I don’t have time/energy right now to share very much commentary; hopefully people are aware of the news here in Minnesota. Our No Kings rally went forward, and even with authorities telling people not to gather, thousands of people showed up. I shared a poem.
Actually wrote and memorized it last week, but because it ended up being about grief, how we carry it, and what we might do with it, it felt appropriate to share today too. Full text below, for the folks who have been asking for it.
Just wanted to put up a single page that I could link to when talking about all these different events:
Saturday, June 14: the NO KINGS march and rally. I’ll be sharing a poem at the capitol. If you’re newer to protests, this one should be a good entry point, with a focus on families, joy, solidarity, etc. More info here.
Tuesday, July 1: Better Things at Moon Palace Books. I’ll be sharing some work at this reading alongside some fantastic artists. More info here.
Sunday, July 13: ROOTBEER & RESISTANCE at Boneshaker Books. I’ll be talking more about this as the date approaches, but the basic idea is that this is a more informal, community-focused event that will have a few poetry performances but is mostly about sharing some resources and having space to build community – again, especially for people who are newer to activism and organizing. More info here.
Wednesday, July 23: SECRET RIVERS Live at Silverwood Park! Secret Rivers is a project I am very excited about – it’s me performing poems alongside SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE’s live production on the MPC and Loop Station 505. Also: it’s a free, all-ages, outdoor event! More info on the event here. And more info on the Secret Rivers project here.
It might be tempting to read those first two pieces as point/counterpoints, but I think they end up saying similar things: big mass actions are doorways, not destinations. In a social media age when everything is all-or-nothing, black-or-white maximalism, I think that kind of nuance is important: YES, show up to rallies and marches if you are able, but not because those actions alone are going to be the thing that makes us win. Go to them to (1) find energy and inspiration, (2) learn about and connect with organizations who are doing the everyday work of resistance beyond one-time events, and (3) make noise, share photos of funny signs, talk to family and friends about why the event matters to you – that can have a narrative impact with ripple effects beyond the individual day.
Lots more to share, lots more happening. Get in where you fit in. We don’t all have to show up the same way, or in a literal sense at actions or events, but we can all find ways to show up and support/join the work being done. As always, more on that here and here.
some of the materials I’ll be sharing at the various july events.
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a little collage of the past month; top right photo by Tish Jones
I mention the three new videos in the post, but here are some direct links:
Here is the third in my series of 2025 mini-zines. If the term “zine” is new to you, think of it as a “little magazine,” a self-published booklet designed to be easily printed and shared, wherever it might be useful. The title of the zine is from the song of the same name, from this album.
Lots of people coming into political consciousness in this moment, looking for action to take, and navigating that process can be challenging—hopefully this zine can be something concrete to share with people like that in our lives (or ourselves, if that’s the case!) Possibly useful for giving out at neighborhood cookouts, hobby-based events, family gatherings, classes, and other community spaces.
One brief thought: I know that sometimes lists like “here are 47 books you should read to understand XYZ,” or “here is an unorganized googledoc of 300 gofundmes to donate to,” can be overwhelming. So I think it’s worth making explicit that no one person, or even organization, has to do everything here. The idea is to browse all this, take that 10,000-foot view, and continue moving toward where you fit in. In my experience, hearing about concrete examples of action is inspirational, even if that doesn’t end up being the same action I’m going to take. I hope there can be some seed-planting, and seed-watering, in all these examples.
This year was bad! But good work happens during bad years too. As is tradition: a few highlights from 2024, for people who are interested in what I do but may have missed something here or there.
Target Center performance + Grammy (!?)
It’s a long story, but as you may know, I’m on two songs by producer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Fred Again. This year, I got to perform one of those songs, “Kyle (i found you),” with Fred during his MPLS tour stop at the Target Center. Absolutely surreal; that’s what the photo above is from. The other song, “Berwyn (all that I got is you),” is on Fred’s album “Actual Life 3,” which won the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album back in February.
My friends try to tell me I should just go ahead and say that I’m “a Grammy-winning artist” since I’m a writer/performer on the album, but the humble midwesterner in me is going to run with “appears on a Grammy-winning album.” Either way, it’s kind of cool and not something I ever expected to happen.
I know not everyone is ready for “okay, so what do we do next?” content, and it’s good to take time to process and feel what we feel. But I made a commitment to myself to share that link no matter the outcome of the election, and for those who are looking for next steps, hopefully it can be useful:
Framing: Beyond the what-I-hope-is-obvious point that Trump is a fascist scumbag and we shouldn’t vote for him, there are people in my life genuinely struggling with what we *should* do this year, between the threat of Trump/Project 2025 on one side, and both parties’ ongoing support for the genocide in Gaza on the other. Here, I’m not giving anyone any answers, just offering a few thoughts, plus a bunch of links to people smarter than me grappling with that question.
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In 2020, I shared this poem about how I think about voting. The big takeaway is really just repeating what I’ve heard from organizers and activists my whole life: Change comes from mass movements, and voting is a small but meaningful piece of what must be a larger movement-building strategy. No candidate will give us the world we want, and both major parties are invested in capitalism and empire—but there are also meaningful differences between them, and those differences both impact people’s lives now and create organizing opportunities for the future.
I stand by all of that… in the context of 2020. I’d be lying if I said that 2024 feels exactly the same.
I think a central tension this year is that the following two points both make sense:
Bonus: a special bundle of art prints featuring lyrics from the album here.
THE OFFICIAL BLURB: ‘All Dressed Up, No Funeral’ is a concept album about the climate crisis.But that doesn’t mean it’s a bunch of songs about trees or the importance of recycling—decorated indie Hip Hop duo Guante & Big Cats have crafted a furious, laser-focused rebuke to doomsaying, “abandon your posts”-style cynicism. This is an album about how while it is naive to believe that victory is inevitable, it is equally naive to believe that victory is impossible. It’s about how collective action can be healing, how grief can be a superpower, and how hope can—and often must—have sharp edges.
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