute. Or the wild geese’s migration catches your eye outside of the office window. Or perhaps, like me today, you’re scrolling on your phone between appointments when someone’s artwork abruptly pulls you out of the oligarchy’s world and into the real one for a brief escape.
seedgiver is a love letter, an assembly, a call to action, and an occasional art gallery. Today, i write to you after being brought back into the world by Erik Ruin’s screen print, Meanwhile.
Erik Ruin is printmaker, shadow puppeteer, paper-cut artist, and member of the Justseeds Artists’ Collective. He shared this about Meanwhile:
At the beginning of the pandemic, as my neighborhood of West Philly as usual was in full bloom, and as my head filled with thoughts of apocalypse and despair I kept looking up at all the flowers and thinking “meanwhile...”
The world is on fire and flooding. Meanwhile, wild geese en masse are flying past my apartment building everyday. Microplastics have infiltrated every living organism and our ecosystems. Meanwhile, a neighborhood oak tree’s acorns are fully ripe now. I’m living paycheck to paycheck while the government funds genocides with my tax dollars. Meanwhile, I spotted a dandelion bright as the sun amidst dead grass.
Shit’s crazy. Meanwhile, life.
Organizing to a Living Utopia
Workshop Recommend!
For 8 weeks, organizer and poet Mx. Yaffa (they/she) is hosting a series of workshops called Organizing to a Living Utopia. I attended the first session last Sunday, and I’d like you to join the next one tomorrow.
An expansive, open-access training rooted in collective liberation. This 8-session training series starting the first weekend of December is an expansive offering built by Mx. Yaffa through their organizing work for over 15 years across dozens of countries and hundreds of communities.
For this series, each session is designed to support organizers and movement workers in deepening their practice, regardless of positional power, experience, or formal role.
This workshop series is also fundraising for people impacted by genocides. If you can, please consider donating.
Can you make it? Let me know and we can talk about it!
Seeds for Change
Charlotte, NC was told last month that the US gestapo “border patrol” was coming to their city. They left within a week. Organizers created this toolkit for everyone so we can protect our communities.
Hey, do you have a traumatic relationship with money? Same! That’s why I’m sharing Erotics of Liberation’s somatic guide for money guilt/shame. I hope it’s as helpful for you.
Know your enemy - join Alliance for Justice on Dec. 17th, 2 PM EST, for Holding Court: How Chief Justice Roberts Dismantled Our Rights.
Know a trans Girl Scout about to sell some cookies? Erin Reed is putting together a list of trans Girl Scouts and sharing it to support them. Share information here. I’ll reshare Erin’s list once available (and stock up on some Caramel deLites).
I loved Rupa Marya’s keynote for Irish healthcare workers at the Palestine Conference so much, I’m sharing it with you.
