So, not a great year, in general. But I was able to be part of some cool stuff, and am endlessly grateful for everyone who helped make that possible. Here’s a quick recap (and you can find my other end-of-year recaps here) of some of the stuff of mine that people may have missed:
1. My TEDx Talk:
Read more about this here.
2. Our Relationship is a Slowly Gentrifying Neighborhood (Video)
Read more about this (including full credits, lyrics, and more) here.
3. How to Explain White Supremacy to a White Supremacist (Video)
This got posted on both YouTube and Facebook (via Button Poetry) and became a very useful tool for performances and dialogues all year. Read more about this here.
4. A Furious Vexation (Mixtape)
Read more about this (including ALL the lyrics) here.
5. Dust (Video)
The Japanese American Citizen’s League asked me to write a piece for the 2017 Day of Remembrance (the day in 1942 that Executive Order 9066 was signed, requiring internment of all Americans of Japanese ancestry), connecting it to current issues regarding xenophobia and anti-immigrant hate. Read more here.
6. Some Writing
A few essay-style pieces here, but I’ve also been trying to focus my online writing a bit more, zooming in specifically on resource-sharing posts.
- Our Fear Is Valid, and So Is Our Courage: On Art and Artists in Trump’s USA
- If “This Is Not Normal,” Our Responses Can’t Be Either
- A big list of poem analyses/write-ups I’ve been doing for Button Poetry (more on the way)
- A Few Poems that Might Be Useful for Educators Who Want to Talk about Charlottesville with Their Students
- Poems, Links, and Resources RE: #MeToo, Consent, and Rape Culture
- The specific info is outdated now that the election has passed, but two posts on the importance of diving into local politics.
- I didn’t work on the writing of this (beyond some copyediting), but people should definitely check this out: MPD150’s performance review of the MPLS police department.
- And of course, 2017 was the first full year that my book existed in the world. More book-related news coming soon.
7. Also, I’m on Instagram now
Just a few years too late. But it’s a good record of some other stuff from this past year, from performing at Eaux Claires, to the CU-Boulder planetarium, to a former NASA centrifuge, to A Call to Men’s national conference, and beyond. As always, feel free to get in touch to bring me to your school, conference, whatever.
As for the future, I’m working on a new book now. TruArtSpeaks‘ #BeHeard18 Youth Poetry Slam Series is right around the corner. I’m trying to connect with organizers in MN, WI, IA and beyond about creative ways artists can support progressives running in midterm elections. And a million other things. Thanks for reading.