NoBody Knows Her Bounds

The idea that poetry exists—above all else—to help humans more fully inhabit our lives and our world is one that I love. I’ve been thinking about that again lately, after attending a Memorial Day event at the Booksmith featuring Pádraig Ó Tuama, who read from his new book of poems, Feed the Beast and answered audience questions. The Irish poet just came out with another book, too—Poetry Unbound:…

Happy Winter Solstice! Today I completed the FINAL stairway walk in the 6th edition of Stairway Walks in San Francisco by Adah Bakalinsky with Marian Gregoire (Wilderness Press, 2010). This is a project I’ve been working on since shortly after moving to SF in August 2018. Since starting to work my way through the 27 stairway walks, I’ve taken quite a few other significant steps, as…

National Day of Mourning

I wrote the beginning of this post on a pre-dawn ferry ride this morning—this fourth Thursday in November—on my way to an indigenous-led sunrise gathering ceremony on Alcatraz Island. I’ve added & edited more content for clarity. Writing to you today from the ancestral homelands of the Ohlone peoples of the Ramaytush and Chochenyo territories; I also acknowledge and honor the Ohlone peoples of…

Forest Knolls Stairway Walk

I haven’t posted on here in ages. That’s partly due to grad school, I think—so relieved that I am in my final semester, and that the end is in sight! In a little over a month, if all goes according to plan, I’ll be a newly-minted MLIS graduate. I have plenty more work to do between now and then. But I decided to give myself a “brain break” (to use current elementary school lingo) today and…

song for a time of transition

[Verse 2: Julien Baker]Being in loveIs the same thing as being aloneGiven the sorrows and company… [Chorus: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus]I am never anywhereAnywhere I goWhen I’m home, I’m never thereLong enough to know Ketchum, ID by boygenius Upcoming transitions (for me personally)… Finding/moving into new housing in the Bay Area by end of JulyTurning 30 in the beginning of…

Things Old & New: a song for sheltering

Today I remembered one of my new-to-me favorite songs from last year, that I first heard not long after SF entered our initial SIP phase of the panny: “The Lost Words Blessing” from the album The Lost Words: Spell Songs. Here are the lyrics and the story behind this song, and here is the song itself. Enjoy:

19 jan 2021: Reflections & Resources

A Few Reflections: Feeling somewhat somber and reflective tonight. Anticipating the Inauguration tomorrow with both relief and apprehension…It’s been a long four years. And, there is still a very long road ahead towards the hope of democracy, and towards the vision of Beloved Community as articulated & worked for by Dr. King and soooo many others—John Lewis, Valerie Kaur, and Stacey Abrams are a…

song of the moment

Revisiting an old favorite this evening, while working on grad school stuff. (INFO 203, Let’s GOoooooo!)

song of the moment

https://soundcloud.com/samantha-zipporah/womb-sovereignty-song

I have spent most of my holidays so far on more stairway walks and binge-watching these shows: Bridgerton, Derry Girls, Sanditon. My hot-take on each show in a phrase or two: Bridgerton (WOW, Regé-Jean Page; & the show’s whole wardrobe!!!); Derry Girls (hilarious; & Sr. Michael’s the funniest); Sanditon (James Stringer is a far superior match for Charlotte Heywood than that jerk Sidney Parker;…

Cause for celebration, & continued grief

I am both deeply relieved & grieved by the Election results from last week. Lots of feelings and emotions. Also, a lot of exhaustion.

So, SO indescribably elated & relieved that the American people came together and succeeded in voting that fascist with dictatorial aspirations out of office. (Yay, harm reduction! Yay, DEMOCRACY! All power to the people!!!) And deeply grieved at how many…

I can’t be a pessimist because I am alive. To be a pessimist means that you have agreed that human life is an academic matter. So, I am forced to be an optimist. I am forced to believe that we can survive, whatever we must survive.

— James Baldwin

Listening to this song on repeat today; it’s what got me out of bed.

It’s…

notes: an incomplete litany of sorts for 2020

It’s hard to feel hope right now.

RBG died yesterday. On Rosh Hashanah, no less.

RBG dead. John Lewis dead. Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Elijah McCain, Sean Monterrosa, and Too. Many. More—All dead.

Jacob Blake’s legs dead.

200,000 Americans dead. (More than twice the number for our interference in Vietnam.)

Democracy—dead?

Or almost. Or never really alive.…

Mini sporadic update post

So grad school’s gonna be a lot of work.

Not that I’m surprised. One of the huge challenges though, of course, is that even more of my life is now online. (She writes as she types this using a browser…) I didn’t foresee this problem back in January/February, when I decided to (finally) go back to school this fall after all.

These be challenging times for many, though.

I’m trying to…

SF Stairway Walks: Telegraph Hill & North Beach

Did another stairway walk today. Another long one! Took me up to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. The Greenwich Steps were cool; they reminded me of the Filbert Steps nearby. And my favorite spot from today’s walk was definitely the Jack Early Park which, in Adah Bakalinsky’s description, “is a rewarding place for views, solitude, and moon-watching.” (I got a bit of the views & solitude there today,…