RULE 3: what does it feel like?
feel (v): (1) be aware of—a person or object—through touching or being touched
(2) experience (an emotion or sensation)
Feel (N): (1) a sensation given by an object or material when touched.
(2) feeling of heightened emotions
ARIANA BROWN
STEP 1 : VIEW & FEEL STEP 2: READ & FEEL STEP 3: WRITE & FEEL
we start at 11:31 above
Sarah Nnenna Loveth Nwafor (She and They pronouns) is a queer Nigerian (Igbo)-American Poet/Writer, Educator, Facilitator and Black Feminist who descends of a powerful ancestry. They believe that storytelling and poetry is magick, and they speak to practice traditions of Igbo orature. When they witness, her forebears are pleased. Sarah’s frameworks as a queer Black feminist go with them everywhere. She believes that the reclamation of pleasure is political- is a human right. They believe that healing is political-is a human right; that wellness, freedom and self-determined futures are interlinked. Sarah believes in creating these futures through holistically caring for ourselves within community. Because of these beliefs, Sarah is committed to teaching about race, class, gender, healthy relationships and sexuality as well as working with youth; she believes in using creative writing as a tool of self-exploration and liberation in this process. When Sarah's not writing, teaching or facilitating she's probably sitting under a tree, reading about Love, watching anime, dancing with friends or cooking a bomb-ass meal like the true Taurus she is. Sarah can be found on instagram (@sarahnwafor) or on twitter (@nwafor_sarah).
Who reminds you to be tender? Who taught them?
Tenderness is not naive. Who knew you were coming?
Write a poem about all the things your body is capable of feeling. Then, write a poem detailing how you will practice tenderness with someone who needs it.
Are you any closer to being free?
ariana brown
Reverse Keynote Discussion of "Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Frontlines, edited by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Mai’a Williams, and China Martens"
Panel features Victoria Law (freelance author, editor, and organizer),
Kellee Coleman (organizer with Vibrant Woman/Mama Sana prenatal clinic), Tanay Lynn Harris (co-founder of the Bloom Collective Baltimore),
Cecilia Caballero (PhD Candidate at the University of Southern California),
China Martens (organizer, editor, and author), Mai’a Williams (journalist, organizer, editor, and author), and moderated by Jessica Marie Johnson (Assistant Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University).
Part of the online conference "Critical Conversations on Reproductive Health/Care: Past, Present, and Future" held February 3-7, 2021 via Zoom Webinar. For more informaiton on the conference, visit https://hopkinshistoryofmedicine.org/events/reproconvo2021/
José Ballester
En Tiempos de Pandemia
sensación en tiempos de pandemia
our feeling of touch has been altered;
six feet apart we must remain
we’ve therefore grown to know
our bodies more intimately
than before—
our inner-selves
leaning hard against our skin and bones,
declaring themselves here.
our spirit speaks more loudly
and sound becomes haptic,
felt.
we feel when we hear
the yearnings of the soul,
when we cry at
our sense of isolation, and
when we laugh with joy
at the way time dances
leisurely
around us.
en tiempos de pandemia,
we feel more intimately,
aware that the dwindling days
beat upon our heads and
we feel, with a maddening terror
and delight
that life embraces us
only for a short while.
en tiempos de pandemia,
we feel with our eyes,
our hearts,
our toes,
the life-giving substances
of love,
of sunlight,
of rage.
sensación revives us
and we are reminded
how [good] it feels
to be yet alive
another day.
Murjoni Merriweather
As a black woman artist from Maryland, Murjoni has found that the best way to create and talk about moments of black bodies is through art, especially claywork. As a student from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Murjoni creates sculpted beings that are based around real people and real experiences. Her work addresses and eliminate stereotypes through clay portraits and video work. With this, she enjoys going against the European standards of “beauty” that are placed upon people of color. (light skin, petite figure,etc.), and normalizing what is natural about black bodies; loving and accepting them as they come.
Through the artwork, connections and reflections with herself and others based on shared experiences. Continuing her craft, she plans to continue eliminating stereotypes and prejudices while uplifting the black community.
For questions and sculpture inquires please contact karlos@cmpndgroup.com
Explore the work and the artist here: https://www.mvrjoni.com/
“I believe with voguing
you can do and be whatever you want to be and there’s no specific rules. Whatever emotions you feel you can find a way to let it out through your dance. With voguing you’re able to tell stories and you’re able to express yourself in ways that maybe you can’t through words and for me that’s something that intrigued me with voguing is the fact that I was able to deal with myself and find myself as a woman of trans experience.” —Leiomy Maldonado
Black Joy...
Black joy. Cutting through the wind with chocolate legs. Tumbling toward liberation. Singing about Summer Breeze. Blades between toes, under nails. Collapse into the lap of the hill. What was that instrument?
Jessica Spence,,
Braids and Barrettes
“I remember my mom braiding my hair before school each day. She usually styled it in three to five big braids adorned with colorful barrettes and those “bubble” hair ties. That was one of my signature looks growing up…One of our traditions [was] me gathering my wide-tooth comb, a brush, barrettes, hair grease, and any other hair accessories that could style my hair. It was our routine and a time of bonding [that was] filled words of encouragement from my mother.”
Mart Biemans, Resting Place
even when you feel broken you can rebuild . trust yourself enough to get back up.
alex elle