I’m watching what’s happening in Iran. Feeling disconnected, scared, and simultaneously in awe of the people who are fighting so hard for the dignity of a life of autonomy. What’s happening right now in Kurdistan, in particular, demands all of our support and solidarity. The Collective for Black Iranians is an especially good resource for information.
It feels silly to write here about everyday life when the notion of everyday life itself is so central to the fight being fought by my fellow Iranians. I don’t know what I want this space to be. What is this newsletter for? Who is it for? I am not sure. Mostly me, I think. It’s not about warming up and writing routines anymore. But it might function as that for me. A space to reach friends without posting photos that require clever captions. A space to work out ideas in progress. A space to just share fun things. I am still thinking about this, but I plan to be here a bit more regularly.
I changed the name of this newsletter from “Radical Negativity” to “neither/nor,” which is a description of the concept, something I write about in the book I have recently completed (watch this space! haha). I’ll write a post soon about why this idea is so important to me.
Tomorrow it’s my birthday, and also, miraculously, the birthday of my two young children. As I get older my birthday becomes more important to me. I want to celebrate myself, and all the things that have gotten me here to where I am now. Joy and celebration are important parts of life, and I’m trying to resist the feeling that it’s embarrassing to declare all this. It’s all the more meaningful to celebrate when things have been difficult, which they have been.
My way of celebrating myself right now is to share with you this playlist I made. It’s what I’ve been listening to and loving lately. It expresses the dormant, the present, and the not-yet.
See you in December for a big year end and year ahead post.
xoxo