A Constellation of Imaginations

Much of my creative play explores the multitude of visible and invisible ways we are interconnected with each other and our broader eco/social systems, our imaginations included. I wanted to make this page out of a desire to celebrate just some of the beings who shape my mind and imagination and to acknowledge and give thanks to my many teachers. I have a firm belief that all our imaginations are connected and feed each other, amplify other possibilities, challenge us and move us forward. Like the way that rain seeps into and nourishes soil, my work is a reflection of my broader community as much as it is my own wanderings. I know that when we muster the courage to share our creations, ideas, songs, dances, hopes for this world, we encounter points of connection in each other and create common ground. We create culture. We shift thought and value. We weave new webs for what is possible in this world. To that end, a deep thank you to the teachers listed here. Thank you to my many friends who support me and fill my life with love. Thank you to the many unnamed beings who have also nourished me and nourish our world.

Rooted In

Some influential voices include; Joanna Macy’s framework of the Great Unraveling + the Great Turning and the belief that this world will be healed by brave, loving, ordinary people. Mariame Kaba’s abolitionist organizing, invitations to experiment new possibilities for community safety, and insistence that we don’t have hope, we DO hope. Kelly Hayes’s political discussions through Truthout keep me feeling informed and allow me to learn about the many incredible organizers who our building our new world in this ‘era of collapse.’ Grace Lee Boggs decades of labor organizing, practice of dialectical thinking, emphasis on our critical connections and invitations to ask “What time is it on the clock of the world?”. Black Raspberry- while not human, this plant friend as been a consistant garden companion for me from year one! Our black raspberry bramble reminds me that the natural order of our world is (delicious) abundance that there is immense joy to be found in the sharing of these gifts. Thich Nhat Hanh’s buddhist teachings, commitment to a spirituality that is inseparable from liberation and quote “We are here to awaken from the illusion of our separateness.” have been a guiding pillar in my creative explorations. Bayo Akomolafe’s poetic writings radically reshape the way I have been thinking and pry into the glittery cracks of our rupturing systems. adrienne maree brown’s teachings around ‘Emergent Strategy’ and how we hold and shape change have greatly influenced my imagination and how I co-organize in adaptive ways. Other influential writers/ organizers include; Andrea Ritchie, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Maya Schenwar, Shira Hassan, Howard Zinn, Assata Shakur, Noura Erakat, Angela Davis, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Micah Bazant, Monica Trinidad, Byul Yoon, Ilā Ravichandran, Erica Meiners, YK Hong, and so many more.

Land & Seed Stewards

The seeds- I can’t talk about teachers without mentioning the seeds themselves! Seeds have brought me into relationship with so many new people, friends, plants and projects and teach me about abundance, reciprocity and adaptability. Robin Wall Kimmerer- like so many others, Robin’s writings remind me of my reciprocal relationship with the more than human world and importance of place based knowledge and connections. Rowen White’s storytelling, writings and Seed Seva course have helped me root into deeper relationship with seed saving/ keeping practices. True Love Seeds is one of my favorite seed keeping groups to share with other and has been an accessible place to lean into seed keeping. NDN Collective is a group I turn to in order to learn more about movements for #LandBack. K Green founded the framework for a ‘Seed Library’ and hooked me into this work through Hudson Valley Seeds Art Packs. Petra Page-Mann is a friend and comrade in the practice of seeds as gifts, Experimental Farm Network’s collaborative plant breeding to expand and preserve biodiversity is a project I love to follow and learn from. Other people and projects I admire include; Sogorea Te' Land Trust, Vivian Sansour, #StopCopCity Movement, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Going to Seed, They Keep Bees and Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary.