My heart is with you and all of us grieving, raging, and moving through the day with heartache. My heart is with all of us and our people connected with Michigan State University (MSU) and all people impacted by gun violence. With DC and Southern California, with so many people, so many locations. My heart is with all of us living in a state of terror -- in the terrorizing nation-state of the United States and in the midst of normalized everyday violence. My heart is ... Read more ...
commitments
Doing the Holidays Differently: Untangling from the Mythical Norm and Revising Rituals for “the Holiday Season”
Preface: This post took me more than six weeks to write. I started drafting on the winter solstice, so it feels right to publish on the cross-quarter day imbolc. I’ve needed the time to sit with the questions I share in this post—questions that are sure to keep evolving. I hope you’ll come with me on this journey into my spiritual life and desire to do the holidays differently. The Holidays Are Hard. Do They Have to Be? For me and for many of us, the holidays are hard. ... Read more ...
Begin the New Year with a Writing Group
Registration is open for writing groups starting in January! Writing groups can support us in many ways—from holding creative space to building community with other writers. I’m excited about a few new things: There are now options to join the weekly group on Tuesdays, Fridays, or both days. Dr. Candace Epps-Robertson is joining as a facilitator. There are expanded sliding-scale registration options. Registration includes a one-day writing retreat for every two-month ... Read more ...
Voting as Harm Reduction, Public Outcry, and Collective Responsibility
On the eve of elections in the United States, I share three orientations to voting: voting as harm reduction, public outcry, and collective responsibility. These are three ways I think about voting as everyday action aligned with striving toward justice. Three ways to vote even when it hurts, even when the heart aches. Why My Heart Hurts on Election Day and Why Voting Still Matters As I wrote back in 2018, my heart hurts on election day. And it does today, leading up to ... Read more ...
Behind the Scenes: What’s Changing with Heart-Head-Hands
October has been a BIG behind the scenes month. I’ve been making small shifts, acting on the recognition that I need more space and time for creativity and contribution. These shifts involve going slower, pulling back from activities, holding questions about capacity, practicing meditation, and prioritizing writing toward a collaborative book project. These shifts feel exciting—like they support me in showing up more fully, vulnerably, and with presence. And these shifts ... Read more ...
Writing Support for the School Year (and Year-Round)
With the school year starting, many of my recent coaching conversations have focused on writing.Some conversations have addressed genres of writing related to schooling: assignment design, teaching portfolios, tenure and promotion materials, cover letters, dissertations, and grant applications. Some conversations have focused on prioritizing research during the school year, especially how to write in the midst of burnout and productivity pressures. Some conversations ... Read more ...
Q&A with Chloe de los Reyes: Teaching as Continued Learning and Unlearning
This interview with Chloe de los Reyes highlights connections among language and literacy education, lived experiences and positionalities, and striving for social justice. Chloe is a faculty member (Assistant Professor of English) at Crafton Hills College in Southern California. Prior to this position, she worked as and advocated for adjunct faculty for many years. We met almost two decades ago when both teaching and researching in campus writing centers. And we’ve ... Read more ...
Slowing Down to Clarify Commitments
Earlier this summer, I had covid and slowed to a snail’s pace. Everyday care (like bathing and brushing) took incredible effort. Because I had such little energy, I had to make tough decisions about where to put that energy. In many ways, being sick provided time for review. That review clarified my commitments, helping me consider if where I’m directing energy is truly where I want to be putting it. For the most part, I could answer: yes. I am clear about my deepest ... Read more ...
Q&A with David Luis Glisch-Sánchez: Life Coaching as Restoring Wholeness
This interview with David Luis Glisch-Sánchez, Ph.D. shares how life coaching aligns with living for justice. Recently, David launched Soul Support Life Coaching with focuses on healing and restoring wholeness. I’ve been really excited to witness David share the vision for this work, build the business framework, and begin to offer coaching and workshops. David is a sociologist who has spent years both doing self-work and studying how others heal “to make whole,” ... Read more ...
Continuing to Respond to the Supreme Court’s Decision Overturning Roe
Dear Beloved Reader, I began this post during Friday’s writing group, where I was when the Supreme Court released the Dobbs decision—overturning Roe v. Wade, restricting legal abortion access, and undercutting reproductive justice. I felt held in deep companionship through the news. And I remain incredibly grateful for activist-educator-writer-friend-colleagues who show up in the world with commitment and care. Now, more than ever, I feel the need for community—for ... Read more ...
