tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76216271780387029952024-03-18T20:29:08.812-04:00more like a word theme, reallyElizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.comBlogger194125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-31488076351121144842024-01-06T13:12:00.001-05:002024-01-06T13:49:00.905-05:00so much queer lit the first half of 2024So, the January 4, 2024, Our Queerest Shelves BookRiot email link list included 3 LGBTQ Reads links:<ul>
<li><a href=https://lgbtqreads.com/2023/12/14/most-anticipated-queer-adult-fiction-january-june-2024/>Most Anticipated Queer Adult Fiction: January-June 2024</a>
<li><a href=https://lgbtqreads.com/2023/12/18/most-anticipated-young-adult-january-june-2024/>Most Anticipated Queer Young Adult Fiction: January-June 2024</a>
<li><a href=https://lgbtqreads.com/2023/12/11/most-anticipated-middle-grade-january-june-2024/>Most Anticipated Queer Middle Grade: January-June 2024</a>
</ul>
I opened all 3 tabs and got overwhelmed. But then the next day I started to go through them (in reverse order).
<p>*<p>So much fantasy in these MG books.
<p>Represented in these books (an incomplete list):<ul>
<li>Tagalog folklore
<li>trichotillomania
<li>roller derby
<li>autism
<li>a magical connection to the sea
</ul>
<p>*<p>[Expletive deleted], the YA list is so long. Lots of murder. Lots of fantasy, though I think less than the MG list.<p>
This list includes (but is not limited to):<ul>
<li>"the first trans girl at an all-girls school" (who the cover indicates is a WoC)
<li>a literal cupid
<li>"She doesn’t expect her older sister, Elara, forming an unprecedented bond with an enemy dragon—or the gods claiming the only way to break that bond is to kill her sister." ("Jamaican-inspired")
<li>a trans guy in 1812
<li>a Jane/Bertha reimagining of <i>Jane Eyre</i>
<li>a male dryad (a reimagining of <i>The Secret Garden</i>)
<li>the absinthe fairy is a real live "Green Faerie, trapped in this world."
<li>an autistic Latino
<li>"a queer, feminist reimagining of the Fox Maiden legend from Korean mythology" (graphic novel)
<li>a "fat, nerdy lesbian"
<li>"a bone familiar"
<li>"a fat, broke girl with anxiety" -- who catches feelings for a girl while playing a tabletop roleplaying game
<li>"a YA fantasy graphic novel that’s the political drama of <i>Nimona</i> meets the heartfelt romance of <i>The Princess and the Dressmaker</i>, but this time in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic."
<li>a girls only underground fight club (which reminded me I still haven't watched <i>Bottoms</i>)
<li>a "Korean-inspired Alice in Wonderland retelling"
<li>a trans guy who "accidentally becomes an animal shelter volunteer under an assumed name―and it’s there among the unconditional acceptance of dogs that he finally receives the affirmation he’s been longing for."
<li>a queerceañera
<li>a motorcycle girl and a car girl bond over the Fast & Furious films
</ul>
There are also 2 books with drag plotlines -- one with a male character and one with a female one.
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-88563053185653425152023-12-23T15:09:00.002-05:002024-03-05T22:13:24.472-05:00picture book recs (round 9)Okay, back to a 6-month rhythm! (And back to not reading/loving a lot of picturebooks -- but hey, you get a blurb about each book.)
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62919155-weather-together>Weather Together</a></i> by Jessie Sima -- not necessarily my favorite of the Kelp and Nimbus books, but a nice story about ~depression and friendship
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61783712-the-good-hair-day>The Good Hair Day</a></i> written by Christian Trimmer & illustrated by J Yang -- a boy who wants long hair but struggles to tell his parents, despite having positive role models
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62649002-the-wishing-flower>The Wishing Flower</a></i> written by A.J. Irving & illustrated by Kip Alizadeh -- a girl with a crush on another girl!
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/121905413-big>Big</a></i> written by & illustrated by Vashti Harrison -- protagonist is a fat Black girl. being Big is praised for kids ("you're such a big kid!") up to a point, and this book powerfully highlights that tension.
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61355492-every-body>Every Body: A Celebration of Diverse Abilities</a></i> photography by Shelley Rotner -- really thorough and diverse representation in photographs and text of various disabilities (including learning/intellectual disabilities, as well as physical disabilities) that acknowledges difference directly and matter-of-factly; I have some quibbles with the Glossary, but it's generally good enough
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59365069-timid>Timid</a></i> written & illustrated by Harry Woodgate -- a light-skinned kid (they/them pronouns) named Timmy who loves performing ... until there's an audience. this book is so fun! (though the ending is arguably a bit rushed)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56628770-hold-that-thought>Hold That Thought!</a></i> written by Bree Galbraith & illustrated by Lynn Scurfield -- brown-skinned Finn (they/them pronouns) has an idea -- which gets bigger and more colorful as they share it with others
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135967902-how-are-you-verity>How Are You, Verity?</a></i> written by Meghan Wilson Duff & illustrated by Taylor Barron -- an autistic Black kid (they/them pronouns) named Verity who loves sea life and struggles some with social scripts
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50274967-i-just-want-to-be-super>I Just Want to Be Super</a></i> written by Andrew Katz & illustrated by Tony Luzano -- the author <a href=https://picturebookseh.weebly.com/blog/struggling-to-be-super-representing-high-energy-kids-in-a-positive-way-by-andrew-katz>wrote</a> about his process: "What did it feel like to be bursting with energy? To want to blast into action, like a superhero raring to use their powers, only to have everyone always telling you to hold back that impulse?"
<li>[board book] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103517017-my-hair-is-like-the-sun>My Hair Is Like the Sun</a></i> written by St. Clair Detrick-Jules & illustrated by Tabitha Brown -- photographs of Black kids paired with simple illustrations of the natural world
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123087735-big-bad-wolf-s-yom-kippur><i>Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur</i></a> written by David Sherrin & illustrated by Martín Morón -- even Big Bad Wolves can repent and change!
</ul>
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-59872407367431550042023-06-27T11:24:00.002-04:002023-06-27T11:25:51.554-04:00sapphic soccer booksSomeone I follow on GoodReads entered a GR Giveaway for a sapphic soccer book coming out later this year -- which is <u>different</u> from the sapphic soccer book I saw on a recent Autostraddle list of "<a href=https://www.autostraddle.com/81-queer-and-feminist-books-coming-your-way-summer-2023/>81 Queer and Feminist Books Coming Your Way Summer 2023</a>." They're both World Cup books, and it occurred to me that this timing is maybe because the World Cup is this summer.<p>So I started looking for other sapphic soccer books -- and there aren't a lot, but I did find some sapphic/lesbian book review lists, which generated a bunch more (many of them ebooks). I haven't read any of them, so can't personally vouch for quality.
<p>Blockquotes are official blurbs.
<p>Asterisks indicate World Cup themed books.
<p>***<p>First, books that have 2 active soccer players in relationship with each other:
<p><a href=https://www.ylva-publishing.com/product/defensive-mindset-by-wendy-temple/><i>Defensive Mindset</i></a> by Wendy Temple (April 2017, epub, Ylva Publishing) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/defensive-mindset-by-wendy-temple/>The Lesbian Review</a><blockquote>Star footballer and successful businesswoman Jessie Grainger has her life set, and doesn’t need anything getting in the way. That includes rebellious rival player Fran Docherty, a burnt-out barmaid with a past as messed up as her attitude. So when the clashing pair find themselves on the same Edinburgh women’s football team, how will they survive each other, let alone play to win?</blockquote>
<p><a href=https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/top-of-her-game-by-m-ullrich-3060-b><i>Top of Her Game</i></a> by M. Ullrich (October 1, 2019, epub, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via <a href=https://lezreviewbooks.com/lesbian-sports-romance-book-top-game-ullrich/>Lez Review Books</a><blockquote>Kenzie Shaw is the most sought-after rookie in women’s major league soccer, but her life changes forever when she’s drafted in her home state of New Jersey. After all, it’s not every day you get a chance to play alongside your idol and the woman you’ve crushed on for years.
<p>
Sutton Flores has soccer in her blood. Her father raised her to play, her brothers pushed her even harder, and her coaches shaped her into a superstar athlete. Despite her success, Sutton never lost sight of what matters most—her family, friends, and the woman she’s dating—even if most of her relationships fizzle out as quickly as they start.
<p>
Kenzie and Sutton’s chemistry as teammates quickly escalates to undeniable attraction off the field, but when allegations of sexual harassment rock the team and their relationship, they must decide if they’re willing to sacrifice their dreams for love. Are they destined to last, or are they players in a game set to lose?</blockquote>
<p><a href=https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/one-small-step-by-ma-binfield-3135-b><i>One Small Step</i></a> by M.A. Binfield (December 1, 2019, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via <a href=https://lezreviewbooks.com/lesbian-debut-novel-small-step-binfield/>Lez Review Books</a><blockquote>Where love is concerned, the smallest steps are often the hardest to take—especially when you’ve guarded your heart as carefully as Iris Miller has. Still bruised from a relationship that crashed and burned, and all the meaningless hookups that followed, Iris has given up on love and buttoned her feelings up tight.
<p>
But when Cameron Hansen joins Iris’s law firm and her soccer team, and even starts hanging out in her favorite bookstore, everything gets turned upside down. Beautiful, open, and forward, Cam is impossible to ignore, and Iris is surprised to find herself intrigued. Cam’s straight, happily engaged, and simply looking for a friend—or so it seems.
<p>
London’s bitterly cold winter makes winning their soccer championship almost as difficult as keeping their feelings in check, being honest with each other, and trying not to fall in love. Iris and Cam are about to discover the meaning of taking chances and following your heart, even if it means getting hurt.</blockquote>
<p> <i>Endgame</i> by Zoe Reed (April 25, 2020, Independently published through Amazon)
<blockquote>Audrey Caplan knew what she wanted. It was simple, really: get the spot as captain of her college soccer team, and focus on school. That was it, and with her aptitude for structure and discipline, it'd be easy to ignore distractions. At least it would've been if Morgan Bailey hadn't shown up. If there was one thing Audrey's bulletproof restraint wasn't prepared for, it was an annoying, adorable show-off with a heart of gold.</blockquote>
<p><a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/under-the-lights/><i>Under the Lights</i></a> by Kate Christie (Book 6 in the Girls of Summer Series; July 2021) -- seen via <a href=https://lezreviewbooks.com/under-the-lights-by-kate-christie/>Lez Review Books</a><p>6th book in a series that follows the same couple -- starting with when they meet as high schoolers at a soccer tournament in Southern California, moving through the NWSL and the World Cup and beyond.
<blockquote>Book one: <a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/training-ground/><i>Training Ground</i></a>
<br>* Book two: <a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/game-time/><i>Game Time</i></a>
<br>* Book three: <a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/outside-the-lines/><i>Outside the Lines</i></a>
<br>* Book four: <a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/road-to-canada/><i>The Road to Canada</i></a>
<br>* Book five: <a href=https://katejchristie.com/books/girls-of-summer/><i>Girls of Summer</i></a></blockquote>
<p><a href=https://www.clarelydon.co.uk/books/hotshot/><i>Hotshot</i></a> by Clare Lydon (April 13, 2023, published through Amazon)<p>After US soccer sensation Sloane Patterson moves to the UK to play for the Salchester Rovers, her life starts to unravel. "Retired footballer Ella Carmichael has found her dream job. She has been hired as the Salchester Rovers club performance and lifestyle coach." Sloane falls for Ella.
[Ella is a retired "Retired footballer Ella Carmichael has found her dream job. She has been hired as the Salchester Rovers club performance and lifestyle coach. "]
<blockquote>Sloane Patterson is the ultimate hotshot: a US soccer sensation whose arrival in the UK causes quite the stir. She’s got the game, the fame, the looks, the fiancée. But looks can be deceiving.
<p>
When Sloane’s life starts to unravel, Salchester Rovers’ new hire, Ella Carmichael, helps her pick up the pieces. But as the lines between their professional and personal lives blur, tensions surface. Now, Sloane’s goal of helping the team win the league and FA Cup has a significant addition: win Ella’s heart.</blockquote>
<p>* <a href=https://www.ylva-publishing.com/product/onside-play-by-liz-rain/><i>Onside Play</i></a> by Liz Rain (July 2023, epub, Ylva Publishing) -- this is the one from <a href=https://www.autostraddle.com/81-queer-and-feminist-books-coming-your-way-summer-2023/>Autostraddle</a>
<blockquote>In this lesbian romance, two rival players from the U.S. and Australia who are ex-girlfriends from college meet again at the World Cup. Will they rekindle their romance and will their relationship survive the tournament, depending on which team wins?</blockquote>
<p>* <a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250873316/cleatcute><i>Cleat Cute</i></a> by Meryl Wilsner (September 19, 2023 by St. Martin's Griffin) -- This is one someone entered a giveaway for.<blockquote>Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t—a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way. The last thing Grace expects is to become friends with benefits with this class clown she sees as her rival.
<p>
Phoebe Matthews has always admired Grace’s skill and was star struck to be training alongside her idol. But she quickly finds herself looking at Grace as more than a mere teammate. After one daring kiss, she’s hooked. Grace is everything she has been waiting to find.
<p>
As the World Cup approaches, and Grace works her way back from injury, the women decide to find a way they can play together instead of vying for the same position. Except, when they are off the field, Grace is worried she’s catching feelings while Phoebe thinks they are dating. As the tension between them grows, will both players realize they care more about their relationship than making the roster?</blockquote>
<p>***<p>
And books where at most one member of the relationship is an active soccer player:
<p>
<p><a href=https://www.ylva-publishing.com/product/the-set-piece-by-catherine-lane-2/><i>The Set Piece</i></a> by Catherine Lane (July 4, 2015 by Ylva Publishing) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/top-10-lesbian-sports-romances/>The Lesbian Review</a><p>"A lesbian’s plan to pose as the fake wife for a famous gay ASL [American Soccer League] player goes awry when she falls for his pretty assistant in this lesbian sports romance."
<p>* <a href=https://www.boldstrokesbooks.com/books/the-princess-deception-by-nell-stark-2528-b><i>The Princess Deception</i></a> by Nell Stark (May 1, 2018, Bold Strokes Books) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/princess-deception-nell-stark/>The Lesbian Review</a>
<p>In this contemporary take on Shakespeare's <i>Twelfith Night</i>, Crown Prince of Belgium Sebastian's twin sister Viola disguises herself as him for Reasons while they're getting ready to launch Belgium’s campaign to host the FIFA World Cup.<p>Retired (due to injury) pro soccer player cum sports journalist Missy Duke is covering the World Cup bid and figures out that it's Viola in disguise but feigns ignorance. But then sparks develop between Duke and Viola-as-Sebastian...
<p> <a href=https://www.launchpointpress.com/product/game-changers/><i>Game Changers</i></a> by Jane Cuthbertson (2019, epub, Launch Point Press) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/game-changers-jane-cuthbertson/>The Lesbian Review</a><p>An older woman (Rachel Johnston, age 52) and a younger soccer player (Jaye Stokes) fall for each other.
<p>The Lesbian Review writes, "Because this book is like a love letter to the game, each match felt thrilling. I think it was because I was watching the matches through Rachel’s enthusiastic eyes.
Perhaps Cuthbertson wrote these scenes understanding not every reader knows the ins and outs of professional soccer, and she toned down the technical jargon so that the matches would be exciting for everyone."
<p>Content note: Rachel struggles with depression.
<p><a href=https://bookshop.org/p/books/never-mine-a-lesbian-romance-bryce-oakley/17062460><i>Never Mine</i></a> by Bryce Oakley (May 14, 2021, independently published) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/never-mine-bryce-oakley/>The Lesbian Review</a><p>An injured soccer star (Sage Carson) and an event coordinator (Willa Bellamy) reconnect at their 15-year high school reunuion and decide to stage a fake relationship for reasons but fall for each other for real.
<p><a href=https://books2read.com/game-changer-fc><i>The Game Changer</i></a> by Finley Chuva (November 1, 2022, Pink Ampersand/Smashwords) -- seen via <a href=https://www.thelesbianreview.com/game-changer-finley-chuva/>The Lesbian Review</a><blockquote><i>The Game Changer</i> is a friends-to-lovers sapphic romance featuring an autistic sports gay, a nerdy bi disaster, and an unapologetically queer supporting cast. It is the first book in the Denver Defiant series.
<p>
*Note: This is an #ownvoices work by an autistic author.</blockquote>
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-74836438589788094782023-06-23T11:01:00.002-04:002023-12-12T21:27:57.685-05:00picture book recs (round 8)Okay, it's been two and a half years since <a href=https://windtheme.blogspot.com/2020/06/picture-book-recs-round-7.html>my last recs post</a> (Dec 2020), and I have managed to force myself to finish a post. <p>My reading has definitely gone down since my capacity for <em>everything</em> went down in the pandemic. Most of what I've been reading has been recommended to me by <em>someone</em>, so I'm not sure how much my standards are high/different vs. I'm just burnt-out (I brefly got really enthused about some books in late December 2021/early January 2022, but then slipped back) that I haven't been excited to rec a lot of books myself. Though I've definitely gotten excited about <em>some</em> picturebooks in 2023, so *shrug emoji*.<p>
<p>
board books:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45551502-my-hair-is-beautiful>My Hair Is Beautiful</a></i> written by & illustrated by Shauntay Grant [photographs of Black baby girl hairstyles]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59960965-the-colors-of-tet>The Colors of Tet: Màu của Tết</a></i> written by Ha Huyen & illustrated by Huyen Van -- Vietnamese & English book about Vietnamese Lunar New Year
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55433342-a-is-for-anemone>A Is for Anemone: A First West Coast Alphabet</a></i> written & illustrated by Roy Henry Vickers [Tsimshian, Haida, and Heiltsuk] and Robert Budd -- beautiful
<li>I don't love the <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/series/341738-we-are-little-feminists>"We Are Little Feminists" board books</a>, but I appreciate what they're doing.
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38507264-the-animals-of-chinese-new-year>The Animals of Chinese New Year = 中国农历新年动物生肖</a></i> written by Jen Sookfong Lee & translated by Kileasa Che Wan Wong.
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55644104-being-you>Being You: A First Conversation about Gender</a></i> words by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli & art by Anne/Andy Passchier
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38824359-a-is-for-artichoke>A Is for Artichoke: A Foodie Alphabet from Artichoke to Zest</a></i> written by America's Test Kitchen Kids & illustrated by Maddie Frost
<li>[explicity fat-positive, anti-BMI, etc.] <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58065433-every-body><i>Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies</i></a> written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli & illustrated by Tequitia Andrews (I read this in reguar picturebok, but it's also available in board book.)
</ul>
queer/gender picturebooks:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53054699-my-dad-thinks-i-m-a-boy>My Dad Thinks I’m a Boy?!: A Trans Positive Children's Book</a></i> by Sophie Labelle
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55840775-pride-puppy>Pride Puppy</a></i> written by Robin Stevenson & illustrated by Julie McLaughlin
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55108601-fred-gets-dressed>Fred Gets Dressed</a></i> by Peter Brown -- Betsy Bird <a href=goodreads.com/review/show/4292640584>rightly notes</a> that this isn't <em>really</em> about being trans, but I appreciate its normalization of gender-non-conformity
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55823390-love-violet>Love, Violet</a></i> written by Charlotte Sullivan Wild & illustrated by Charlene Chua -- elementary school girls in lurve!
<li>[available in board book and picture book] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55644104-being-you>Being You: A First Conversation about Gender</a></i> words by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli & art by Anne/Andy Passchier
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59039953-if-you-re-a-kid-like-gavin>If You're a Kid Like Gavin: The True Story of a Young Trans Activist</a></i> written by Gavin Grimm and Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by J Yang -- I had worried this would be targeted only at trans kid readers, but it does a good job connecting trans experience
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62701049-payden-s-pronoun-party>Payden's Pronoun Party</a></i> written by Blue Jaryn & illustrated by Xochitl Cornejo
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57355972-bathe-the-cat>Bathe the Cat</a></i> written by Alice B. McGinty & illustrated by David Roberts -- not ABOUT being queer, just casually has 2 dads in a mixed-race family, but also it has great casual queer representation like the magnets on the fridge (trans pride flag!)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61312284-no-one-owns-the-colors>No One Owns the Colors</a></i> written by Gianna Davy & illustrated by Brenda Rodríguez -- which, per the title, is pretty broad, but also clearly opens with pushing back against the idea that "pink is for girls and blue is for boys," and is consistently applicable to gender non-conformity etc. (I also appreciate its normalization of change with the line "I'll copy the trees and I'll change with the seasons;" and I appreciate the line "there are colors we're made of and colors we choose" without any value judgments)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59899216-and-that-s-their-family>And That’s Their Family!</a></i> written by Kailee Coleman & illustrated by Jamie Malone -- explicitly includes poly families in its representation; and has queer rep in lots of the illustrations, not just the ones "about" queer families
</ul>
other picturebooks:<ul>
<li>[Muslim] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43853210-the-proudest-blue>The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family</a></i> written by Ibtihaj Muhammad with S. K. Ali & illustrated by Hatem Aly
<li>[Indigenous] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9633603-i-sang-you-down-from-the-stars>I Sang You Down from the Stars</a></i> written by Tasha Spillett [Trinidadian-Cree] & illustrated by Michaela Goade [Tlingit] -- beautiful
<li>[Black people] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44286544-don-t-touch-my-hair>Don't Touch My Hair</a></i> written & illustrated by Sharee Miller -- love this
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55108601-fred-gets-dressed>Fred Gets Dressed</a></i> written & illustrated by Peter Brown
<li>[about worry/anxiety] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50892021-the-whatifs>The Whatifs</a></i> written by Emily Kilgore & illustrated by Zoe Persico
<li>[Persian New Year] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53479910-seven-special-somethings>Seven Special Somethings: A Nowruz Story</a></i> written by Adib Khorram & illustrated by Zainab Faidhi
<li>[India, bedtime] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52746102-goodnight-ganesha>Goodnight Ganesha</a></i> written by Nadia Salomon & illustrated by Poonam Mistry -- beautiful
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55333940-bodies-are-cool>Bodies Are Cool</a></i> written & illustrated by Tyler Feder
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60478706-sunday-the-sea-witch>Sunday the Sea Witch</a></i> by Andrea Stein and Cayce Matteoli
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58650994-stanley-s-library>Stanley's Library</a></i> written & illustrated by William Bee
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58495645-mother-god>Mother God</a></i> written by Teresa Kim Pecinovsky & illustrated by Khoa Le -- though I wish the Scripture Guide were included in the book itself, rather than a separate PDF on <a href=https://tkpcreates.com/>the book website</a>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6964155-the-twelve-days-of-christmas-in-texas>The Twelve Days of Christmas in Texas</a></i> written & illustrated by Janie Bynum
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60491035-luminous>Luminous: Living Things That Light Up the Night</a></i> written & illustrated by Julia Kuo
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61057728-that-flag>That Flag</a></i> written by Tameka Fryer Brown & illustrated by Nikkolas Smith -- a powerful story about the contemporary legacy of the Confederate flag
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61420118-can-we-please-give-the-police-department-to-the-grandmothers>Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers?</a></i> written by Junauda Petrus & illustrated by Kristen Uroda -- articulating an abolitionist vision!
<li>[explicity fat-positive, anti-BMI, etc.] <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62628931-every-body><i>Every Body: A First Conversation About Bodies</i></a> written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli & illustrated by Tequitia Andrews
</ul>
<p>***<p>Reminder to please purchase your books from independent bookstores (see, e.g., <a href=https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php>this list of Black Owned Bookstores in the United States</a> or these lists of A[A]PI-owned bookstores from <a href=https://www.epicreads.com/blog/aapi-owned-bookstores/>EpicReads</a> and <a href=https://blog.libro.fm/aapi-owned-bookstores-to-support/>Libro.fm</a>). Most will ship to you. And if there are books you can't find at your preferred indie bookstore (though most will special-order for you), you can also shop on <a href=https://bookshop.org/>BookShop.org</a> -- which has <a href=https://bookshop.org/pages/about>an affiliate program</a> supporting independent bookstores (I first learned about it when my local indie was closed due to pandemic).
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-27766002939426163292023-03-31T16:38:00.001-04:002023-06-08T14:48:24.031-04:00[TDOV 2023] book recsContinuing to (attempt to) make this an annual thing.
<p>March 2021, after my partner asked me, "I’m proofing a Transgender Day of Visibility doc for someone in [a Facebook group]. Do you have particular kid or adult books you’d recommend? (And how is it that I don’t actually have any?)" I pulled a bunch of book recs and made <a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2021/03/tdov-2021-book-recs.html>a post</a>, and have been trying to do it annually (you can check out the <a href=https://windtheme.blogspot.com/search/label/trans>trans</a> tag).
<p>This post is definitely smaller than past years -- largely due to fatigue/burnout/etc. impacting how much reading I did, period (despite the hopeful intentions I expressed in my post last year) and also how many words I could pull together about what I read (as you can see).
<p>I wanna say (as I did last year) that I've read most all the extant trans picturebooks at this point, but I literally have about a half a dozen on my shelf right now that I haven't had a chance to read yet. 😂 (In my defense, most of them came out in the past year or so, some of them <em>very</em> recently.)
<p>I continue to include the publication year (and publisher), since I know queer lit can often feel dated as Discourse, language, etc. changes. I also tried to flag the identities of the authors as far as I knew, since I want to mainly center trans voices.
<p><b>picturebooks</b><p>
[general] <i><a href=https://www.pagestreetpublishing.com/_files/ugd/c18080_ae6dc7fedad6487a8b076e89cfdbc91b.pdf>Payden's Pronoun Party</a></i> written by Blue Jaryn & illustrated by Xochitl Cornejo (2022, Page Street Publishing Company) -- both author and illustrator use they/them pronouns<blockquote>This book reminds me of <a href=https://www.lbyr.com/titles/katherine-locke/what-are-your-words/9780316542067/><i>What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns</i></a> but the narrative of this one feels more ... organic?
</blockquote>
[trans masc]
<i><a href=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/if-youre-a-kid-like-gavin-gavin-grimmkyle-lukoff?variant=39741538959394>If You're a Kid Like Gavin: The True Story of a Young Trans Activist</a></i> written by Gavin Grimm and Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by J Yang (2022, Katherine Tegen Books) -- both authors are trans men; illustrator is a queer Asian-American
<blockquote>You may have encountered some of the news stories about <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G.G._v._Gloucester_County_School_Board#Case_background>Gavin Grimm</a>. I wasn't sure how this would translate to a picture book for a wide audience, but this book really works well.</blockquote>
<p id="mg"><b>middle grade</b></p>
<i><a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634498/different-kinds-of-fruit-by-kyle-lukoff/>Different Kinds of Fruit</a></i> by Kyle Lukoff (Dial/Penguin Random House, 2022) -- author is a trans man
<blockquote>I loved this book so much! A non-binary kid shows up at our 6th-grade protagonist Annabelle's small school, and blows open her world in a lot of disruptive, but exciting ways. A lot of educating happens in the book, but it feels really organic. The epilogue-y bit didn't really work for me, but the overall happy ending did (I know some reviewers felt like it was too fast/easy, but it generally felt earned to me).</blockquote>
<p id="adult"><b>adult</b></p>(Note: These are all by/about trans women. As a cis woman, I've generally been more interested in stories by/about women. Also, my partner is a trans femme/woman, so I read a lot of books with/for her.)<p>
[short story collection] <i><a href=https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/A/A-Dream-of-a-Woman>A Dream of a Woman</a></i> by Casey Plett (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2021) -- author is a Canadian trans woman<blockquote>Although the protagonists in this collection are younger than the ones in <i>A Safe Girl to Love</i>, the characters in this collection feel more grounded in their lives.
</blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.oneworldlit.com/books/detransition-baby-hc>Detransition, Baby</a></i> by Torrey Peters (One World / Penguin Random House, 2020) -- author is a USian trans woman<blockquote>I'm honestly surprised and impressed that this book got published, given its immediate opening with some potentially off-putting stuff. I hesitate to recommend it to cis people both for that reason (and there's rough stuff throughout the book) and because it's not a starter book, period. One Autostraddle review is titled, "<a href=https://www.autostraddle.com/detransition-baby/>“Detransition, Baby” Is a Book For Trans Women — The Rest of You Are Lucky to Read It</a>."<p>Per the provocative title, it says some smart things about detransition, as well as a lot of other things about trans experience. It's a trans book that's really honest about a lot of the mess, that isn't catering to cis readers. The characters aren't always likable, but the multiple POVs work well to help us understand where characters are coming from, even if we don't always approve of their decisions.
<p>One of our three protagonists, Katrina, is mixed-race (half-Chinese and half-Jewish), and the author is, I believe, white. While Katrina definitely checks other characters on their white privilege at times, I've read reviews by POCs (I'm white) which compellingly point out how this is still a very white novel (in the treatment of Katrina among other things).</blockquote>
<i><a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250789075/lightfromuncommonstars>Light from Uncommon Stars</a></i> by Ryka Aoki (Tor / Macmillan, 2021) -- author is a Japanese-American trans woman<blockquote>There are 3 (female) protagonists in this book -- 1 of whom is a young mixed-race trans girl violin prodigy (also named Katrina, it occurs to me). She experiences both micro- and macro-aggressions, but there's also a lot of joy in the story. She sometimes has to educate well-meaning cis people, but that's only a small part of the novel. There are aliens and pacts with demons and So Much Food.</blockquote>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-28520931205128549852023-03-31T13:08:00.002-04:002023-03-31T13:37:56.272-04:00[TDOV 2022] book recsSo, pandemic depression meant I was late finishing this post (figuring out words to say about books is hard!). So, uh, you get 2 posts this year? The summary at the top was written last year, but I didn't finish writing words about some of the books until this year. (And lbr, this is, in fact, still very rought draft; but I didn't wanna get even <em>further</em> behind.)
<p>
<hr>
<p>
Last March, after my partner asked me, "I’m proofing a Transgender Day of Visibility doc for someone in [a Facebook group]. Do you have particular kid or adult books you’d recommend? (And how is it that I don’t actually have any?)" I pulled a bunch of book recs and made <a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2021/03/tdov-2021-book-recs.html>this post</a>. <p>I also started reading some of the back catalog on my TBR (as well as adding a lot more books to my TBR), and a year later I have another set of recs -- though honestly not as many as I had expected.
<p>As with last time, I included the publication year (and publisher), since I know queer lit can often feel dated as Discourse, language, etc. changes. I also tried to flag the identities of the authors as far as I knew, since I want to mainly center trans voices.
<p>I've read most all the extant trans picturebooks at this point (though there were a bunch of recent new releases and I haven't been able to get my hands on all of them yet), but there's lots of exciting stuff happening in MG/YA which I'm hoping to get to read more of this coming year (though I will also be eating up picture books as they come out) -- and maybe some of the adult books I intended to read this past year and didn't get to? 🤷🏻♀️🙏🏻🤞🏻📚
<p><center><b>picturebooks:</b> <a id="general">general</a> | <a id="parent">trans parent</a> | <a id="masc">trans-masc</a> | <a id="fem">trans-fem</a>
<p> <a id="mg"><b>middle grade</b></a> | <a id="ya"><b>young adult</b></a> | <a id="adult"><b>adult</b></a></center>
<p><b>picturebooks</b>
<p id="general"><u>general</u></p>
<p><i><a href=https://www.lbyr.com/titles/katherine-locke/what-are-your-words/9780316542067/>What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns</a></i> written by Katherine Locke & illustrated by Anne "Andy" Passchier (2021, Hachette) -- both author and illustrator use "they" pronouns<blockquote>I worry a little that this book will lead to kids asking people "What are your words?", which won't make sense to anyone who hasn't read this book. But I do appreciate teaching kids to ask rather than assume.
<p>Ari also uses very embodied language when talking about the feeling of trying on words that don't fit. Which I like as a way of encouraging kids to check in with their bodies about what does or does not feel right for them.
<p>This book models a variety of pronouns, and I appreciate that the non-binary characters have a variety of gender presentations -- not just the current popular image of androgyny. It also honors the fact that sometimes the words we want people to use for use change frequently, and aren't even always immediately clear to ourselves.<p>Other diversity notes: There's a wheelchair user and also someone with a prosthetic foot. And a friend of a friend pointed out the predominance of traditionally Jewish names (our protagonist Ari, Ari's uncle Lior, Ari's sister Rachel).</blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.freespirit.com/social-and-emotional-learning-for-kids-and-teens/jamie-and-bubbie-afsaneh-moradian-maria-bogade>Jamie and Bubbie: A Book About People’s Pronouns</a></i> written by Afsaneh Moradian & illustrated by Maria Bogade (2020, Free Spirit Publishing) both author and illustrator use "she" pronouns and give no indication in the book bio of being not-cis<blockquote>Jamie's Bubbie comes to visit and incorrectly assumes the pronouns of various people she meets. I really appreciate the modeling of a child correcting an elder, though it's a little plot-less/awkward.</blockquote>
I was more meh on its predecessor book: <i><a href=https://www.freespirit.com/early-childhood/jamie-is-jamie-afsaneh-moradian-maria-bogade-gender-expression>Jamie Is Jamie: A Book About Being Yourself and Playing Your Way</a></i> written by Afsaneh Moradian & illustrated by Maria Bogade (2018, Free Spirit Publishing).
<p><i><a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667992/being-you-a-first-conversation-about-gender-by-megan-madison-and-jessica-ralli-illustrated-by-anneandy-passchier/>Being You: A First Conversation About Gender</a></i> written by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli & illustrated by Anne/Andy Passchier (2021, Rise X Penguin Workshop)<blockquote>This talks about a variety of concepts in child-accessible ways.
(Some reviewers think the material/topic is too advanced for the board book set, but I don't think so.)
There are also questions to ask the child-reader as you go through the book.
<p>The backmatter has more information for adult readers (which also helps).
</blockquote>
Worth a mention, too, although the focus is not on trans characters per se, are two books about bodies that have clear representation of trans men with top surgery scars, among people of many other identities (queer and not):
<i><a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/647974/bodies-are-cool-by-tyler-feder/>Bodies Are Cool</a></i> by Tyler Feder (Dial Books, 2021) and the 2021 update of the originally-1986 <i><a href=https://www.annickpress.com/Books/T/The-Bare-Naked-Book>The Bare Naked Book</a></i> written by Kathy Stinson & illustrated by Melissa Cho (Annick Press).
<p id="parent"><u>trans parent</u></p>
<p><i><a href=https://us.jkp.com/products/shes-my-dad>She's My Dad!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative</a></i> (2020) and <i><a href=https://us.jkp.com/products/hes-my-mom>He's My Mom!: A Story for Children Who Have a Transgender Parent or Relative</a></i> (2021) written by Sarah Savage & illustrated by Joules Garcia (Jessica Kingsley Publishers)
<blockquote>I don't love these books, but if you're looking for something in the niche market of "picturebook for a child about a parent or other adult transitioning," they're pretty good. The books try to balance being a story about a kid who just happens to have a trans parent with also educating the reader, and it feels a little uneven, but not too bad -- and the education it's giving is pretty solid.<p>I have a preference for the Dad book, though that's in part because because I read it first (but only in part; it's also an objectively better book).</blockquote>
<p id="masc"><u>trans-masc</u></p>
<p><a href=https://www.pennycandybooks.com/shop/sam><i>Sam!</i></a> written by Dani Gabriel & illustrated by Robert Liu-Trujillo (2019, Penny Candy Books)<br>
[The author <a href=https://www.pennycandybooks.com/blog-1/story-behind-sam>said</a>: "<i>Sam!</i> is a product of my experience as a queer, gender nonconforming person as well as a parent of a transgender child."]<blockquote>There's some subtle Latinx coding, and this is maybe the only Latinx trans picturebook I've come across other than some bilingual ones with non-binary/gender-non-conforming protagonists (<a href=https://theycallmemix.square.site/><i>They Call Me Mix/Me Llaman Maestre</i></a> written by Lourdes Rivas, 2018, about a non-binary person; <a href=https://oneofakindlikeme.com/><i>One of a Kind, Like Me / Único Como Yo</i></a> written by Laurin Mayeno, 2016, about a boy who wants to dress up as a princess; and arguably <a href=https://www.leeandlow.com/books/call-me-tree-llamame-arbol><i>Call Me Tree/Llamame árbol</i></a> written by Maya Christina Gonzalez, 2014, which is trying to be gender-free). In contrast to those books, our child protagonist here is decidedly a boy.
</blockquote>
<p><a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374310684><i>I'm Not a Girl: A Transgender Story</i></a> written by Maddox Lyons and Jessica Verdi & illustrated by Dana Simpson (2020, Roaring Brook Press) <br>[A 12-year-old trans boy (Maddox) wrote this book (with assistance from an adult co-author), and the illustrator is a trans woman.]<blockquote> A fairly straightforward story about a trans boy trying to tell his parents he's really a boy.
<p>
Hannah (our protagonist) doesn't have anyone malicious in his life -- his parents just don't pick up on his rejection of girl things. (We also get an example of how pervasive certain gender norms are, when Hannah picks out a pirate costume and his mother then purchases the "girl" pirate costume, rather than the traditional boy-coded pirate costume Hannah had picked out.)
<p>
While the book follows Hannah's frustration, it doesn't dwell in the pain such that I think it would be difficult for a trans kid to read. There are some really poignant moments, though. Like at one point Hannah is out playing in the snow, and his dad tells him to put on his (pink) jacket, and Hannah narrates: "I flop down into the snow and make another angel. I'd rather be cold and wet than not be me."
<p>
Hannah eventually meets a couple of kids who introduce him to the term "transgender" (they have a transgender cousin). It hadn't occurred to me until I started reading GR reviews that it matters that this book uses the term "transgender" explicitly. It gives trans kids additional language for themselves and also normalizes the term for all child readers.</blockquote>
<p>I was pretty meh on <a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/622440/calvin-by-jr-ford-and-vanessa-ford-illustrated-by-kayla-harren/9780593108673><i>Calvin</i></a> written by J.R. Ford and Vanessa Ford & illustrated by Kayla Harren (2021, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers) and <a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/611926/born-ready-by-jodie-patterson-illustrated-by-charnelle-pinkney-barlow/><i>Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope</i></a> written by Jodie Patterson & illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow (2021, Crown Books for Young Readers), but they're both stories of Black trans boys in supportive communities, which feels valuable. They're both written by parents about their sons' experiences.
<p id="fem"><u>trans-fem</u></p>
<p><i><a href=https://us.jkp.com/products/my-dad-thinks-im-a-boy>My Dad Thinks I’m a Boy?!: A Trans Positive Children's Book</a></i> by Sophie Labelle (2020, Jessica Kingsley Publishers) -- author is a trans woman<blockquote>I appreciate how many notes this book manages to hit while still feeling fun and not Teachy.</blockquote>
<p><a href=https://shop.capstonepub.com/library/products/my-sister-daisy/><i>My Sister, Daisy</a></i> written by Adria Karlsson & illustrated by Linus Curci (2021, Capstone) -- writer is mother of a trans girl; author is a trans man<blockquote>I was a little hesitant to read this book, because I'd rather center trans voices and trans stories, but I went to a (virtual) event with the author and illustrator, and the author talked about how when her daughter came out, they (the parents) wanted books to help the siblings, which is valid.<p>Although the author's family is white, the illustrator made the intentional choice to make the family in the book multi-racial, for representation reasons.
</blockquote>
<p id="mg"><b>middle grade</b></p>
<p><a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/634497/too-bright-to-see-by-kyle-lukoff/><i>Too Bright to See</a></i> by Kyle Lukoff (2021, Penguin Random House) -- author is a trans man<blockquote>This book is only kind of about being trans.
In the Author's Note at the end of the book, Lukoff writes:<blockquote>When people ask what my book is about, I say, "It's about a kid being haunted by the ghost of their dead uncle into figuring out something important." Bug never uses they/them pronouns, but I hope that if I say it quickly enough, the person I'm talking to won't really notice. If the person asks for more details, I might say that it's kind of a scary story, and also a sad story but with a mostly happy ending, and that it's about figuring out how to make friends, being who you are, and letting go of someone you love.</blockquote><spoiler>Because this book, of course, is a trans story. It had been out long enough by the time I read it that I knew that going in -- and in fact that's a big reason I picked it up in the first place. I appreciated reading it knowing that Bug would figure out by the end that he's a trans boy, but I understand Lukoff not necessarily wanting to rob readers of the experience of figuring it out on their own as they read. (Certainly I generally avoid spoilers.)
</blockquote>
<p id="ya"><b>young adult</b></p>
<p><a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250250513><i>Cemetery Boys</i></a> by Aiden Thomas (2020, Macmillan) -- author is non-binary, queer Latinx<blockquote>My friend Sophia's friend billed it to them as: "trans boy tries to prove to his family that he's a boy by doing the boy magic of summoning a ghost -- but he summons the wrong ghost, and oh no he's cute"
<p>The book is, in fact, a delight.</blockquote>
<p id="adult"><b>adult</b></p>
<p>[short story collection] <i><a href=https://bookshop.org/books/a-safe-girl-to-love/9781627290050>A Safe Girl to Love</a></i> by Casey Plett (2014, Topside Press) -- author is a Canadian trans woman<blockquote>The back cover blurb says, "Eleven unique short stories that stretch from a rural Canadian Mennonite town to a hipster gay bar in Brooklyn, featuring young trans women stumbling through loss, sex, harassment, and love."
<p>I really appreciate how much it centers trans women's voices and identities.
<p>My partner said of the first story: "Spoilers: the story is about all the micro aggressions that trans people face when interacting with the people who knew them pre-transition, no matter how well-intentioned those people are." The stories aren't all bleak, though.
<p>There are ways in which the characters are variations on a theme, but I didn't feel like they were repetitive. Characters sometimes show up in each other's stories, which I appreciated -- since folks exist <em>in community</em>.</blockquote>
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-79725286481717279262021-03-31T10:44:00.005-04:002021-10-05T18:23:44.085-04:00[TDOV 2021] book recsMy partner messaged me earlier this month: "I’m proofing a Transgender Day of Visibility doc for someone in [a Facebook group]. Do you have particular kid or adult books you’d recommend? (And how is it that I don’t actually have any?)"
<p>
I made some preliminary recommendations based on my memory and then started digging through assorted tags ("shelves") on my GoodReads (and yes, I know, <a href=https://ethicalunicorn.com/2020/12/03/amazon-owns-goodreads-the-storygraph-is-the-black-owned-ethical-alternative-youve-been-looking-for/>I should move to StoryGraph</a>) to come up with more thorough recommendations.
<p>This is not a complete list of every acceptable (or even good) book about trans identity I've ever read. I definitely added more books to my TBR list in this process, and am of course always open to recommendations (and am also happy to field questions about books I <em>have</em> read that aren't on this recs list; I curbed my impulse to include a Not Recommended appendix 😂).
<p>
I included the publication year (and publisher), since I know queer lit can often feel dated as Discourse, language, etc. changes. I also tried to flag the identities of the authors as far as I knew, since I want to mainly center trans voices.
<p>
<b>picturebooks</b>
<p>
<u>general</u><blockquote><i><a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250302953>It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity</a></i> (2019, Macmillan) written by Theresa Thorn & illustrated by Noah Grigni [Written by the mother of a transgender child and illustrated by a non-binary artist.]<blockquote>God bless this book.
It's a little teachy, but the illustrations are colorful, and the text is fairly simple.
It introduces kids to concepts around gender identity, and it's really good.</blockquote>
I don't love Maya Gonzalez' work, but <i><a href=https://reflectionpress.com/our-books/they-she-he-easy-as-abc/>They, She, He: Easy as ABC</a></i> (2019, Reflection Press) isn't too bad (the purple dancing one, as opposed to the green narrative-less one). [#OwnVoices note: <a href=https://reflectionpress.com/about-us/our-story/>I think</a> the co-authors are cis?]<blockquote>It's an alphabet book, and each letter is a rhyming couplet about a different child being active in some way -- so you get to practice various pronouns, because the kid gets named in the first line (the alphabet letter) and then is referred to in the third person in the second line. <p>One failing: as with <i><a href=https://reflectionpress.com/our-books/they-she-he-me/>They She He Me: Free to Be!</a></i> (the 2017 green book, which is mostly just a series of illustrations of people with accompanying pronouns, and then a bunch of backmatter), there isn't really any modeling of how one declines these pronouns -- two people use "ze," but neither time does the couplet use it other than in the "ze" form.</blockquote></blockquote>
<u>non-binary</u><blockquote><i><a href=http://www.thegenderdoctor.com/book>Stacey's Not a Girl</a></i> (2017) written by Colt Keo-Meier & illustrated by Jesse Yang [re: #OwnVoices, the author is a trans man, and the back cover indicates: "Elements of this story come from each transgender man who contributed to this book, loved ones, and fellow community members."]<blockquote>trans-masculine kid who may or may not be non-binary, and <i>not-knowing is OKAY</i> ♥<p> This book is very much About being non-binary, but I think it pulls it off pretty well. And it includes a lot of information in a way that feels really child-appropriate, in addition to not feeling Too Teachy.</blockquote>
<p><i><a href=https://www.flamingorampant.com/books/the-great-space-adventure-by-ryka-aoki-illustrated-by-cai-l-steele>The Great Space Adventure</a></i> (2019, Flamingo Rampant) written by Ryka Aoki [a Japanese American trans woman] & illustrated by Cai Steele<br> -- an Asian kid who contains multitudes goes on a fantastic journey<blockquote>Nande likes their long hair and their short hair. "Nande liked to twirl and be big. Nande liked to hide and be small."
<p>
People are constantly asking Nande "Why?" but the Moon never does -- and the Moon is changeable like Nande. "The Moon would be dark, then crescent, grow full, then back again. On some nights, the moon seemed almost still. On others, the moon would wander across the sky."
<p>
I already loved this book for that metaphor.
<p>
We then follow Nande and the Moon on a journey to visit various planets -- which are personified in various different racial/gender configurations (one even uses a wheelchair!), and each of whom has a personality element in common with Nande.</blockquote>
</blockquote><u>trans-masc</u> (both written by the same trans man author, who I believe is white)<blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.leeandlow.com/books/when-aidan-became-a-brother>When Aidan Became a Brother</a></i> (2019, Lee & Low) written by Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by Kaylani Juanita <br>-- Aidan is a (brown) trans boy, and he wants to make sure everything is perfect for his new sibling-to-be; MY HEART!
<p><i><a href=https://www.benchmarkeducation.com/reycraftbooks/max-and-friends-call-me-max-trade-book.html>Call Me Max</a></i> (Max and Friends #1) (2019, Reycraft Books) written by Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by Luciano Lozano<blockquote>This book is such a delight!
It starts off Educational, but quickly pivots to education-by-way-of-narrative in a way that I think works well.
It hits all the major points in a way that feels organic to our protagonist child's school experience and doesn't feel like just checking off boxes.
There's conflict, but just enough to move the story along, and honestly I appreciate stories about trans kids where everyone is basically supportive. It's such good modeling for trans kids of how things can be, and for everyone else about how to do the right thing.</blockquote>Max is white, but his two closest friends are brown and also gender non-conforming.
Max's trans-ness is much more incidental in the next two books, but his [Black, male] friend Steven's penchant for wearing fancy dresses etc. comes up a lot in the next book, <i><a href=https://www.benchmarkeducation.com/reycraftbooks/max-and-friends-max-and-the-talent-show-hardcover-trade-book.html>Max and the Talent Show</a></i>. Gender non-conformity does <em>not</em> equal trans, so I'm mostly not including the "princess boy/sparkle boy" vein of books in this list, but I did want to mention this book while I was glossing the other books in this series.</blockquote>
<u>trans-fem</u><blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608313/my-rainbow-by-deshanna-and-trinity-neal-illustrated-by-art-twink/>My Rainbow</a></i> (2020, Penguin Random House) written by Trinity Neal and Deshanna Neal & illustrated by Art Twink -- autistic Black trans girl (co-authored by said girl and her mother)
<p><i><a href=https://www.flamingorampant.com/books/the-adventures-of-tulip-birthday-wish-fairy-by-s-bear-bergman-illustrated-by-suzy-q-malik>The Adventures of Tulip, Birthday Wish Fairy</a></i> (2012, Flamingo Rampant) written by S. Bear Bergman [a trans man] & illustrated by Suzy Malik<blockquote>Tulip receives a Birthday Wish from a trans kid, and I didn't love that Tulip is initially confused, but it does allow for some gentle in-story teaching as The Wish Fairy Captain very matter-of-factly (and gently, at a kid-appropriate level but not dumbing down or oversimplifying) explains -- and provides excellent modeling like, "we're going to help her. We start by calling her by the name she chose, Daniela. It shows we like her and believe in her."</blockquote></blockquote>
<b>middle grade</b><blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781732055018>Magical Princess Harriet</a></i> (2018, Dag Gadol) by Rabbi Leiah Moser [who I think is an autistic trans woman]<blockquote>A Jewish kid entering 7th grade learns she's a princess (which helps her figure out she's really a girl, not a boy) and nephilim are trying to take over her town. Her best friend is an autistic girl, and they make friends with a goth boy. #TagYourself <br>Not a joke, though, I really enjoyed this book.</blockquote>
<p>[graphic novel] <i><a href=https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723634>The Prince and the Dressmaker</a></i> (2018, Macmillan) by Jen Wang (who I think is cis?)<blockquote>One of my friends said, "It's sweet and gentle and a really wonderful look at one way to be gender non-conforming. It's also about being a good friend and chasing your dreams, supporting others, and finding the right balance between personal needs and friendship." Which is a great summation of this book.<p>(Yes, I know I said I wasn't gonna include gender non-conforming rep in this list -- but this book has such a place in my heart as my genderfluid/genderqueer/maybe-a-trans-girl femme fashion partner bought this in the gift shop after we went to a <a href=https://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/gender-bending-fashion>Gender Bending Fashion</a> exhibit. Also, fwiw, <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prince_and_the_Dressmaker#cite_ref-forbes_1-3>according to Wikipedia</a>:<blockquote> Wang wrote the character of Sebastian/Crystallia as "someone who identifies with different modes of gender expression and is comfortable alternating between both masculine and feminine", noting that she might call the character genderqueer but that other interpretations of the character's relationship to their gender presented by readers were also valid. )</blockquote></blockquote>
</blockquote>
<b>adult (mostly nonfiction)</b><blockquote>
<i><a href=https://www.thinkagaintraining.com/shop/>Trans Allyship Workbook: Building Skills to Support Trans People in Our Lives</a></i> (Revised, updated and expanded for 2017; Think Again Training) by Davey Shlasko [who is a trans person]<br>-- This has a lot more reading text than I was expecting from something billed as a "workbook," but it's solid. Chapter 4, on pronouns, is the most obvious reason to recommend/read this book.
<p><i><a href=https://payhip.com/b/hRtK>Fucking Trans Women</a></i> (Issue #0) (2010) by Mira Bellwether -- ebook/PDF of an 80-page zine by a trans woman <br>-- I'm bummed the future issues (with writings from other people) never got made, but this is still pretty great. The "soft bodies" essay is so relevant for everyone, not just trans women and the people who fuck them. Also, I learned a fun new way to fuck people who have inguinal canals.
<p><i><a href=https://www.sealpress.com/titles/julia-serano/whipping-girl/9781580056229/>Whipping Girl: A Transsexual Woman on Sexism and the Scapegoating of Femininity</a></i> by Julia Serano (2007/2016, Seal Press)<br> -- Okay, I haven't read the second edition yet (and I read the first edition back in like 2008? 2013?), but I remember it being good.
<p><i><a href=https://www.brandeis.edu/press/books/hbi-series/soul-of-the-stranger.html>The Soul of the Stranger: Reading God and Torah from a Transgender Perspective</a></i> (2018, Brandeis University Press) by Joy Ladin (a Jewish trans woman)<br> -- I think Ladin's perspective on reading texts from a trans perspective is really interesting even if you aren't interested in these particular texts. She's not asserting that these characters <u>are</u> trans, but that they share experiences in common with many trans folks. As examples, one reviewer <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2601228479?book_show_action=true>lists</a>: "How did Abraham’s rejection of his responsibilities as Terach’s firstborn son, or Jacob’s claiming of his brother’s birthright, impact how they related to those around them, and to their culture’s understanding of masculinity? Can we explore the tension of the Golden Calf incident as arising from the Israelites’ discomfort with a God who refused to be embodied in a way that made them comfortable?"
<p>[memoir] <i><a href=https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Redefining-Realness/Janet-Mock/9781476709130>Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More</a></i> (2014, Simon & Schuster) by Janet Mock (a Black, mixed-race trans woman)<blockquote>When I read this book in 2014, I felt familiar with trans narratives, but I hadn't thought a lot about how trans adolescents navigate their worlds, and that section of the book gave me a greater understanding of what social transition entails. The section about sex work also really helped me internalize more fully the fact that some women have penises.
<p>I also wrote at the time:
<blockquote>As someone who spends a lot of time around people who are at the edge of contemporary language/thinking around gender, I appreciated how up-to-date her language feels. At the same time, it's mostly not super-obviously a teaching book -- except for the high school chapter (chapter 11), which is full of advice to adults, which feels appropriate. (At bookclub, someone raised the issue of how Grownup Janet is always explaining the story, and I think it's true that the adult voice -- the voice of someone who has done a lot of maturing and learning since many of the events of the book -- provides some distancing to the narrative.)</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<p>[poetry] <i><a href=https://arsenalpulp.com/Books/A/a-place-called-No-Homeland>A Place Called No Homeland</a></i> (2017, Arsenal Pulp Press) by Kai Cheng Thom (a queer Asian-Canadian trans femme)<br>-- note that there are definitely dark themes in many of these poems (sexual assault and gendered and racialized violence)
</blockquote>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-2337681921089317232020-12-23T20:20:00.001-05:002021-12-31T18:12:52.007-05:00picture book recs (round 7)Happy 5 years of intentionally reading picture books, to me!
<p>
With a 2-year gap since my last rec post! (lol/sob)
<p>***<p>So, picking up where we last left off (<a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2018/12/picture-book-recs-round-6.html>post #6</a>)...<p>
I did power through the remaining 9 of 19 categories in Minh Lê's "<a href=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-2017_us_5a2a1798e4b022ec613b80e1>Best Picture Books of 2017</a>" before the end of 2018 -- and decided I would not be repeating this exercise in 2019, since the ratio of "books I really liked" to "books on this list" was low. There were some I really liked, though:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32956666-the-blue-hour>The Blue Hour</a></i> written & illustrated by Isabelle Simler [Honorable Mention for Best Nature/Environment] the illustrations are so beautiful
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32992936-flowers-for-sarajevo>Flowers for Sarajevo</a></i> written by John McCutcheon & illustrated by Kristy Caldwell [Honorable Mention for Most Powerful] I WEPT
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29445208-super-manny-stands-up>Super Manny Stands Up!</a></i> written by Kelly DiPucchio& illustrated by Stephanie Graegin [Honorable Mention for Best Friendship/Kindness]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33413935-accident>Accident</a></i> written & illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi [Honorable Mention for Best Design]
</ul>
<p>In <a href=https://windtheme.blogspot.com/2018/06/picture-books-round-5-mostly.html>post #5</a> I mentioned <a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/03/20/newbery-caldecott-2019-spring-prediction-edition/#_>Betsy Bird's Caldecott and Newbery predictions</a> -- which while rarely accurate, contained almost entirely books I hadn't previously encountered. I now follow her on GoodReads and consistently get recs from her but got a lot from her "<a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/category/31-days-31-lists/>31 Days, 31 Books</a>" lists in December 2018. ... Which I didn't get very far in, because life happened (see also, the fact that it's now been 2 years[!!!] between rec lists), but:
<p>December 1 – <a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/12/01/31-days-31-lists-2018-great-board-books-pop-up-books/>Board Books & Pop-Ups</a> (Who knew I would STILL be reading board books after 3 years? I didn't love any of these, but below are ones I would varying degrees of recommend.)<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38748571-my-first-book-of-feminism>My First Book of Feminism (for Boys)</a></i> written by Julie Merberg & illustrated by Michéle Brummer Everett
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39859896-super-pooper-and-whizz-kid>Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power!</a></i> written & illustrated by Eunice Moyle & Sabrina Moyle
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40223831-my-art-book-of-love>My Art Book of Love</a></i> written by Shana Gozansky [though I liked 2019's <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42118487-my-art-book-of-sleep>My Art Book of Sleep</a></i> better]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36913173-national-geographic-kids-look-learn>Before & After</a> [National Geographic Kids Look & Learn]</i> written by Ruth A. Musgrave [counting, nature/science]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36751046-contrary-dogs>Contrary Dogs</a></i> written & illustrated by élo
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36127417-will-bear-share>Will Bear Share?</a></i> written & illustrated by Hilary Leung
</ul>
And because I took forever to finish this blogpost (during which time another nibling was born), I have since read some of <u>2019</u>'s <a href=https://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2019/12/01/31-days-31-lists-2019-great-board-books/>Great Board Books</a> and quite liked:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41423247-pride-colors>Pride Colors</a></i> written by Robin Stevenson
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43671845-lejos-far>Lejos / Far</a></i> written by Juan Felipe Herrera & illustrated by Blanca Gomez Stevenson [second tier]</ul>
**
<p>I read a lot of picturebooks about consent -- most of which I was pretty meh on, but I did really like:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40029331-c-is-for-consent>C is for Consent</a></i> written by Eleanor Morrison & illustrated by Faye Orlove [board book]
</ul>
**<p>
I read some great books on gender:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864913-it-feels-good-to-be-yourself>It Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity</a></i> written by Theresa Thorn & illustrated by Noah Grigni
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42250114-when-aidan-became-a-brother>When Aidan Became a Brother</a></i> written by Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by Kaylani Juanita (Aidan is a trans boy, and he wants to make sure everything is perfect for his new sibling-to-be -- MY HEART!)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51929746-stacey-s-not-a-girl>Stacey's Not a Girl</a></i> written by Colt Keo-Meier & illustrated by Jesse Yang (trans-masculine kid who may or may not be non-binary, and <i>not-knowing is OKAY!</i>)
</ul>Also on the subject of gender, I don't love Maya Gonzalez' work, but <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45894512-they-she-he-easy-as-abc>They, She, He: Easy as ABC</a></i> isn't too bad (the purple dancing one, as opposed to the green narrative-less one).
<p>
I got the <a href=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/310387180/flamingo-rampant-2019-discovery>2019: Discovery!</a> set of Flamingo Rampant books and particularly liked:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48120350-bridge-of-flowers>Bridge of Flowers</a></i> written by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha & illustrated by Syrus Marcus Ware -- magic and science, and healing, and...
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48278691-it-s-a-wild-world>It's a Wild World</a></i> written by S. Bear Bergman & illustrated by kd diamond -- queer animals!
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48120334-the-great-space-adventure>The Great Space Adventure</a></i> written by Ryka Aoki & illustrated by Cai Steele -- a kid who contains multitudes goes on a fantastic journey
</ul>
<p>
Feeling very out of it this fall (I had heard of barely any of the <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-picture-books-2020>GoodReads Best Picture Books Nominees</a> this year), I did some digging for queer kidlit that came out this year and pulled a bunch of books from a Publishers Weekly "<a href=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/82962-reading-with-pride-lgbtq-books-2020.html>Reading with Pride: LGBTQ Books 2020.</a>" I didn't love any of the books I read off that list (and could we NOT include a picturebook biography of Ellen? on account of she treats her staff terribly, <a href=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ellen-degeneres-george-w-bush-debacle-lesson-drawbacks-assimilation-politics>thinks "niceness" means palling around with politicians who actively worked against her community</a>, etc.), but it did prompt me to read some other queer books that had been on my TBR list.<p>Which got me one solid Pride book:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18615267-this-day-in-june>This Day in June</a></i> written by Gayle E. Pittman & illustrated by Kristyna Litten [published in 2014]
</ul>
**
<p>
Some excellent books for Black kids:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42785750-sulwe>Sulwe</a></i> written by Lupita Nyong'o & illustrated by Vashti Harrison
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43822627-m-is-for-melanin>M Is for Melanin: A Celebration of the Black Child</a></i> written & illustrated by Tiffany Rose
</ul>
**<p>
Deciding on picturebooks for M's 4th birthday amidst novel coronavirus and a resurgence of #BlackLivesMatter, I was aware how few picturebooks I had in my recs with East Asian representation. Like, I'd done an okay job of books with African-American protagonists (though it still didn't feel great), but amidst the anti-Chinese backlash, it felt really important to expose M to positive East Asian representation.
<p>
In my Internet searching, I learned that there's an <a href=http://www.apalaweb.org/awards/literature-awards/>Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature</a>. 15 years of this award, and I had previously read 3 picture book titles on it, all somewhat recent (<i>A Different Pond</i> and <a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2017/06/picture-book-recs-round-3.html><i>The Nian Monster</i></a> from 2017-2018, and <a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2016/12/picture-book-recs-round-2.html><i>Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music</i></a> from 2015-2016). So once ILL was a thing again (albeit too late for this birthday), I ILLed the picture book winners/honorable mentions I could get a hold of and hadn't already read. <p>I'm not sure I loved any of them, but I really appreciated the experience of reading them all in a fairly brief period of time. It made such a variety of representation feel so normal -- contemporary as well as historic/folkloric representation of East Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islanders (Korean, Thai, Chinese, native Hawaiian, Japanese, Indian, Filipine, Bangladeshi, Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Pakistani), in Asia and in the Americas. <p>While I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to recommend these particular books individually, if these 26 books were the only books you read to your [non-Asian] kid over the course of a few weeks, it could really help shift/expand their sense of what "normal" is.
<p>
I did really love this East Asian representation book, though:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40539203-magic-ramen>Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando</a></i> written by Andrea Wang & illustrated by Kana Urbanowicz [male Japanese inventor]</ul>
<p>**<p>
In trying to be more intersectional, I finally started intentionally looking for good disability-representation books and prioritized ones with Asian protagonists. I didn't love any of the ones I found, but I did read a few solid ones about white folks:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/264878.We_ll_Paint_the_Octopus_Red>We'll Paint the Octopus Red</a></i> written by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen & illustrated by Pam Devito [child protagonist's baby sibling has Down Syndrome]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45990138-all-the-way-to-the-top>All the Way to the Top: How One Girl's Fight for Americans with Disabilities Changed Everything</a></i> written by Annette Bay Pimentel & illustrated by Nabi H. Ali [a biography of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a disability activist who has cerebral palsy, focusing on her participation in the Capitol Crawl at the age of 8]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27039358-why-johnny-doesn-t-flap>Why Johnny Doesn't Flap: NT is OK!</a></i> written by Clay Morton and Gail Morton & illustrated by Alex Merry [autism -- parody, but also not]
</ul>
**
<p>
Another picturebook I loved:<ul><li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45434421-vote-for-our-future><i>Vote for Our Future!</i></a> written by Margaret McNamara & illustrated by Micah Player -- such a good!</ul>
<p>***<p>Reminder to please purchase your books from independent bookstores -- see, e.g., <a href=https://aalbc.com/bookstores/list.php>this list of Black Owned Bookstores in the United States</a>. Most will ship to you. And if there are books you can't find at your preferred indie bookstore (though most will special-order for you), you can also shop on <a href=https://bookshop.org/>BookShop.org</a> -- which has <a href=https://bookshop.org/pages/about>an affiliate program</a> supporting independent bookstores (I first learned about it when my local indie was closed due to pandemic).
<p>***<p>I've maybe read 946 picturebooks in 5 years?
<p>
I <a href=https://help.goodreads.com/s/article/How-do-I-import-or-export-my-books-1553870934590>exported my library</a>; sorted by Exclusive Shelf to cut down to just "read"; then sorted by Date Read to cut everything before December 23, 2015 (though this barely changed the count, since I rarely read picturebooks an adult before Project Radical Aunt; it's also still weirdly blanking the Date Read on a lot of books, so I left those cells in, since I know a lot of them are picturebooks I've read since I started this project); and then ran a COUNTIF on the Bookshelves column:
<p>=COUNTIF(Q2:Q1494,"*picturebooks*")Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-66024947206554168222020-10-31T16:18:00.001-04:002020-10-31T16:21:58.006-04:00Transformative Justice [Super Saturday, October 2020]Today's Super Saturday <a href=https://www.sneucc.org/eventdetail/12871453/item/14235158>"Creating Beloved Community" session</a> with <a href=https://unitycircles.org/>Unity Circles</a> and <a href=https://justiceashealing.org/>Families for Justice as Healing</a> was So Good.
<p>
The first 3 minutes of this <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_BOFz5TXo>"What Is Transformative Justice?"</a> video are amazing (though it's worth watching the full ~10 minutes).
<p>
adrienne maree brown:<ul><li> talks about how we've been socialized into "punitive justice"...
<li>names "restorative justice" as a first step in the right direction: "Harm has happened. How do we restore ourselves back to that relationship that existed before the harm happened?"
<li>but points out that it doesn't necessarily go far enough, "because if the original conditions were unjust, then returning to those original conditions is not actually justice"...
<li>says transformative justice goes down to the root system and asks what do we need to do so that this harm is no longer possible?
<li>notes that the state is so committed to punitive justice that it's not going to be able to help with transformative justice, so the state is not where we should turn for this...</ul>Mia Mingus' bare bones definition of transformative justice is: "a way of responding to violence and harm without causing more violence and harm."
<p>
Also, around minute 7, I really appreciate Ann Russo naming cultivating a culture of accountability, how starting that around small things is really preventative of large harms.
<p>
Mia Mingus then builds on that, emphasizing skill-building around:<ul><li>good communication, <li>apologizing well, <li>having generative conflict with the people in our everyday lives, <li>teaching children about consent and accountability, <li>etc.</ul>Mingus notes that with transformative justice, people often rush to the biggest crises and biggest forms of violence -- but that building foundational everyday things is the sustainable work that ripples out and has a larger impact.
<p>
Martina Kartman defines transformative justice as: how we prevent violence, how we intervene in violence, and then how we support each other in the aftermath of violence.
<p>
Prya Rai lifts up that so much of this work has been done by generations of people who could never rely on people outside of their communities, could never rely on the state (immigrants, queer people of color, disabled people, sex workers, etc.).
<p>
***
<p>
Also on the subject of transformative justice:<blockquote>“People think of transformative justice as a lighter and easier way of accountability,” she [Camila Pelsinger, Brown University ’20] adds. “But it’s hard work. It takes months, and lots of vulnerable meetings. It’s seeing the worst things you’ve ever done and looking at them. And you have to reflect without denying it.” She has seen real change in people she works with: “A lot of people didn’t even realize how much harm they had caused, and also how deeply embedded harmful ideas about sex and consent were.”
<p>
-<a href=https://www.brownalumnimagazine.com/articles/2020-08-27/justice-in-community>"Justice, in Community: A non-punitive approach", <i>Brown Alumni Magazine</i></a></blockquote>
***
<p>
The Brown article above mentions "pods." More info about that idea (which originated with the Bay Area Transformative Justice Collective [BATJC] in 2014) <a href=https://batjc.wordpress.com/pods-and-pod-mapping-worksheet/>here</a>.
<p>
In this afternoon's Super Saturday workshop, 2 people roleplayed inviting someone into your immediate circle of support pods, and one of them suggested using a specific emoji to indicate "I need this to be a support conversation right now" and/or having specific hours that you both agree you can call on this person.
<p>
I loved this emphasis on being thoughtful strategizing in advance about <em>how</em> you would call on this support, and also in being really thoughtful and honest about what your capacity is to offer support.
<p>
As someone noted in chat:
<blockquote>Pod mapping is strategic
<br>and thoughtful
<br>and a process</blockquote>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-71520624875092445732018-12-23T21:18:00.000-05:002020-05-28T18:58:47.607-04:00picture book recs (round 6)Happy 3 years of intentionally reading picture books, to me!
<p>
Wanna guess how many kids' books I've read during that time?
<p>
(Answer is at the bottom of this post.)
<p>
***
<p>
I noted <a href=https://windtheme.blogspot.com/2018/06/picture-books-round-5-mostly.html>last blogpost</a> that people keep sharing with me links to lists of multicultural picture books and similar, which I appreciate the thought behind (it is Known that I am reading lots of picture books to select ones to buy for the nibling), but at this point I have heard of (if not read) most all the books that show up on those lists, so I was so pleased to come across Minh Lê's "<a href=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-2017_us_5a2a1798e4b022ec613b80e1>Best Picture Books of 2017</a>" where I had heard of almost none of the books AND at-a-glance it appeared to be a diverse author pool. I had gotten through 7 of the 19 categories in the last roundup. I have now gotten through an additional 3. [My intention is to power through the remainder by the end of 2018. Yes, I know that's a lot of books for this Winter Break; the floor of my bedroom is very aware.] A couple I really liked:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31456756-the-book-of-mistakes>The Book of Mistakes</a></i> written & illustrated by Corinna Luyken [one of the Best on Creativity]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30375421-claymates>Claymates</a></i> written by Dev Petty & illustrated by Lauren Eldridge [one of the Best on Creativity]
</ul>
I also came across Taylor Pittman's "<a href=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbtq-kids-books-pride-month_us_5b1023bce4b0fcd6a834bbdb>17 LGBTQ-Friendly Books To Read To Your Kid In Honor Of Pride</a>" -- which actually had a lot of books I hadn't read, including books I hadn't even heard of. New-to-me books I particularly appreciated:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34369747-from-the-stars-in-the-sky-to-the-fish-in-the-sea>From the Stars in the Sky to the Fish in the Sea</a></i> written by Kai Cheng Thom & illustrated by Kai Yun Ching and Wai-Yant Li
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373395-prince-knight>Prince & Knight</a></i> written by Daniel Hack & illustrated by Stevie Lewis
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30025791-princess-princess-ever-after>Princess Princess Ever After</a></i> written & illustrated by Katie O'Neill
</ul>
I also finally read <a href=https://itsfundamental.info/5-childrens-books-about-juneteenth/>Juneteenth</a> picturebooks -- none of which I loved, but I would recommend reading some to your kids since especially amongst us non-Black Americans, this piece of our history is often unknown.<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100199.Juneteenth>Juneteenth</a></i> written by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and Drew Nelson & illustrated by Mark Schroder is a solid, child-appropriate, overview of Juneteenth.</ul>In the lesser-known-African-American-history vein, I also liked <ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525961-ruth-and-the-green-book>Ruth and the Green Book</a></i> written by Calvin Alexander Ramsey & illustrated by Floyd Cooper</ul>
The nibling is growing up in Florida, so I also read a lot of picturebooks about life in the water (drawing heavily on <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/1047282-val?shelf=sea-the-oceans>a "sea the oceans" GoodReads shelf I'd come across</a>, though most of the ones I liked best came from Horn Book recs), including mermaids. Apparently I only liked 1 enough to actively rec it?
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32470600-shark-lady>Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist</a></i> written by Jess Keating & illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns [second tier]
</ul>
I had been feeling like I'd read basically all the cool progressive board books and was gonna have to transition out of board books into gifting M other stuff -- and then Betsy Bird did a <a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/category/top-100/top-100-board-books-poll/>Top 100 Board Books Poll</a>. My favorites (of the ones I didn't nominate myself):<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15812205-baby-123>Baby 123</a></i> written & illustrated by Deborah Donenfield [N.B. this one is unfortunately out of print -- though I got some good copies from thriftbooks on eBay]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25331995-edible-colors>Edible Colors</a></i> written & illustrated by Jennifer Vogel Bass
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31305548-tinyville-town><i>I'm a Librarian</i> (A Tinyville Town Book)</a> written & illustrated by Brian Biggs -- it's a gay male librarian, okay; I am fond
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2641892-my-friends>My Friends</a></i> written & illustrated by Taro Gomi</ul>
I was also already interested in checking out more of the <a href=https://lillibros.com/collections/books>Lil' Libros</a> series (a Spanish-English board book series drawing on Mexican culture for its contents in both subject matter and illustration style). I didn't actually love them as much as I was hoping to, but I did like:
<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31179706-guadalupe>Guadalupe: First Words/Primeras Palabras: A Bilingual Picture Book</a></i>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40124121-tres-reyes-magos>Los Tres Reyes Magos: Colors - Colores: A Bilingual Book of Colors</a></i>
</ul>
After someone I follow RTed a <a href=https://twitter.com/kidsilkhaze/status/1022562179818684416>thread</a> about a culturally clueless Kirkus review of <i>Where's the Potty on This Ark?</i>, I checked out <a href=http://www.karben.com/assets/images/F18_KarBen_Catalog.pdf>Kar-Ben's catalog</a>. My favorites of the ones I read:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12333142-talia-and-the-rude-vegetables>Talia and the Rude Vegetables</a></i> written by Linda Elovitz Marshall & illustrated by Francesca Assirelli
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26618825-one-good-deed>One Good Deed</a></i> written by Terri Fields & illustrated by Deborah Melmon
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34007192-rosie-saves-the-world>Rosie Saves the World</a></i> written by Debbie Herman & illustrated by Tammie Lyons
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38397817-and-there-was-evening-and-there-was-morning>And There Was Evening, and There Was Morning</a></i> written by Harriet Cohen Helfand and Ellen Kahan Zager & illustrated by Ellen Kahan Zager -- okay, I'm really meh on the text of this book, but I've shown off the illustrations so much that I have to include it
</ul>
Not really on purpose, I ended up reading a bunch of books on emotions/difficult issues:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36373545-i-m-sad>I'm Sad</a></i> written by Michael Ian Black & illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi [second tier?] [With the caveat that I'm uncomfortable with the author's "redemption is hard to find" stance on the occasion of Louis CK's "comeback," and I'm not convinced how much he's learned from the pushback he got.]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37953987-something-happened-in-our-town>Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice</a></i> written by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard & illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin [second tier?]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37975435-allie-all-along>Allie All Along</a></i> written & illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul -- on anger
</ul>
Other recs:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1278771.The_Christmas_Miracle_Of_Jonathan_Toomey>The Christmas Miracle Of Jonathan Toomey</a></i> written by Susan Wojciechowski & illustrated by P.J. Lynch
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35827828-little-skeletons-esqueletitos>Little Skeletons / Esqueletitos (Countdown to Midnight / Un Libro Para Contar en el Día de los Muertos)</a></i> written & illustrated by Susie Jaramillo [accordion style board book]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13584764-you-are-stardust>You Are Stardust</a></i> written by Elin Kelsey & illustrated by Soyeon Kim [second tier]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11538628-octopus-opposites>Octopus Opposites</a></i> written & illustrated by Stella Blackstone and Stephanie Bauer [board book] [second tier?]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34362953-a-big-mooncake-for-little-star>A Big Mooncake for Little Star</a></i> written & illustrated by Grace Lin [loosely the Mid Autumn Moon Festival]
</ul>
***
<p>
The answer to how many kids' books I've read in 3 years? <p>730 -- I think. <p>I discovered the <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/help/show/5-how-do-i-import-or-export-my-books>GoodReads export library function</a>, but it left a LOT of the Date Read cells blank (I have no idea what that glitch is), which made cutting the data to just the date range I wanted more challenging. It puts all your shelves for a given book in a single cell, but that was easily solved by running a COUNTIF.
<p>
=COUNTIF(Q2:Q985,"*picturebooks*")Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-22124526939278463622018-06-23T21:27:00.001-04:002022-02-21T20:42:50.664-05:00picture books (round 5) mostly Native/Indigenous/AboriginalNibling turned 2 today!
<p>
***
<p>
People keep sharing with me links to lists of multicultural picture books and similar, which I appreciate the thought behind (it is Known that I am reading lots of picture books to select ones to buy for the nibling), but at this point I have heard of (if not read) most all the books that show up on those lists.
<p>
So I was so pleased to come across Minh Lê's "<a href=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-2017_us_5a2a1798e4b022ec613b80e1>Best Picture Books of 2017</a>" where I had heard of almost none of the books AND at-a-glance it appeared to be a diverse author pool. I also liked that its categories were ones I wouldn't necessarily have thought of -- most touching, most charming, best surprise, best family, best adventure, best history, funniest, most clever, best on creativity, best concept, best (auto)biography, most beautiful, best nature/outdoors, best read aloud, most exuberant/fun, most powerful, best friendship/kindness, best design, best bedtime.
<p>
So I kicked off my 2018 picture book reading with that (as if I didn't already have ~150 picture books on my to-read list...). And then got sidetracked by other things and slowly made my way through 7 of Lê's 19(!) categories. I didn't actually love a lot of them, but here are some I did:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34598051-little-iffy-learns-to-fly>Little Iffy Learns to Fly</a></i> written & illustrated by Aaron Zenz [one of the Most Charming]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30312747-not-quite-narwhal>Not Quite Narwhal</a></i> written & illustrated by Jessie Sima [one of the Most Charming] largely for the illustrations, second-tier
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33158545-through-with-the-zoo>Through With the Zoo</a></i> written & illustrated by Jacob Grant [one of the Most Charming] second-tier
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33376257-after-the-fall>After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back up Again</a></i> written & illustrated by Dan Santat [Best Surprise]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28782810-the-one-day-house>The One Day House</a></i> written by Julia Durango & illustrated by Bianca Diaz [one of the Best Surprise]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31145010-the-only-fish-in-the-sea>The Only Fish in the Sea</a></i> written by Philip C. Stead & illustrated by Matthew Cordell [one of the Best Adventure]</ul>
<p>
I also <a href=https://the-dust-jacket.tumblr.com/post/168440890294/a-friend-of-mine-with-a-passion-for-folklore-and>learned about</a> <a href=http://inhabitmedia.com>Inhabit Media</a> -- an Inuit-owned publishing company -- and proceeded to interlibrary loan most every picturebook I could get my hands on. [Note: I am shifting from using the term "folklore" to "traditional stories" after reading <a href=https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com/2018/03/some-thoughts-on-big-word-myth.html>this post</a> on American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL).]<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18527347-the-raven-and-the-loon>The Raven and the Loon</a></i> written by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley & illustrated by Kim Smith [traditional story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13591042-ava-and-the-little-folk>Ava and the Little Folk</a></i> retold by Neil Christopher and Alan Neal & illustrated by Jonathan Wright [traditional story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23359934-lesson-for-the-wolf>Lesson for the Wolf</a></i> written by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley & illustrated by Alan Cook [traditional story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21470714-the-walrus-who-escaped>The Walrus Who Escaped</a></i> written by Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley and Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley & illustrated by Anthony Brennan [traditional story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32202255-ukaliq-and-kalla-go-fishing>Ukaliq and Kalla Go Fishing</a></i> written by Nadia Mike & illustrated by Amanda Sandland [anthropomorphic animal story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23281196-hurry-up-ilua>Hurry Up, Ilua!</a></i> written & illustrated by Nora Helen Hicks [anthropomorphic animal story] mostly for the illustrations
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27219754-leah-s-mustache-party>Leah's Mustache Party</a></i> written by Nadia Mike & illustrated by Charlene Chua
</ul>
And I went through the <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_Youth_Literature_Awards>American Indian Youth Literature Award</a> for Best Picture Book winners and honorees.<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38118683-i-am-dreaming-of-animals-of-the-native-northwest>I am Dreaming of... Animals of the Native Northwest</a></i> written by Melaney Gleeson-Lyall & illustrated by Mervin Windsor, Maynard Johnny Jr., Eric Parnell, Ernest Swanson, Ben Houstie, Paul Windsor, Allan Weir, Terry Starr, Nicole LaRock, Simone Diamond, and Francis Horne Sr. [2018 Honor Book] [board book] I love these illustrations!
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17074068-little-you>Little You</a></i> written by Richard Van Camp & illustrated by Julie Flett [2016 Best Picture Book] [author is Tłı̨chǫ, illustrator is Cree-Metis] [board book] brb, buying <a href=https://www.orcabook.com/Little-You>copies of this</a> for every baby
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16033515-caribou-song>Caribou Song</a></i> written by Tomson Highway & illustrated by John Rombough [2014 Best Picture Book] [Cree; author is full-blooded Cree and illustrator is Chipewayan Dene] for the illustrations</ul>
<p>
And I ended up checking out more recommendations of books by and about Native/Indigenous/Aboriginal peoples. (Some sidebar reading on terminology: "<a href=https://hawaiiankingdom.org/blog/natives-of-the-hawaiian-islands-are-not-indigenous-theyre-aboriginal/>Natives of the Hawaiian Islands are not Indigenous People, They’re Aboriginal</a>" & "<a href=http://www.bowmanvillerotaryclub.org/sitepage/a-note-on-terminology-for-indigenous-peoples/a-note-on-terminology-inuit-m%C3%A9tis-first-nations-and-aboriginal>A Note on Terminology: Inuit, Métis, First Nations, and Aboriginal</a>" -- the latter is Canadian and is adapted from the Report on the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.)<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26493859-the-apple-tree>The Apple Tree: A Cherokee Story</a></i> written by Sandy Tharp-Thee & illustrated by Marlena Campbell Hodson
</ul>
<p>
I started doing some searching for Aboriginal Australian picturebooks, and I found a 2013 blogpost "<a href=https://readwatchplay.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/top-ten-indigenous-authored-childrens-books/>Top Ten Indigenous-authored Children’s Books</a>," but plugging the titles into WorldCat I found that most of them were only in Australian library systems :( (Though it was interesting seeing which non-AUS/NZ libaries had some of them -- Singapore, Japan, Canada, a few places in the US.) I wonder what other quality kidlit I'm missing out on due to its not being published much outside its country of origin (not to mention, of course, the stuff that isn't translated into English #MonolingualProblems), which I'm again reminded of when I come across stuff like Betsy Bird's "<a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/05/02/board-books-2018-what-weve-got-here-is-an-oddly-strong-year/>Board Books 2018: What We’ve Got Here Is an Oddly Strong Year</a>."
<p>
In doing searches to purchase copies of books that weren't in my regional library networks, I learned that there are more Native publishing companies/bookstores than I had realized/expected -- the ones I have come across in my specific searches are below, but I know this isn't even a complete list:<ul>
<li><a href=http://inhabitmedia.com/about/>Inhabit Media</a> (Inuit)
<li><a href=http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org>Kamehameha Publishing</a> (Hawaii)
<li><a href=http://www.sealaskaheritage.org/about>Sealaska Heritage Institute</a> (Southeast Alaska)
<li><a href=http://www.nativenorthwest.com/company.html>Native Northwest</a> [<a href=https://www.nativenorthwestselect.com/collections/native-explore>Native Explore</a> is their children's merchandise]
<li><a href=https://birchbarkbooks.com/ourstaff>Birchbark Books</a> [physical store is in <a href=https://birchbarkbooks.com/ourstory>Minneapolis</a>]
<li><a href=https://www.fourwindsindianbooks.com/about-us/>Four Winds Indian Books</a> [bought by <a href=http://www.indiancountrybooks.com>Indian Country Books</a>/<a href=http://www.nativemedianetwork.com/about-us/>Native Media Network</a>, also affiliated with <a href=http://www.clearlightbooks.com/about-us/>Clear Light Publishing</a>]
<li><a href=http://www.oyate.org/index.php/about-us>Oyate</a>
<li><a href=https://www.magabala.com>Magabala Books</a> (Indigenous/Aboriginal Australia)
<li><a href=http://www.pemmicanpublications.ca/About-Pemmican-Publications.page>Pemmican Publications</a> (Metis) [and because of the <a href=https://www.coursera.org/learn/indigenous-canada>Indigenous Canada</a> Coursera course I'm taking, I got the reference!]
<li><a href=https://www.portageandmainpress.com/highwater-press/>HighWater Press</a> -- okay, I'm not actually sure if they're Indigenous owned
</ul>
<p>When my copy of <a href=https://sealaska-heritage-store.myshopify.com/products/baby-raven-reads-salmon-boy-shanyaakutlaax><i>Shanyaak'utlaax: Salmon Boy</i></a> (the 2018 American Indian Library Association's Youth Literature Award Best Picture Book) arrived in the mail (I ordered a copy because none of my regional library networks had a copy), I showed it to my housemate and she said, "Are you still going through books for your [nibling]?" I said, "Yes. The kid isn't even 2 years old yet, there are many years to go!" I have such a backlog of books I've "shelved," and I keep coming across more (like <a href=http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2018/03/20/newbery-caldecott-2019-spring-prediction-edition/#_>Betsy Bird's Caldecott and Newbery predictions</a>, which while rarely accurate, contained almost entirely books I hadn't previously encountered).
<p>February is Black History Month, and March is Women's History Month, so there were some kids' books that came up on recommendation lists relevant to that (plus books I saw at the Peabody Essex Museum gift shop). I didn't love any of them, but some fairly good ones are:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297371-this-little-trailblazer>This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer</a></i> written by Joan Holub & illustrated by Daniel Roode [board book]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35488059-little-leaders>Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History</a></i> written & illustrated by Vashti Harrison
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34605803-dear-girl>Dear Girl,</a></i> written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal & illustrated by Holly Hatam
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34605845-shaking-things-up>Shaking Things Up: 14 Young Women Who Changed the World</a></i> written by Susan Hood & illustrated by Selina Alko, Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, Hadley Hooper, Emily Winfield Martin, Oge Mora, Julie Morstad, Sara Palacios, LeUyen Pham, Erin Robinson, Isabel Roxas, Shadra Strickland, and Melissa Sweet
</ul>
<p>There was also The Conscious Kid Library's "<a href=https://medium.com/@katieishizukastephens/13-recommended-ownvoices-reads-for-ramadan-6dea354b3eb0>13 Recommended #OwnVoices Reads for Ramadan</a>." I read most of the ones I hadn't read already, and of those new-to-me ones, these were my favorites:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35297368-mommy-s-khimar>Mommy's Khimar</a></i> written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow & illustrated by Ebony Glenn [Black Muslim girl]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23876153-lailah-s-lunchbox>Lailah’s Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story</a></i> by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Lea Lyon [Emirati immigrant to Atlanta, Georgia]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8372467-moon-watchers>Moon Watchers: Shirin’s Ramadan Miracle</a></i> by Reza Jalali, illustrated by Anne Sibley O’Brien [9-year-old Arab girl]</ul>
<p>Plus, of course, picturebooks I just happened to come across:<ul><li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18807387-bob-is-a-unicorn>Bob Is a Unicorn</a></i> written by & illustrated by Michelle Nelson-Schmidt
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35631757-islandborn>Islandborn</a></i> written by Junot Díaz & illustrated by Leo Espinosa (Afro-Latina Dominican protagonist) [N.B. You can make your own choices as to whether you still want to consume and/or purchase Díaz's work given the <a href=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/76778-junot-diaz-metoo-accusations-surface.html>allegations about his bullying, misogynistic, and sexually assaultative behavior</a>.]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27265179-tiny-stitches>Tiny Stitches: The Life of Medical Pioneer Vivien Thomas</a></i> written by Gwendolyn Hooks & illustrated by Colin Bootman [for older readers, Black male biography]
<li><i><a href=-https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33113621-take-a-picture-of-me-james-van-der-zee>Take a Picture of Me, James VanDerZee!</a></i> written by Andrea J. Loney & illustrated by Keith Mallett [Black male biography]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28210996-i-dissent>I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark</a></i> written by Debbie Levy & illustrated by Elizabeth Baddeley [biography]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/909432.Mother_Jones>Mother Jones: Labor Leader</a></i> written by Connie Colwell Miller & illustrated by Steve Erwin and Charles Barnett III [biography]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35248504-the-rabbit-listened>The Rabbit Listened</a></i> written & illustrated by Cori Doerrfeld</ul>
***
<p>
In total I've read ~176 kids' books this six-month period.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-38635695376490984802018-03-30T14:45:00.001-04:002018-03-30T14:45:18.130-04:00[7 Last Words] "I thirst"I was invited to participate in my church's Good Friday service this year and was assigned the Fifth Word -- "I thirst" (John 19:28). I don't know how I would have gone about picking one if it had been up to me, but I was pleased to get to reflect on the most human-embodied-experience word of the seven.<p>Below is the reflection I shared.
<p>***<p>
<center><b>Fifth Word – "I Thirst" – John 19:28</b></center>
<p>
Jesus thirsts.
<p>
Because Jesus is a human being in a human body.
<p>
A creature of flesh and bone, skin and muscles and fat and nerves, blood pumping, lungs breathing.
<p>
Human bodies come in a lot of variations -- some of us talk with our hands, some of us move through the world on wheels. Some of us can't process gluten or lactose. Each of our embodiments is unique, and few experiences are universal. But thirst is one of the few that probably is.
<p>
+
<p>
John is the one Gospel writer who includes this line, "I thirst."
<p>
John also opens Jesus' public ministry with the wedding at Cana -- another story unique to John's Gospel.
<p>
Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber tells the story of the lectionary assigning the wedding at Cana story the Sunday after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. As you may recall, in this story Jesus is initially resistant to doing anything about the wine shortage at this party, telling Mother Mary, "my hour has not yet come."
<p>
Mary pushes ahead, and Bolz-Weber imagines her saying to Jesus, "I will not keep silent. I will obey you and I will tell others to obey you but I will not keep silent. People are thirsty."
<p>
And she imagines that near the end of John's Gospel, Jesus says, "I am thirsty. I am not watching this from a distant heaven. I too am thirsty."
<p>
+
<p>
Jesus thirsts with the people in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands who still don't have clean water six months after Hurricanes Maria and Irma.
<p>
+
<p>
Jesus thirsts with farm workers in California working 9-hour days in scorching heat, sometimes literally dying of dehydration.
<p>
<a href=https://www.aclusocal.org/en/news/legal-groups-say-state-proposal-protect-farmworkers-summer-heat-totally-inadequate>42-year-old Audon Felix Garcia died in the summer of 2008 while working in Kern County, California, on a 112-degree day. His core body temperature was 108 degrees Fahrenheit when he died.</a>
<p>
+
<p>
Have you ever cried so much that you felt thirsty, like you'd dehydrated yourself?
<p>
We don't know if Jesus wept while dying by state-sanctioned torture, but it seems likely.
<p>
Certainly the Jesus of John's Gospel wept a few chapters earlier, on the long walk toward Jerusalem, confronted with the weeping of another Mary and so many others after the death of Lazarus at Bethany.
<p>
+
<p>
Jesus thirsts with so many other prisoners of the state.
<p>
<a href=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/02/15/judge-dismisses-negligent-homicide-charge-against-duchesne-county-jail-nurse-in-dehydration-death-of-inmate/>21-year-old Madison Jenson died of dehydration on December 1, 2016, four days after being put in jail in Duchesne County, Utah, her dehydration probably related to opiate withdrawal.</a>
<p>
<a href=https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/12/us/milwaukee-inmate-dehydration-death-charges/index.html>38-year-old Terrill Thomas died on April 24, 2016, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, after the water had been shut off to his cell for 7 days after he had flooded the toilet in a previous cell.</a> #BlackLivesMatter
<p>
<a href=http://www.phillytrib.com/religion/violence-against-black-women-inspire-seven-last-words-program/article_2d46790a-c1b8-54b9-8fd4-c47457a33ece.html>50-year-old Joyce Curnell was found dead in her Charleston County, South Carolina, jail cell on July 22, 2016, dead from dehydration the day after she was jailed.</a> #BlackWomensLivesMatter
<p>
+
<p>
Jesus is given a sponge full of sour wine on a stick. Which may have been intended as an anaesthetic -- to dull the pain of the multiple nail wounds and the slow asphyxiation. But as mercies go, it was a small one amidst this public execution after a sham of a trial. Jesus thirsts with those who do not have access to quality water.
<p>
Jesus thirsts with the people of Flint, Michigan, and <a href=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/>the 6 million other people across the 50 United States whose water has excessive levels of lead</a>.
<p>
Jesus thirsts with the prisoners at <a href=https://www.facebook.com/DeeperThanWater/>MCI Norfolk</a> here in Massachusetts and so many other prisons and jails who do not have uncontaminated water.
<p>
+
<p>
There are a lot of things we could do to alleviate the thirsts across our nation and around the world, and maybe we will after we leave this space.
<p>
But for now, we sit with the thirst.
<p>
The God who created us from the very stardust of the Big Bang, the God whose life breath sustains us. That same God shaped some of that same stardust, and with the Yes of a young woman named Mary, breathed Godself into embodiment, into a screaming crying baby who would grow into adulthood and be executed by some of those same stardust creatures. And that embodied God, who walked so many dusty, dirty roads; who ate so many meals with so many different people; that embodied God, that person Jesus, was human right up through the end.
<p>
And Jesus thirsts.
<p>***<p>
<u>Works Consulted/Cited</u><p>
News of the world links to the primary article I drew from, though I often Googled for additional details like exact date of death.
<p>
Nadia Bolz-Weber tells the wedding at Cana story in her 2013 book <i> Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint</i>.
<p>
The story of Lazarus is found in John 11, and the specific verse "Jesus wept" is John 11:35.
<p>
***
<p>
Full service audio recording is <a href=http://www.firstchurchsomerville.org/worship/sermons/view/507>here</a> (there are a few minutes of extra silence at the beginning and the end -- this is what happens when you ask someone who's also participating in the service to record it ;) ) My part begins around 32:42.
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-23138763564815642142017-12-24T23:45:00.000-05:002017-12-24T23:45:17.362-05:00[Mary] feel the fear and do it anywayAt the Christmas Eve service I attended in Florida this year, the pastor opened the sermon with talking about how we've created a beautiful, clean, calm story out of something that in <a href=https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=52#gospel_reading>Luke's telling</a> is really messy etc.
<p>
I generally agree with this, but when he said that Mary was surely terrified, I thought <s>"no she wasn't!"</s> maybe she was, but I think that if she was, she was very much a "feel the fear and do it anyway" kind of person.
<p>
Yes, at the Annunciation Gabriel says "Do not be afraid" -- because angels always say "Do not be afraid" -- but Mary ultimately agrees to God's wacky plan. <small>[Luke 1:26-38]</small>
<p>
And then, while pregnant, Mary travels some 90 miles <small>[<a href=https://aleteia.org/2017/01/24/biblical-travel-how-far-to-where-and-what-about-the-donkey/>cite</a>]</small> (unclear whether she traveled <em>with</em> anyone else) to visit her elderly sister Elizabeth (who is also miraculously pregnant, and has been for six months). And when Elizabeth recognizes not only that Mary is pregnant but that she is pregnant with Divinity -- which we don't have any indication Mary had told Elizabeth about before arriving (she seems to have gone pretty immediately) -- Mary's response is a hymn of praise about how God is going to turn the world upside down. <small>[Luke 1:39-55]</small>
<p>
Black gay Episcopalian Broderick Greer <a href=https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/678440333210992640>suggests</a> that the Magnificat is a protest hymn that Mary goes on to sing to her child (that <a href=https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/817092901587001344>Jesus learned a lot of what formed his life and ministry from his radical mom</a>).
<p>
And then when Elizabeth gives birth, Mary (having just finished her first trimester) goes back home <small>[Luke 1:56-57]</small> -- only to have to travel another 80 miles or so for some <s>plot device</s> census probably six months later when she's about to give birth any day now <small>[Luke 2:1-6]</small>. Now, if I were going to pick some item from Luke's "Christmas" narrative to suggest that Mary was afraid, this would be it. Because the idea of government wanting to know exactly who all lived under its control and where they lived feels very present.
<p>
And Mary ends up placing her baby in a manger (an animal feed trough) because there was no room for them at the inn <small>[Luke 2:7]</small>, and in case that wasn't enough dirt and animal, a bunch of shepherds show up, having been sent by angels [Luke 2:8-20]</small>. And we read that, "When they [the shepherds] saw this [Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger], they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them." <small>[Luke 2:17-18]</small> -- so maybe Mary and Joseph weren't as alone as the story indicates <small>(for example, last year's "<a href=https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/jesus-was-not-born-in-a-stable/>Jesus was not born in a stable</a>" -- which I thought surely I had read longer ago than last Advent)</small> 'cause who is this "all" that the shepherds report out to? 'cause they haven't even returned to where they come from yet -- "But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart." <small>[Luke 2:19]</small> So whatever weirdness was happening, Mary rolled with it all.
<p>
In "O Little Town of Bethlehem," we sing "be born in us today" to the Christ child, but I wonder if there's value in seeking to have something of Mary born in us.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-47333013627502181662017-12-21T16:45:00.000-05:002020-05-28T19:03:59.130-04:00picture book recs (round 4)Niblig turns 18 months in 2 days, and we leave tomorrow to visit, so I'm posting today.
<p>
Due to a GoodReads glitch, I'm not sure exactly how many picturebooks I've read this 6-month period, but I think ~98 (which is significantly more than I would have guessed before I tallied it up).
<p>
My big focus this time was on books set in Africa, not written by white folks. Prompted by <a href=https://www.facebook.com/byronhurt/posts/10155454444763758>this FB post</a> about how not everyone who lives in Africa lives in a hut -- though I didn't actually find many picture books set in Africa that depict human people living in not-huts (I got a lot of village life and a lot of folktales).
<p>
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1605089.Kitoto_the_Mighty>Kitoto the Mighty</a></i> written by Tololwa M. Mollel & illustrated by Kristi Frost -- a mouse seeks the most powerful being to protect him from the hawk [African folktale retold]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4695764-subira-subira>Subira, Subira</a></i> written by Tololwa M. Mollel & illustrated by Linda Saport -- a girl struggles to get her younger brother to behave [contemporary Tanzania, folklore elements]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1605087.Big_Boy>Big Boy</a></i> written by Tololwa M. Mollel & illustrated by E.B. Lewis -- a Tanzanian boy wishes he were bigger ... but what if his wish were granted? [contemporary Tanzania]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4049511-song-bird>Song Bird</a></i> written by Tololwa M. Mollel & illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger -- girl saves the day! (okay, magical song bird saves the day, but the girl keeps the grownups from messing it up) [African folktale retold]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4277777-to-dinner-for-dinner>To Dinner, For Dinner</a></i> written by Tololwa M. Mollel & illustrated by Synthia Saint James -- mostly I just love the mole wearing glasses [in the style of African folktales]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/103303._A_Is_for_Africa>A Is for Africa</a></i> written & photographed by Ifeoma Onyefulu [Nigeria]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/704416.The_Magic_Gourd>The Magic Gourd</a></i> written by & illustrated by Baba Wagué Diakité [African folklore]
</ul>
<p>
I also read a bunch on labor:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31213665-old-tracks-new-tricks>Old Tracks, New Tricks</a></i> written by & illustrated by Jessica Petersen -- not explicitly about labor, but it very much has that feel as it's about toy trains being bossy and insisting that the toy tracks' only purpose is to do what the trains want ("You tracks exist so trains can go.")
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2896414-s-se-puede-yes-we-can>¡Sí, Se Puede! / Yes, We Can!: Janitor Strike in L.A.</a></i> written by Diana Cohn & illustrated by Francisco Delgado, with an essay by Luis J. Rodríguez -- about the janitorial strike in L.A. in 2000
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8098822-side-by-side-lado-a-lado>Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez</a></i> written by Monica Brown & illustrated by Joe Cepeda (watching the <a href=https://www.doloresthemovie.com><i>Dolores</i> documentary</a>, I developed strong feelings about the importance of including Dolores Huerta in the Cesar Chavez narrative)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15818081-brave-girl>Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909</a></i> written by Michelle Markel & illustrated by Melissa Sweet [Clara is a Jewish Ukrainian immigrant, though her demographic specifics are mostly elided by the narrative]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2697445-that-s-not-fair-no-es-justo>That's Not Fair! / ¡No Es Justo!: Emma Tenayuca's Struggle for Justice/La lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la justicia</a></i> written by Carmen Tafolla and Sharyll Teneyuca & illustrated by Terry Ybáñez
</ul>
<p>
And some miscellaneous books:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3356594-an-australian-1-2-3-of-animals>An Australian 1, 2, 3 of Animals</a></i> by Bronwyn Bancroft -- probably my favorite of the Bronwyn Bancroft books I read, though all of her books I wanted to like more than I did. [Aboriginal Australia]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34051556-who-counts>Who Counts?: 100 Sheep, 10 Coins, and 2 Sons</a></i> written by Amy-Jill Levine and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso & illustrated by Margaux Meganck
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17681541-the-adventures-of-tulip-birthday-wish-fairy>The Adventures of Tulip, Birthday Wish Fairy</a></i> written by S. Bear Bergman & illustrated by Suzy Malik -- supporting trans kids!
</ul>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-31015868532728716242017-10-12T21:17:00.000-04:002017-10-12T21:17:37.866-04:00[The Book] I'm a nerd.So, I've been sporadically doing tiny amounts of work on The Book.
<p>
I was working on the Psalms of lament section, and I ended up re-requesting 2 books I read back in 2015 but hadn't taken notes on -- <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2756859-living-through-pain><i>Living Through Pain: Psalms and the Search for Wholeness</i></a> by Kristin M. Swenson, 2005 (for the Psalms) and <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6078404-the-mystery-we-celebrate-the-song-we-sing><i>The Mystery We Celebrate, the Song We Sing: A Theology of Liturgical Music</i></a> by Kathleen Harmon, 2008 (for the use of music in worship).
<p>
My chapter on psalms of lament also discusses African-American spirituals (Monica Coleman has commented that when Jesus on the cross cried out, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" from Psalm 22, he was singing a lament song of his people -- the Psalms were the songbook of his people, just like the spirituals were the songbook of African-American slaves) and I realized that I don't have much to work with about the usage of Psalms of lament as part of the songbook of a people like spirituals, so I ended up going through the library catalog tag on the Psalms, and I'm bummed that it's all white dudes (I've been on a pretty intent break from books by white dudes for about 2 years now), but I'm so excited to dive into these books:<ul><li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34974913-finding-lost-words><i>Finding lost words : the church's right to lament</i></a> edited by G. Geoffrey Harper and Kit Barker (2017)
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18250842-the-psalms-as-christian-lament><i>The Psalms as Christian lament : a historical commentary</i></a> by Bruce K. Waltke, James M. Houston, and Erica Moore (2014)
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1036663.In_the_House_of_the_Lord><i>In the house of the Lord : inhabiting the psalms of lament</i></a> by Michael Jinkins (1998)
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3682482-the-spirituality-of-the-psalms><i>The spirituality of the Psalms</i></a> -- Carroll Stuhlmueller (2002)
<li><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/271911.Spirituality_of_the_Psalms><i>Spirituality of the Psalms</i></a> by Walter Brueggemann (2001)</ul>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-71634604150453633042017-06-20T22:20:00.000-04:002020-05-28T19:04:06.966-04:00picture book recs (round 3)Nibling turns 1 year old this Friday, and I know I'm not going to get any more picturebooks read between now and then, so am posting now. (Yes, I am on a 6-month posting schedule.)
<p>
I read ~150 picturebooks the first 6 months, ~50 the next 6 months, and ~83 this past 6 months (38 of which were over the winter holiday break week -- my most prime time for reading). Books are, as usual, listed in the order in which I read them.
<p>
Tier 1:
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9379297-pablo-neruda"><cite>Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People</cite></a> written by Monica Brown & illustrated by Julie Paschkis [Chilean]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22747807-voice-of-freedom"><cite>Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer</cite></a> written by Carole Boston Weatherford & illustrated by Ekua Holmes [African-American]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28503951-my-night-in-the-planetarium"><cite>My Night in the Planetarium: A true story about a child, a play, and the art of resistance</cite></a> by Innosanto Nagara [Indonesian]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60938.There_Is_a_Flower_at_the_Tip_of_My_Nose_Smelling_Me"><cite>There Is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me</cite></a> written by Alice Walker & illustrated by Stefano Vitale [protagonist is a brown girl with what I suspect is African hair]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7852821-girl-of-mine"><cite>Girl of Mine</cite></a> written by Jabari Asim & illustrated by LeUyen Pham [Black father and baby girl] (board book)
</li>
</ul>
Tier 2:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/172758.Dona_Flor"><cite>Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart</cite></a> written by Pat Mora & illustrated by Raúl Colón [Hispanic]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7993081-the-invisible-princess"><cite>The Invisible Princess</cite></a> by Faith Ringgold [slavery folktale]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/734193.Little_Night"><cite>Little Night</cite></a> by Yuyi Morales [depicts a brown mother and black daughter]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14849604-max-and-the-tag-along-moon"><cite>Max and the Tag-Along Moon</cite></a> by Floyd Cooper [depicts male characters of African ancestry]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1148031.If_You_Were_My_Baby"><cite>If You Were My Baby</cite></a> written by Fran Hodgkins & illustrated by Laura J. Bryant [NB: parent-child pair depicted on final page are white]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30046983-melena-s-jubilee"><cite>Melena's Jubilee</cite></a> by Zetta Elliott [African-American protagonist]
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21471480-my-first-book-of-girl-power"><cite>My First Book of Girl Power</cite></a> by Julie Merberg [DC comics; white, skinny, able-bodied superheroines] (board book)
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27248594-the-big-book-of-girl-power"><cite>The Big Book of Girl Power</cite></a> by Julie Merberg [DC comics; various superheroines]
</li>
</ul>
I didn't love any of the Chinese/Lunar New Year books I read, but probably my favorite that's About the holiday is <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/575908.This_Next_New_Year"><cite>The Next New Year</cite></a> written by Janet S. Wong & illustrated by Yangsook Choi. I also enjoyed:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30201531-the-nian-monster"><cite>The Nian Monster</cite></a> written by Andrea Wang & illustrated by Alina Chau
</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8905165-the-runaway-wok"><cite>The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale</cite></a> written by Ying Chang Compestine & illustrated by Sebastia Serra
</li>
</ul>
And speaking of Chinese holidays, I also enjoyed (though again, not in love with) <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8754563-thanking-the-moon"><cite>Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival</cite></a> by Grace Lin.
Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-72862336222888027742017-02-25T20:05:00.000-05:002017-02-25T20:05:37.663-05:00[unpreached sermon] What We Bring With Us Into Lent [Transfiguration 2017]<b>What We Bring With Us Into Lent</b>
<blockquote>Six days later, Jesus took Peter and the siblings James and John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves.
<p>
And Jesus was transfigured before them -- face shining like the sun, and clothes becoming dazzling white.
<p>
Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
<p>
While Peter was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Child, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen this one!”
<p>
When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus alone.
<p>
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Child of Humanity has been raised from the dead.”
<p>
Matthew 17:1-9 (NRSV, alt)</blockquote>
Some of you may have seen on Facebook (or elsewhere on the Internet) that Parity, a faith-based LGBTQ-focused organization based in NYC, is offering glitter ashes for Ash Wednesday this year.
<p>
On their website, they <a href=http://parity.nyc/glitter-ash-wednesday/>write</a>:
<blockquote>At this moment in history, glitter ashes will be a powerful reminder of St. Augustine’s teaching that we cannot despair because despair paralyzes, thwarting repentance and impeding the change that we are called to make.
<p>
Glitter+Ash exquisitely captures the relationship between death and new life. We do not live in fear of ash -- of death -- we place it on our foreheads for the world to see. We know that fear will rise, cramping our hearts. We also know that God specifically calls us not to project that fear onto the Other, the alien, the stranger in our midst. God insists that we look for the spark of life, of hope, in ourselves and one another. This Ash Wednesday, we will make that spark easier to see. We will stand witness to the gritty, glittery, scandalous hope that exists in the very marrow of our tradition.</blockquote>
At the Transfiguration, a few of the disciples see the spark in Jesus made externally manifest for a brief moment.
<p>
And it doesn’t come at a random place in the story.
<p>
The Season following Epiphany this year hasn’t been a narrative journey through Jesus’ life so much as it’s been a dwelling in the teachings of Jesus -- primarily the Sermon on the Mount. So the liturgical year doesn’t offer us a lot of context for the story today and our jump into Lent a few days from now. We’ve skipped over Jesus asking the disciples “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter confessing Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 16:13-20), which is almost immediately followed by, “From that time on, Jesus began to tell the disciples: I must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Matthew 16:21, NRSV, alt.).
<p>
So we get this glittering moment, not early in Jesus’ ministry when one might be advertising for new recruits, but near the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry, when things are starting to get difficult -- well, more difficult than they already are when your life’s work is on the margins and you have no home or even steady source of income. A couple chapters earlier, we learned of the death of John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-12). These are difficult times. The Empire is, if not winning, certainly encroaching.
<p>
So Jesus takes a few of the disciples up to a mountaintop.
<p>
And is transfigured.
<p>
And Moses and Elijah show up and Peter, bless, says, “This is great! Jesus, if you’re okay with it, let’s stay here forever.”
<p>
And while Peter is <em>still speaking</em>, a cloud appears and the voice of God reiterates the statement from Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:17) that Jesus is God's beloved child, with whom God is well pleased.
<p>
And the disciples are terrified, and Jesus comforts them, and Moses and Elijah disappear -- and one imagines that Jesus stops glowing -- and the 4 of them go back down the mountain.
<p>
They continue their journey toward Jerusalem -- on which journey Jesus will twice more reiterate the “I will be betrayed, killed, and resurrected” prediction (Matthew 17:22-23 and 20:17-19).
<p>
One of the lessons of the Transfiguration story is that transcendent experiences are fleeting and are not a place we can stay forever; instead, we have to go back -- not just to return to regular life but, at this point in the biblical story, to continue on toward a confrontation with the powers of Empire that may ultimately kill us.
<p>
Lent invites us in to the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness after being baptized and before beginning public ministry.
<p>
Lent has traditionally been a catechumenary period -- with adults often getting baptized during the Easter Vigil service, having died to their old lives and been reborn in Christ.
<p>
This year in particular, I think there’s a lot of value in focusing on Lent as valuable in and of itself, not just as a means to an end. Especially if we think of it as mirroring Jesus’ time in the desert, when Jesus faces the temptations of comfort and security, the temptation to give our allegiance to that which is not God.
<p>
Lent feels to me like a good metaphor for our lives under this current political regime, and we’re going to spend a lot more than 40 days here.
<p>
Using the Transfiguration as a guide, I’d like to propose 3 things we bring with us into Lenten times and places -- into deserts and wildernesses -- to sustain us:<ol>
<li>Our belovedness
<li>Our tradition
<li>Our community</ol>
The most obvious piece of the Transfiguration story -- in fact the piece which we use to name the story -- is Jesus glowing like the sun.
<p>
Because God breaks up the party, it’s easy -- at least for me -- to forget what God actually says: “This is my child, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Echoing what God said at Jesus’ baptism -- which we celebrated just a couple months ago.
<p>
Yes, when God says it at the Transfiguration, Jesus has done a fair amount of teaching and healing -- but the baptism was one of the very first stories Matthew told about Jesus, before Jesus had done anything at all. We are beloved to God, who is well pleased with us, because we are God’s children, not because of any of our accomplishments.
<p>
In a sermon on the Baptism of Jesus<sup>1</sup>, reflecting on the temptation in the wilderness that immediately follows the baptism, Lutheran pastor and problematic fave Nadia Bolz-Weber<sup>2</sup> said, “Before we do anything wrong and before we do anything right, God has named and claimed us as God’s own. But almost immediately, other things try to tell us who we are and to whom we should belong.” She suggests that “if God’s first move is to give us our identity, then the devil’s first move is to throw that identity into question.”
<p>
As Parity states, “God insists that we look for the spark of life, of hope, in ourselves and one another.” This can be hard. Sometimes we feel worn out, like we’re failing at everything, like all the systems we’re working against are just too big and too powerful… Jesus probably feels you on this. The text doesn’t tell us <em>why</em> Jesus took a few of the disciples up to this mountain, but we read elsewhere in the Gospels about Jesus retreating away from the crowds, up to a mountain alone to pray (e.g., Matthew 14.23), so it’s very possible that Jesus was tired and needed a break. God’s declaration of belovedness doesn’t come in the midst of an impressive crowd scene, but instead in a quiet moment apart, perhaps a moment of weariness.
<p>
Prof. Alyce M. McKenzie <a href=http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Finding-Ourselves-in-the-Story-Alyce-McKenzie-02-25-2011?offset=1&max=1>suggests</a>:
<blockquote>If you know what it is like to be tired, to have people seeking you out for what you can do for them, and other people criticizing you and working against you, if you have ever been filled with dread at what lies ahead, you have a little something in common with Jesus. If you know what it's like to feel those things as a direct result of serving God, then you have even more in common with Jesus.</blockquote>
Admittedly, most of us don’t get a personal Transfiguration glow or a declaration from the heavens, but I do want to argue that God is still with us.
<p>
I’m not sure exactly where Parity is getting their Augustinian teaching that “we cannot despair because despair paralyzes,” but in <a href=https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=3355>Sermon 142</a> (preaching on John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”) Augustine exhorts against despair, reminding us of St. Paul’s statement that “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6) and asserting that we were so loved before there was anything in us to merit that love.
<p>
We are deeply, unfathomably loved. And nothing we can do or fail to do, nothing that can be done to us, can change that.
<p>
As we have often heard quoted from Paul’s letter to the Romans:
<blockquote>I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:38-39, NRSV, alt.)</blockquote>
I would add to Paul’s list of things that cannot separate us from the love of God: executive orders, deportations, angry white men with guns, despair, fatigue, numbness, an inability to make phonecalls, an inability to attend protests … none of the threats to our safety or the voices that say we’re not doing enough, can separate us from the love of God.
<p>
Black gay Episcopalian Broderick Greer, preparing to preach this Sunday, <a href=https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/835305342946979840>noted</a>:
<blockquote>when studying for my homily, I found out that the original word for "transfigured" can mean "Appearance matching one's inner reality".</blockquote>
A Transfiguration moment is one in which we are truly and deeply known. It is at this moment and at Jesus’ baptism that God’s voice breaks through the clouds to say, “This is my beloved child, with whom I am well-pleased.” That identity, beloved of God, is always at the core of who we are.
<p>
Now, the second most memorable part of the story is the appearance of Moses and Elijah -- representatives of the Law and the Prophets. We’re told that they talk with Jesus, though Matthew doesn’t tell us what they talk <em>about</em>. But their very appearance, in addition to suggesting a sort of blessing from the elders, reminds us of the tradition that Jesus inherited.
<p>
Many generations back, the Hebrews had left Canaan because there was a famine, and they settled in Egypt, where they ended up enslaved. Born to Hebrews, Moses escapes death due to the kindness and cunning of a variety of women, living first as an Egyptian royal and then marrying into the family of a desert priest, before finally returning to Egypt to lead the Hebrews out of bondage, aided by Moses’ siblings Aaron and Miriam. Moses leads the people for forty years, bringing them the Law which will help them live in closer covenant with God and sometimes intervening on the people’s behalf when God gets really upset at their breaking that covenant.
<p>
Generations later, in their new home, the kingdom that the Hebrews build will fracture, and Elijah will arise as one of the great prophets, zealous for God, calling down a drought and being fed by ravens in the desert, threatened with death by an angry ruler and spoken to by God in a mountain cave.
<p>
Jesus comes from a tradition not just of Law and Prophets but of border people, people who are rarely at home in the comfortable center but are called into places of newness and conflict, called to do a new thing with and for God’s people.
<p>
This discomfort, this marginality, feels really resonant to me in this socio-political moment.
<p>
This is the tradition that we, too, inhabit. We do not inherit a promise that it will be easy, but we do inherit a promise that God will be with us. As God was with Moses, and Elijah, and Jesus, and the communities around them.
<p>
Which brings us to the third item, that this mountaintop experience -- unlike many mountaintop experiences -- happened in community, with witnesses.
<p>
Only 3 witnesses, admittedly, but still, this was not a private meeting between Jesus and the ancestors or Jesus and God, this was something that Jesus and Peter and James and John could all carry with them.
<p>
We don’t know how the disciples reflected on this experience, or what they said amongst themselves about it -- only that the story made it into the written record, showing up in 3 out of 4 of our canonical Gospels. But we can imagine them whispering among themselves while walking a long and dusty road, or under cover of darkness as they drift toward sleep -- reminding themselves that it really happened, and wondering what exactly it means.
<p>
When things get harder -- and they will -- we have a community who can remind us of the Transfiguration moments.
<p>
We have a community who can remind us of our tradition -- of those who came before us, and why we continue to do this work.
<p>
We have a community who can remind us that we are beloved.
<p>
We have people who can go on retreat with us, who can dance in defiant joy with us, who can renew our baptisms with us after we’ve changed our name, who can march and rally with us, who can provide childcare and pots of soup.
<p>
Blogger D. Mark Davis <a href=http://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.com/2014/02/transforming-vision.html>noted</a> that the Greek word translated “transfigured” (or “transformed”) only shows up 2 other times in the New Testament outside of the Transfiguration story: Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18.
<blockquote>Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)
<p>
And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of God as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from God, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18, NRSV, alt.)</blockquote>
Transfiguration is, for most of us, a process. Those moments when we reflect our best selves, when we are most in tune with God, we can carry with us into Lent to sustain us.
<p>
Nurtured and fed by our community, our tradition, and our core identity as God's beloved, we can make our way through even the most threatening and bewildering times.
<p>
Amen.
<p>
---
<p>
<sup>1</sup> Bolz-Weber, Nadia. <i>Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint</i>. New York: Jericho Books, 2013, pp. 138-9.
<p>
<sup>2</sup> Insert long footnote here about how she (and Rachel Held Evans) responded (or failed to) when it became known that their friend Tony Jones had abused his now ex-wife.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-86479422589894438402016-12-25T18:03:00.000-05:002017-02-25T20:09:48.390-05:00Christmas morning 2016Probably surprising no one who read <a href=http://windtheme.blogspot.com/2016/12/christmas-eve-2016.html>last night's blogpost</a>, this morning's sermon also seemed banal to me. The presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Luke 2:22ff) -- which is more appropriately next Sunday 'cause circumcision is 8 days after birth (it's right there in verse 21) but okay, I can roll with it (and the preacher pointed out that this scene actually happens 40 days after the Nativity -- which I can believe is the purification period law, but I would have appreciated an explicit nod to that*).
<p>
When we imagine the baby Jesus, do we see Jesus the way that Simeon (and Anna) did? One could actually do things with that, but I felt like the sermon was so blah blah blah. Like, even if I agreed with the preacher's theology (which I don't entirely) I don't think I would have felt nourished by the sermon.
<p>
A couple times he quoted Simeon's line to Mary "and a sword will pierce your own soul too," but he didn't talk at all about how it can be difficult to follow in the Way of Jesus, to have one's life transformed by accepting the promise of salvation/redemption/restoration that God offers us in Jesus. He talked a little about how Simeon and Anna were the only people to recognize Jesus out of all the adults and all the babies in the Temple that day, but he didn't talk at all about what it might have been like, for example, for Simeon to spend his whole life waiting for this promise to be fulfilled -- did he ever doubt? So many opportunities to make this story relevant to contemporary U.S. Christians, even without getting into national/global politics, and none taken!
<p>
I didn't feel like I came out of the sermon with any real idea about who/what Jesus "really" is, other than some vague nods to the Crucifixion and Jesus as savior of the world. But "seeing who Jesus really is" was the whole point of the sermon, so that feels like a total preaching fail to me.
<p>
I just, I don't have the ability to talk for 5-10 minutes (I didn't time the sermon) and basically say nothing, and I don't understand how someone can draft a sermon like that and think it's acceptable.
<p>
<small>* My HarperCollins study Bible on verse 22 referred me to Leviticus 12, and the purification period for the bearer of a child assigned male at birth is 33 days (verse 4). But it also asserts that the periods are consecutive ("For seven days following the birth of a male child and fourteen following that of a female child, no conjugal relations are allowed. For an additional period of thirty-three and sixty-six days respectively, contact with sacred spaces and objects is proscribed.") so 7+33=40.</small>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-35957677956221535602016-12-25T00:30:00.000-05:002017-02-25T20:09:35.148-05:00Christmas Eve 2016Every year, I go back to my parents' for Christmas and go to Christmas Eve service at the church I grew up in -- which has a different pastor now but a similar centrist non-political vibe. So it's not like I was actively expecting critique of our nation's slide into a fascist dumpster fire, I just -- the service is roughly Lessons & Carols, with the pastor offering a brief "meditation" after each reading, and each reading/meditation I found myself hungering for something substantive, something connecting the ancient story to the present day ... and it was just so banal, like why are you even bothering? Christmas Eve and Easter are the two most attended church services in the year, so those are your big chances to really speak to people, and if you want to let the texts speak for themselves I can understand that choice (who wants to have to come up with something new to say about the Christmas story?), but if you're gonna offer commentary, then actually <em>say</em> something!
<blockquote>In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”
<br>-Luke 1:26-37 (NRSV)</blockquote>
It's really difficult for me to hear this story afresh, so I zoned out, and in the meditation the pastor talked about Jesus is the savior of all but came first to the Jews, fulfilling a promise God made to Abraham centuries before, and I worried there was gonna be some awkward supersessionism or something, but there wasn't, and I was hopeful that this would segue to opposing the rise of anti-Semitism ... but it didn't.
<blockquote>In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
<br>-Luke 2:1-7 (NRSV)</blockquote>
So, the census made me think of the idea that's been floated of a Muslim registry. And hey, Syria! Or you could talk about how this positions Jesus in a specific political and historical context, that we don't exist separate from the political structures of our world.
<p>
Instead, the pastor talked about how each Gospel has a different author and is written to a different audience, and Luke is writing to Gentiles, to Greeks, and so he's situating the story with references they would recognize, but these men who were the most powerful political figures of their time are dust now (while Jesus is not). Which, okay, true, but systems (racism, capitalism, etc.) persist -- and this comes uncomfortably close to implying that it doesn't really matter who the earthly political leaders are because ultimately Jesus is Lord.
<blockquote>In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger.
<br>-Luke 2:8-16 (NRSV)</blockquote>
The pastor wondered what that experience must have been like for the shepherds -- and said that's nothing compared to what the experience of the Second Coming will be like. Really, that's where you're going with this? The message of salvation comes first to some of the lowest people in society, and the message is PEACE -- days after the President Elect Tweets about a nuclear arms race, and all you have to say is to close out the service bringing us full circle from God's promise to Abraham to the eventual Second Coming? You have made glancing mention of the Crucifixion and the salvation you believe was enacted in that, but beyond some vague cosmic ideas you have given me nothing about why I should still care about this ancient story or what God has to say to the present moment. I get that most people show up to Christmas Eve service because (a) they already care, or (b) it's just What You Do, or (c) their family dragged them, so probably no one else was unhappy with this service, but I just don't understand how you can be a theologically engaged person (which this preacher is; my mom really appreciates how much Scripturally engaged his Sunday morning preaching is), and honestly just a person living in the world today, and ~preach such an empty service.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-79613254469492167342016-12-23T19:13:00.000-05:002020-05-28T21:05:14.223-04:00picture book recs (round 2)Nibling turns 6 months old today, and I've definitely gotten far fewer picturebooks read in the last 6 months than I did in the preceding 6 months (~50 vs. ~150). I also feel like I've been excited by fewer books (understandable, as I've gotten through most of the obvious recommendations).
<p>
Books I'm excited to recommend:
<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4237385-my-people>My People</a></i> written by Langston Hughes & illustrated by photographer Charles R. Smith Jr. [African-American]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22749711-drum-dream-girl>Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music</a></i> written by Margarita Engle & illustrated by Rafael López [Chinese-African-Cuban girl, based on a historical true story]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/814357.The_Name_Jar>The Name Jar</a></i> written by Yangsook Choi [Korean immigrant]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5248605-shining-star>Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story</a></i> written by Paula Yoo & illustrated by Lin Wang [Chinese-American biography]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133472.Bee_bim_Bop_>Bee-bim Bop!</a></i> written by Linda Sue Park & illustrated by Ho Baek Lee [Korean]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1104245.Chachaji_s_Cup>Chachaji's Cup</a></i> written by Uma Krishnaswami & illustrated by Soumya Sitaraman [India/Indian-American]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13418252-the-dead-family-d-az>The Dead Family Díaz</a></i> written by P.J. Bracegirdle & illustrated by Poly Bernatene [except I can't tell if the author is of Mexican heritage or not]
</ul>
Second tier:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21469057.28_Days_Moments_in_Black_History_that_Changed_the_World>28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World</a></i> written by Charles R. Smith Jr. & illustrated by Shane W. Evans
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1131774.Let_It_Shine>Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters</a></i> written by Andrea Davis Pinkney & illustrated by Stephen Alcorn [more of an older kid book -- mostly text]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7244935-rene-has-two-last-names-rene-tiene-dos-apellidos>René Has Two Last Names / René tiene dos apellidos</a></i> written by René Colato Laínez & illustrated by Fabiola Graullera Ramírez [Salvadoran-American]
</ul>
<p>
***
<p>
Initially, I was particularly interested in books about the African-American experience, because my (white) nibling was going to be growing up in St. Louis, southwest of Ferguson.
<p>
Then about 4 months post-birth, my brother got a new job and they started planning a move to Florida, and the Hispanic/Latinx/Caribbean(-American) experience felt to me most relevant (with Cuba particularly in mind given Fidel Castro's death while we were visiting for Thanksgiving) -- and yes, I know that Afro-Caribbean is very real.
<p>
But then I was going through the picturebooks remaining on my To Read list on GoodReads and yeah, I'm still interested in All the books.
<p>I went to the <a href=http://www.fathomevents.com/event/allegiance>Fathom Events</a> broadcast of George Takei's Broadway musical <a href=http://allegiancemusical.com/><cite>Allegiance</cite></a> earlier this month, and I want more books about people of Asian ancestry, including historical books. (Including history that's not American history -- I recently read Haruki Murakami's novel <cite>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</cite> and was aware of how little I know about the historical context of the Asian portion of WWII.)
<p>And in looking at my GR to-read list, I was aware that many of the African-American books on there are biographies -- which is great, but I also want to have plenty of books about regular people today, that makes people-not-like-me part of the reader-child's natural world <small>(thinking of my own nibling; obviously it's also important for kids to see <em>themselves</em> reflected)</small>, not just distant figures in history (this is especially true for Native Americans, who we tend to forget still exist).
<p>
I have said before that I'm grateful to be picturebook shopping at a time when there are so many well-written well-illustrated picturebooks by and about people who aren't the unmarked default of white, straight, cisgender, Christian, economically comfortable, etc. And that's certainly true, but I'm also conscious of how few books (available in English in the US) there are about kids from India, how few books there are about kids with disabilities (especially ones that aren't aimed at teaching Valuable Life Lessons to non-disabled kids), etc., etc. I'd guess there are the most picturebooks about default-setting kids; followed by African-American; followed by Latinx; followed by East Asian-American; then I'm not sure the breakdown of Jewish, Muslim, Native American, Indian, disabled, Deaf, other identity categories I'm not thinking of...Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-30526942115641404342016-12-23T00:41:00.000-05:002016-12-23T00:41:50.672-05:00[2016] The Christmas Revels: An Acadian-Cajun Celebration of the Winter SolsticeI took my mom to <a href=https://www.revels.org/shows-events/christmas-revels/>Christmas Revels</a> tonight.
<p>
I wasn't expecting Revels to be explicitly political, but the Introduction in the program from Artistic Director Paddy Swanson said:<blockquote>
One might think that the grim underpinnings of this year's Revels would make for a gloomy Christmas celebration. Nothing could be further from the truth. Paradoxically, the darkness of this story sets off the brilliant light of the Acadian spirit.
<p>
At this time, with over 65 million displaced persons adrift in the world, the historical fate of the Acadians who were expelled from their homeland by the English in 1755 may seem a relatively small tragedy, a sad story that humans seem doomed to repeat generation after generation. At the heart of the story, however, embedded in their music and customs, is a unique Acadian lesson in survival and change that remains as powerful and topical as ever. This is an example of a community that endured and adapted and in the end created an alternative identity for itself as Cajun, Music was the thread that tied together the Acadian people's experience of pain and joy. If they had to walk, they would fashion a walking song. [...]
</blockquote>
And when David Coffin was teaching us the songs at the beginning, he told us we were to stand for the third and final verse of "The Sussex Mummer's Carol," saying, "These days, you've gotta stand for something -- or you'll fall for anything," and yes a lot of people groaned at the old joke, but I also felt like the first half was really pointed.
<p>
The scene where the British soldiers come to the Acadians [in what is now Nova Scotia] and basically tell them that this land is under British control now and they can leave or they can stay -- on the condition that they sign a loyalty oath, their practice of their religion might be outlawed in the future, etc. -- felt really resonant in this current historical moment -- a new regime that you didn't ask for takes control, and you don't know if you're safe in your homeland anymore.
<p>
I had been excited to see in the program<blockquote><b>HOME (FRAGMENT OF A POEM BY WARSAN SHIRE)</b>
<p>
Warsan Shire is a Somalian writer based in England who distills the refugee experience into haunting poetry. Her work has recently achieved popularity as the poetic underpinning of Beyoncé's latest album <cite>Lemonade</cite>.
</blockquote>but I still wept as I watched two adults tell a child a to leave.<blockquote><i>and no one would leave home<br>
unless home chased you to the shore<br>
unless home told you<br>
to quicken your legs<br>
leave your clothes behind<br>
crawl through the desert<br>
wade through the oceans<br>
drown<br>
save<br>
be hunger<br>
beg<br>
forget pride<br>
your survival is more important<br>
<br>
no one leaves home until home is a sweaty voice in your ear<br>
saying-<br>
leave,<br>
run away from me now<br>
i dont know what i’ve become<br>
but i know that anywhere<br>
is safer than here<br>
</i>
</blockquote>[I think the fragment the Revels scene closed with ended with "leave" repeated, transitioning to "go," but the rest of that verse, which closes out the full poem, is so powerful.]
<p>
The next piece was the "Lord of the Dance," which always precedes intermission, and which felt jarringly upbeat after that low-light recitation, but that song is a story of the Christian triumph over death, so it also felt somewhat appropriate, that defiant joy even in the midst of so much loss and sadness and uncertainty.
<p>
So much walking happens, and the little girl says she hates war (they've been evicted from their homeland because the British and French keep fighting over it), and then we sang "Dona Nobis Pacem" (which we sing almost every Revels) and introing it, David said something like, "Let's make a little peace, at least for this moment."
<p>
The Acadians learn of land in Louisiana available from the Spanish and travel down there. The little girl wishes for a proper Christmas, and her companion asks what she wants, offers her a make-believe Christmas. The first thing she says she wants is a house, and I started tearing up again.
<p>
The Three Kings show up (one played by a woman, I was pleased to note), in Mardi Gras aesthetic, and Caspar says to her, "In your time you may be Ah-cadians, but in our time you're just Cajuns," and says that she's already either "home" or "family," I forget, but I was really touched. I'm not into blood connections as inherently meaningful, but the idea of those connections across time and space, of people finding each other, of people welcoming each other as family...
<p>
In The Mummers' Play, King Rex fights King Alligator, and at one point the Alligator says something like, "I could defeat you with one hand tied behind my back," and King Rex makes a comment about his small hands, and the audience laughs, and Rex stays paused, like, "You get it?" and I suspect most of us got it the first time, but people laughed again. After Rex defeats the Alligator, he chases him offstage saying something like, "Get out of here or I'll drain your swamp," and the Alligator says, "Promises, promises..." So yeah, Revels, not afraid to use humor to punch up.
<p>
After the Sword Dance and the ritual killing of the King, someone asks if there's a doctor in the house, and enter <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._John>Dr. John</a> (in an outfit like <a href=https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0003/360/MI0003360684.jpg%3Fpartner%3Dallrovi.com&imgrefurl=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dr-john-mn0000205180&h=750&w=500&tbnid=MnLGdWvTibIXZM:&vet=1&tbnh=186&tbnw=124&docid=G-5ANfLc9ptenM&itg=1&usg=__5V8ScaxvbLfqYnjHCSkCgJ3Jblw=&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjxupm6uYnRAhXr5oMKHYyPBLwQ_B0IkwEwDQ&ei=HqRcWPGzLuvNjwSMn5LgCw#h=750&tbnh=186&tbnw=124&vet=1&w=500>this one</a>, minus the bone necklace -- Revels photo <a href=https://www.facebook.com/therevels/photos/a.10154252921492775.1073741863.135763762774/10154252932387775/?type=3&theater>here</a>) and <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dixie_Cups>The Dixie Cups</a> (with elaborate headdresses such that I first thought they were doing a drag queen aesthetic). It felt like the most contemporary music/dance I've seen in Revels.
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After we sang The Sussex Mummer's Carol (the end of the show), the band played upbeat music for a while, and it felt really good and important. The annual reading of Susan Cooper's poem "The Shortest Day" (which comes right before that song in the program), listening to it this year I was thinking about the fierce reveling against the darkness, keeping the light alive.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-10501009777840852822016-09-04T15:45:00.001-04:002020-08-15T19:47:51.541-04:00[FCS] "Letting Go of the Shore"<b>Letting Go of the Shore</b>
<p>[Audio recorded version available <a href=http://www.firstchurchsomerville.org/worship/sermons/view/427>here</a>.]
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Our Scripture reading this morning comes from the Gospel according to Luke.
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Luke’s is one of 4 different reports of the life and ministry of Jesus, and is often referred to as the one most favorable toward those on the margins -- women and the poor.
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In Luke’s gospel, the birth of Jesus is announced first to poor shepherds working the night shift out in the dirty fields with smelly sheep. Some of the parables unique to Luke’s Gospel are the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal.
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Our reading today comes about 2/3 of the way through the book -- Jesus has already begun turning toward Jerusalem, warning the disciples that the Child of Humanity will suffer, be killed, and rise again.
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Listen now for what the Spirit is saying to the Church.<blockquote><sup>25</sup>Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and Jesus turned and said to them, <sup>26</sup>“Whoever comes to me and does not hate parent, spouse, children, siblings, yes, and even life itself, is not able to be my disciple. <sup>27</sup>Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me is not able to be my disciple. <sup>28</sup>For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether you have enough to complete it? <sup>29</sup>Otherwise, when you have laid a foundation and are not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule you, <sup>30</sup>saying, ‘This person began to build and was not able to finish.’ <sup>31</sup>Or what ruler, going out to wage war against another ruler, will not sit down first and consider whether they are able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against them with twenty thousand? <sup>32</sup>If they cannot, then, while the other is still far away, they send a delegation and ask for the terms of peace. <sup>33</sup>So therefore, none of you is able to become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
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Luke 14:25-33 (NRSV, alt.)</blockquote>
(In the beginning was the Word. / <b>And the Word was with God.</b>)
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Church, will you pray with me?
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<i>God, may the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, keep us along the journey to Jerusalem, to the tomb, and into the Resurrection life. Amen.</i>
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The Luke passage assigned for today is arguably even more divisive than <a href=http://www.firstchurchsomerville.org/worship/sermons/view/425>the one Henry preached on a few weeks ago</a> -- today Jesus says, "Whoever comes to me and does not hate parent, spouse, children, siblings, yes, and even life itself, is not able to be my disciple. [...] therefore, none of you is able to become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
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I think we often get stuck on the "give up all your possessions" bit -- Matthew and Mark each have a whole story about a law-abiding rich young ruler who goes away from Jesus sad because "sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor" is too big of an ask for someone who has managed to obey all the Commandments. But this whole "hate your entire family and even your very life" is pretty intense.
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Now, I don't think that Jesus wants us to literally hate our family members -- earlier in Luke, Jesus proclaimed:<blockquote>“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. [...] If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.” (Luke 6:27-28 & 32, NRSV)</blockquote>And Jesus certainly doesn’t want us to hate our own life -- I think Jesus weeps at suicidality, just as Jesus weeps at anything that makes people believe they would be better off dead.
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On the passage that Henry preached on ("Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!"), black gay Episcopalian Broderick Greer <a href=https://twitter.com/BroderickGreer/status/764887676357083136>Tweeted</a>, "When good news is being announced and enacted at the margins, it often sounds bad news to the powers that be."
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I think the message in this morning’s gospel passage is similar. Various commentators<sup>1</sup> have noted that in context, the Hebrew word translated “hate” means more like detachment, a choosing of one over the other -- like when Jesus later says that you cannot serve two masters, for surely you will love one and hate the other (Luke 16:13). Here, Jesus is saying, “This is a big deal. I am bringing about radical transformation of <em>everything</em>, and you have to be more committed to the transformed life than you are to any of even your closest interpersonal relationships or the life you currently have -- otherwise this literally just won’t work. You cannot learn to swim if you never let go of the shore.”
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This weekend we celebrate Labor Day -- though many of us are used to celebrating it with barbecues and department store sales, rather than reflecting on the history of labor in the US.
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According to <a href=https://www.jacobinmag.com/2015/09/labor-day-may-first-american-labor-movement-haymarket/>a <cite>Jacobin article</cite> last year</a>, “Although previous Septembers had seen small workers celebrations in many states observing the end of summer, the first federally protected Labor Day was marked in 1894 with an AFL [American Federation of Labor]-supported parade.”
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So that sounds really good, right? Over a century ago, President Grover Cleveland declared a federal holiday recognizing the labor movement. Except that earlier that same year, Cleveland had brought in the US Army to suppress the Pullman Strike, and he made Labor Day a federal holiday to curry favor from workers who were understandably pissed about that.
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I wonder if this is the kind of trying to have it both ways that Jesus rejects.
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At the same time as President Cleveland was making Labor Day a federal holiday, many groups had been pushing for May 1st -- May Day -- to be an International Workers' Day, commemorating Chicago's 1886 Haymarket affair.
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In May of 1886, folks were rallying in Haymarket Square in Chicago to support workers striking for an eight-hour work day and to protest the recent killings of workers by police. Sounds similar to contemporary #FightFor15 and #BlackLivesMatter protests. The police ordered folks to disperse and someone threw a homemade bomb in front of the police as they advanced on the protestors. Many were killed and wounded in the ensuing violence and, shockingly, accounts vary about whether protestors fired first, about whether police fired on folks who were fleeing, etc.
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There was a harsh anti-union (and anti-immigrant) backlash after this incident (and a huge outpouring of support, including financial support, for the police). Lots of people only peripherally involved in the rally were arrested. Media stoked public opinion against anarchists for their violent tactics. This all may also sound familiar.
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This is the kind of history we could recall on Labor Day. A reminder that we’re not in control of what will happen after -- whether someone will throw a pipe bomb in front of us, whether the police will shoot at us, whether our homes will be raided or public opinion will turn against us -- but we can control how we react, what choices we make.
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And those choices are not always easy.
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Would you have marched in Grover Cleveland’s Labor Day parade in 1894? Would you have refused, still bitter from his response to the Pullman strike earlier in the year? Would you have waited until an eight-hour workday was the norm, something that still hadn’t happened 8 years after the Haymarket protests?
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I’m not here to tell you how a hypothetical you should have behaved over a century ago, but the various texts assigned for this Sunday all converge around this theme of the choices we make.
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In <a href=http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=278#hebrew_reading>the reading from the prophet Jeremiah</a>, God talks about being like a potter, and while that’s lovely and all, Jeremiah speaks of a vision of God-the-potter with a clay vessel that was spoiled, and which God reworks into an entirely new vessel. God literally says (paraphrased), “house of Israel, you are like this clay in the potter’s hand, I can break down and destroy kingdoms, and I can plant and build up kingdoms” (Jeremiah 18:5-9). This is not a comfort but a threat -- “you think we have this special relationship, but I could destroy you and make a new Chosen People.”
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The Republican nominee for President this year has been using the phrase "Make America Great Again," and the Democratic nominee has countered with "America Is Already Great" -- which, while politically understandable, is a response I'm uncomfortable with on account of how it elides the MANY MANY ways in which America is deeply flawed. Now, I don’t think God is about to smush us into a ball of clay and build up a new nation on this land -- but I also don’t think it’s the worst thing God could do, especially since we white folk already played God on this land, nearly destroying the nations who were already here (the Wampanoag locally, and I’m not even going to attempt to list the currently <a href=http://www.ncai.org/about-tribes>566 federally recognized Indian Nations</a> in what is now the US).
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a biracial man, recently got blasted by certain parts of White America for not standing during the national anthem before a football game.
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In an interview with NFL Media, he <a href=http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000691077/article/colin-kaepernick-explains-protest-of-national-anthem>said</a>: "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder."
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Earlier in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus opens public ministry by reading from the prophet Isaiah “The Spirit of God is upon me, because God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the jubilee year” (Luke 4:18-19, quoting Isaiah 61:1-2) and declaring “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” -- and then the hometown crowd tries to throw Jesus off a cliff. Now, one can certainly read the story as the people reacting to Jesus saying, “This thing that God promised to do? You have seen that promise fulfilled here and now in me” -- reacting to the equation of this peasant kid with God -- and certainly between the Scripture reading and the attempted murder, Jesus gives a little “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown” speech which seems aimed at pissing off the crowd. But I wonder if part of it was that they didn’t actually want that Scripture fulfilled -- because to do so would involve a radical re-ordering of the structure of their lives, their communities, their institutions, and they were not interested in that.
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What if when Jesus said, “I have come to proclaim release to the captives,” Jesus meant, “That’s cool and all that you’ve started <a href=https://www.aclu.org/blog/speak-freely/justice-departments-call-axe-private-prison-contracts-victory-ice-must-now-do-same>the slow process of shutting down the 13 federal private prisons</a>, and you’ve <a href=http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/justice-department-says-poor-can-t-be-held-when-they-n634676>declared that poor folks can’t be held in jail just because they can’t afford bail</a>, but I am coming to abolish this whole system. I’m here to abolish Immigrant Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Homeland Security, and the whole prison industrial complex.”
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I can imagine many people hearing a call to dismantle our toxic policing system as an assertion that, “If you do not hate your parent, spouse, children, or siblings who are police officers, then you are not able to be my disciple.”
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Later in Luke, Jesus will say, “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it” (Luke 17:33). Those who tie their identity to the structures of a fallen world will not be able to enter into the new life that is growing up all around us, but those who are able to empty their hands of all the preconceived notions we carry with us about how the world works will be able to receive new and unexpected gifts. You cannot learn to swim if you never let go of the shore.
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In the text for today, Jesus uses the analogy of preparing for going to war -- cautioning that you not set yourself up for failure and embarrassment by getting into a war you can’t win. I don’t think Jesus supported war in the traditional military sense, but many in Jesus’ community expected the Messiah to be a Davidic king who would overthrow the occupying government. And I wonder if Jesus is saying in part, “You think we’re going to use the master’s tools to dismantle the master’s house?<sup>3</sup> Do you think you really have what it takes to defeat the Powers that are oppressing us, or are you going to find yourself outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered, outplanned?”<sup>4</sup>
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The Roman Empire was a powerful oppressor -- a military power that would literally leave people nailed up on crosses along the roadside dying slowly and painfully as a warning to anyone else who might try to oppose them. The Empire not only had vast amounts of military resources, but it also knew how to play games of intimidation and appeasement -- because the most effective way to police people is to get them to police themselves.
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Jesus’ counter-intuitive way to win against the Powers is to not play their game. Jesus says, “If you do not give up all your possessions, you will not be able to become my disciple.” Your comfortable suburban home where all your neighbors look and vote like you. Your assurance that if you call the police, they will not shoot you or someone you love. Your comfort giving money to yet another film that casts a cisgender man as a transgender woman. Your insistence that people in pain from yet another microaggression be calm and gracious unpaid educators.
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There are so many, many ways we shield ourselves from really entering into the pain experienced by marginalized people at the hands of the death-dealing Powers.
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Theologian Laurel Schneider talks about “promiscuous incarnation,” asserting that “the narratives of Jesus of Nazareth suggest that the divinity which his flesh reveals is radically open to consorting with anyone. It follows no rules of respectability or governing morality in its pursuit of connection with others, many others, serially and synchronically, passionately and openly.”<sup>5</sup>
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Earlier I used the analogy of needing to let go of the shore in order to be able to swim.
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Letting go of the shore enables you to go on adventures, enables you to go deep. You can’t explore all the riches of the water from the shoreline. There is a whole world that is literally unavailable to you, that you literally cannot enter into.
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In <a href=http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=278#hebrew_oth_reading>the reading for today from Deuteronomy</a>, God says, "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity." (30:15) God says (paraphrased), “Love me, stay close to me, obey my commandments, that you and your descendants may have life.” God wants so much for each and every one of us to be able to enjoy the fullest possible life. And that just isn’t possible while we’re cutting ourselves off from each other, shielding ourselves from necessary discomfort, continuing to be complicit in systemic oppression. It’s not that God wants us to be miserable, it’s that God knows transformation is hard.
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Theologian Kathy Rudy asserts that in our culture’s emphasis on monogamy, “We are told that on the deepest level our allegiance and commitment belong not to our larger community but to our partner or nuclear family.”<sup>6</sup>
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Is this perhaps what Jesus meant by saying we must hate our family to become Christ’s disciples?
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We are called to open ourselves up to broader and deeper ways of being in relationship -- community conflict resolution that doesn’t call on the police or the carceral system, stories for our children about their futures that don’t presume their gender or sexuality, facing our history honestly and building new futures.
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We do this by being vulnerable with each other and taking seriously people’s accounts of their lived experiences -- seeking out the words of autistic people, people with disabilities, people living with mental illness, currently and formerly incarcerated folks, indigenous folks and people of color... And I do mean people’s own lived experiences -- not people who have studied or worked with these populations; not tourists who tried out the experience of wearing hijab in public, asking for spare change on street corners, being a woman on the Internet, or whatever -- actual people’s own lived experiences in the world inhabiting their own identities.
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This kind of relationship-building, this work of stretching our comfort and expanding our knowledge, doesn’t require waiting for a leader, it’s work we can do now, and must always keep doing as we continue growing into the Kindom.
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Amen.
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<b>References</b> (besides the ones already hyperlinked in the text)
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1. On "hate" in this text:<ul><li>Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes, Carl R. Holladay, and Gene M. Tucker. <i>Preaching Through the Christian Year C</i>. <li><a href=http://leftbehindandlovingit.blogspot.com/2013/09/holy-hating.html>Left Behind and Loving It</a> (2013). <li><a href=http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2010/08/lectionary-blogging-luke-14-25-33.html>Progressive Involvement</a> (2010).</ul>
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2. In addition to the <cite>Jacobin</cite> article cited, I also skimmed the Wikiedia articles on <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day>Labor Day</a>, <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day>May Day</a>, <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haymarket_affair>the Haymarket affair</a>, and <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight-hour_day#United_States>the eight-hour workday</a>; as well as <a href=https://www.iww.org/history/library/misc/origins_of_mayday>an IWW piece on the origins of May Day</a>, <a href=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2004/09/why_do_we_get_labor_day_off.html>a <cite>Slate</cite> article on Labor Day</a>, and <a href=http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/01/opinion/kohn-labor-day/>a CNN opinion piece on Labor Day</a>.
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3. Shout out to <a href=http://collectiveliberation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Lorde_The_Masters_Tools.pdf>Audre Lorde</a>.
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4. I said I wasn't going to reference <cite>Hamilton</cite> ... <a href=http://genius.com/Lin-manuel-miranda-right-hand-man-lyrics>and then it happened anyway</a>.
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5. Schneider, Laurel C. "Promiscuous Incarnation." Chapter 14 in <cite>The Embrace of Eros: Bodies, Desires, and Sexuality in Christianity</cite> (Margaret D. Kamitsuka, ed.), 2010. Page 244.
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6. Rudy, Kathy. "'Where Two or More Are Gathered': Using Gay Communities as a Model for Christian Sexual Ethics." Chapter 15 in <cite>Our Families, Our Values: Snapshots of Queer Kinship</cite> (Robert E. Goss & Amy Adams Squire Strongheart, eds.), 1997. Page 201.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-82052519212689367482016-06-24T10:03:00.000-04:002020-05-28T19:04:29.428-04:00picturebooks rec list (round 1)In the 6+ months since my brother and sister-in-law announced they were expecting a baby, I've read approximately 150 picturebooks -- ranging from board books to books for elementary schoolers.
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I remain a very text-oriented person, but I'm trying to be more more attentive to the art and the ways the art and text interact.
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Things I have learned:<ol>
<li>Most picture books don't indicate reading level. (1a) The books I've been reading I think have tended toward older kids, but without explicit indicators on the book itself it's really hard for me (who doesn't have very much experience with kids) to guess at what age a kid would probably be reading this book.
<li>I like books that are not About The [X] Experience -- I prefer books that are clearly rooted in a particular culture/experience but are not About being X (this has made it difficult to find picturebooks with disabled protagonists that I even want to read).
<li>I want books to be written by people for whom that culture is native to them/they share that experience. (This is not so much a thing I have learned as a stance I already had and have been really reaffirmed in. Not only am I very much on a break from books by/about white dudes, but I don't want books by white people about chromatic culture/experience -- yes, I want fewer stories about white people, but I want to lift up the voices of actual people of color ... if I'm going to read a book about PoCs, I want to be reading a PoC's voice. Yes, there are some really excellent books by white people, but I would rather be spending my time hearing the stories of actual PoCs.)
</ol>
Partly for my own reference, and partly because other people have expressed interest, here's my rec list so far. These are listed in approximately the order in which I read them.
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Favorites:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2880444-just-in-case>Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book</a></i> by Yuyi Morales
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25737510-the-zero-dads-club>The Zero Dads Club</a></i> written by Angel Adeyoha & illustrated by Aubrey Williams (from S. Bear Bergman's micro-press <a href=http://www.flamingorampant.com/fullrainbow.html>Flamingo Rampant</a>) [most if not all characters are PoC, and one is a wheelchair user]
</ul>
I have quibbles with just about everything, but other books that would probably make my rec list are:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8554565-all-the-colors-of-the-earth>All the Colors of the Earth</a></i> by Sheila Hamanaka [characters of various ethnicities]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14823562-the-longest-night>The Longest Night: A Passover Story</a></i> written by Laurel Snyder & illustrated by Catia Chien
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1763529.Global_Babies>Global Babies</a></i> by Global Fund for Children (board book)
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1048386.Princess_Smartypants>Princess Smartypants</a></i> by Babette Cole [white characters]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13156623-golden-domes-and-silver-lanterns>Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors</a></i> written by Hena Khan & illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4523084-the-night-of-the-moon>The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story</a></i> written by Hena Khan & illustrated by Julie Paschkis [Pakistani-American protagonist]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5954159-tough-chicks>Tough Chicks</a></i> written by Cece Meng & illustrated by Melissa Suber
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/613865.Pirate_Girl>Pirate Girl</a></i> written by Cornelia Funke & illustrated by Kerstin Meyer [white characters]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2014018.Crazy_Horse_s_Vision>Crazy Horse's Vision</a></i> written by Joseph Bruchac & illustrated by S.D. Nelson [Lakota characters]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4473555-god-s-dream>God's Dream</a></i> written by Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams & illustrated by LeUyen Pham [characters of various ethnicities]
</ul>
Second tier:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/135045.I_Look_like_a_Girl>I Look Like a Girl</a></i> by Sheila Hamanaka [pictures girls of various ethnicities]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23992473-counting-on-community>Counting on Community</a></i> by Innosanto Nagara (board book) [characters of various ethnicities]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14823568-deep-in-the-sahara>Deep in the Sahara</a></i> written by Kelly Cunnane & illustrated by Hoda Hadadi [Mauritania, Muslim]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/931906.Everywhere_Babies>Everywhere Babies</a></i> written by Susan Meyers & illustrated by Marla Frazee (board book) [characters of various ethnicities]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18639513-here-is-the-world>Here Is the World: A Year of Jewish Holidays</a></i> written by Lesléa Newman & illustrated by Susan Gal
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12396987-here-come-the-girl-scouts>Here Come the Girl Scouts!: The Amazing All-True Story of Juliette 'Daisy' Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure</a></i> written by Shana Corey & illustrated by Hadley Hooper [white characters]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7933002-baxter-the-pig-who-wanted-to-be-kosher>Baxter, the Pig Who Wanted to Be Kosher</a></i> written by Laurel Snyder & illustrated by David Goldin
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13505981-cradle-me>Cradle Me</a></i> by Debby Slier (board book) [Native American babies]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3019652-welcome-song-for-baby?>Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns</a></i> by Richard Van Camp (board book) [Dene author]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1371772.SkySisters>SkySisters</a></i> written by Jan Bourdeau Waboose & illustrated by Brian Deines [Ojibway characters]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199870.Crossing_Bok_Chitto>Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom</a></i> written by Tim Tingle & illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges [characters are Choctaw and enslaved African-Americans]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7048953-jingle-dancer>Jingle Dancer</a></i> written by Cynthia Leitich Smith & illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu [Muscogee/Ojibway protagonist]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3520399-muskrat-will-be-swimming>Muskrat Will Be Swimming</a></i> written by Cheryl Savageau & illustrated by Robert Hynes [Native American, includes retelling of a Seneca tale]
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20708747-chik-chak-shabbat>Chik Chak Shabbat</a></i> written by Mara Rockliff & illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker [Jewish woman protagonist, characters of various religions and ethnicities]
</ul>
I also did specific dives into particular topics --
<p>
Diwali:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2877221-diwali>Diwali: Khushiyon Ka Tyohaar/Diwali: A Festival of Lights and Fun</a></i> written by Manisha Kumar & Monica Kumar and illustrated by Sona & Jacob
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27178958-let-s-celebrate-diwali>Let's Celebrate Diwali</a></i> written by Anjali Joshi & illustrated by Tim Palin
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26406502-the-diwali-gift>The Diwali Gift</a></i> written by Shweta Chopra and Shuchi Mehta & illustrated by Anna Koan
</ul>
slavery:<ul>
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12663866-love-twelve-miles-long>Love Twelve Miles Long</a></i> written by Glenda Armand & illustrated by Colin Bootman
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1493271.In_the_Time_of_the_Drums>In the Time of the Drums</a></i> written by Kim L. Siegelson & illustrated by Brian Pinkney
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15818577-light-in-the-darkness>Light in the Darkness: A Story about How Slaves Learned in Secret</a></i> written by Lesa Cline-Ransome & illustrated by James E. Ransome
<li><i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7362217-ben-and-the-emancipation-proclamation>Ben and the Emancipation Proclamation</a></i> written by Pat Sherman & illustrated by Floyd Cooper (NB: written by a white woman)
<li>[as mentioned above] <i><a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199870.Crossing_Bok_Chitto>Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom</a></i> written by Tim Tingle & illustrated by Jeanne Rorex Bridges [characters are Choctaw and enslaved African-Americans]
</ul>Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-17003212717670508272016-05-29T23:06:00.000-04:002016-05-29T23:39:23.781-04:00[QHC] We are the Body of Christ<b>Scripture:</b> <a href=http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=331546465>1 Corinthians 12:12-31 (NRSV)</a>
<p>
<b>Content notes:</b> mention of (no dwelling, no details) suicidality, self-harm, eating disorders, getting kicked out by your family, sexual assault
<p>
<i>Now, will you pray with me? May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable to you oh God, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.</i>
<p>
<br>
You've probably heard this list of spiritual gifts many times before, but I want to focus on this verse near the end, verse 27 -- "Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it."
<p>
YOU are the Body of Christ.
<p>
The 16th-century Spanish mystic Teresa of Avila wrote:
<blockquote>
Christ has no body but yours,
<br>No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
</blockquote>
She is asserting that we are the means by which Christ's ministry of good work in the world continues:
<blockquote>
Yours are the eyes with which [Christ] looks
<br>Compassion on this world,
<br>Yours are the feet with which [Christ] walks to do good,
<br>Yours are the hands, with which [Christ] blesses all the world.
</blockquote>
All the work that Jesus did -- siting at table with people, healing people, blessing people -- we are called to continue that work.
<p>
Paul is clear that we all have different gifts -- prophecy, teaching, healing, assisting, leading...
<p>
But I think that two of the gifts that Teresa of Avila highlights -- looking compassion on the world and blessing the world -- are gifts that we can ALL cultivate.
<p>
In her book <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5662443-an-altar-in-the-world><i>An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith</i></a>, Barbara Brown Taylor asserts that, “a blessing does not confer holiness. The holiness is already there” (p. 203).
<p>
Can we look with compassion on all that is around us and recognize the holiness therein? Can we recognize that holiness in ourselves?
She suggests practicing by blessing everyone and everyTHING that you come across -- it doesn't have to hear you, the important part is cultivating a practice in yourself of acknowledging the holy.
<p>
"Notice what happens inside you," she writes, "as the blessing goes out of you, toward something that does not deserve it, that may even repel it. <i>If you can bless a stinking dump, surely someone can bless you.</i> (p. 203)
<p>
Of course, the Beatitudes we are all so familiar with -- "Blessed are the meek," etc. -- do not merely say, "The meek are holy," they contain promises -- "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."
Taylor writes, "To pronounce a blessing is to participate in God's own initiative. To pronounce a blessing is to share God's own audacity." (p. 206)
<p>
These promises are glimpses of Kindom life, of what the fully redeemed Creation we are all working toward will look like.
<p>
Blessed are the sex workers, for they shall know pleasure without obligation.
<p>
Blessed are the queer kids kicked out of their homes, for they shall know the deep love of found family.
<p>
Blessed are the trans women of color, for they shall know bodies in which they are truly safe and at home.
<p>
In the long farewell discourse in the Gospel of John, Jesus is reported to have said, "Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these" (12:14).
<p>
It's easy to explain this as meaning that the later generations would convert even greater numbers of people or something like that, but I don't think that Jesus was so limited about what great works would entail.
<p>
I think that Jesus meant that we who came after would go even farther into radically transforming the world into one of God's delight, one where each and every one of God's children grows up in a community of care, with emotional support and health care and joyful play and meaningful work, with enough resources to comfortably sustain ourselves and those we love.
<p>
And we are all, together, the Body of Christ, reaching out our calloused hands and nursing breasts and singing voices, bringing the Kindom of God, little by little, closer to reality here on earth.
<p>
And even though we or others might say that we are not really part of the Body, because we are not like other parts of the Body -- we don't look like them, we don't act like them, we don't have their gifts -- Paul asserts:
<blockquote>
If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. (vv. 15-16)
</blockquote>
If someone says: Because you are not heterosexual, you do not belong to the Body...
<p>
If you say, Because I am suicidal, I do not belong to the Body...
<p>
If someone says: Because you have sex in exchange for drugs, you do not belong to the Body...
<p>
If you say, Because I cut and starve myself, I do not belong to the body...
<p>
Paul is there to say, no, you have been baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you are a new Creation in Christ Jesus. You are God's beloved.
<p>
And Paul even goes so far as to point out here that "the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect" (vv. 22-23). <p>It is precisely those the world seeks to dismiss that God says are most precious.
<p>
If we are the Body of Christ, then that means that our bodies are the body of Christ. Our queer, female, Black, brown, disabled, trans, bodies.
<p>
Jesus walked the earth as a particular Palestinian Jew read by the culture as male, but the Body of Christ is our body.
<p>
Jesus brought something of that consciousness -- of what it is to live our particular embodied experience, our sexuality, our chronic pain, our gender, our sexual assault, our trauma -- to Jesus' time on earth two thousand years ago. In the way that only God can do, Jesus carried the experiences of billions of humans in one body. And in the way that humans are limited, Jesus didn't necessarily always get it right -- we can talk another time about how I'm not in love with Jesus -- but still, however so slightly, something of each of us informed the Jesus we read about in the Gospels.
<p>
Paul says in Romans, "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another." (12:4-5)
<p>
We are members of one another. We belong to one another. We are responsible to and for one another.
<p>
This may mean blessing silently from a distance, this may mean offering the work and kindness of our hands, but whatever it is, it is always embodied, for we are embodied. And Paul's use of the image of the human body to describe the church universal, to describe our union with Christ, reminds us that our bodies are precious gifts from God, deeply beloved by God, and reflected in Jesus Christ. In this broken world, our bodies often fail or frustrate us, but let no one tell you that your body, or what you do with your body, makes you any less precious to the God who created, redeemed, and sustains us.
<p>
Amen.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7621627178038702995.post-81745263604849763272016-03-11T17:05:00.000-05:002016-07-05T17:50:17.584-04:00[TITW] who gets credit, #OscarsSoWhite, A Modest Proposal, nihilism + Taylor Swift; evictions and housing for the poor, Heather Maloney; do plants feel pain?<b>who gets credit</b>
<blockquote>Now new evidence suggests that the underrepresentation of women reflects a systemic bias in that marketplace: a failure to give women full credit for collaborative work done with men.
-<a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/10/upshot/when-teamwork-doesnt-work-for-women.html>"When Teamwork Doesn’t Work for Women"</a> by Justin Wolfers (Jan. 8, 2016; <cite>NYT</cite>)</blockquote>
Insert joke about Justin Wolfers (male) getting a NYT piece out of Heather Sarsons’ (female) working paper. (Yes, I know Justin’s a full professor and Heather’s finishing her PhD, so there are a lot more dynamics at play…)
<blockquote>When Princeton professor Angus Deaton co-authored a buzzed-about report this month on dying middle-aged whites, many journalists munged the order of the names. They mentioned Deaton first, as if it were mainly his paper, and not an equal collaboration with his wife.
<p>There we go again.
<p>Her name is Anne Case, and her name <a href=http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2015/10/29/1518393112.abstract>came first on the study</a>. She’s a widely-respected professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton. But apparently, Case’s sterling credentials are no match for our unconscious biases.
<p>The press might be forgiven for fixating on Angus Deaton, who won a Nobel Prize last month. But, as economist Justin Wolfers <a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/12/upshot/even-famous-female-economists-get-no-respect.html>pointed out</a> on Wednesday, the media has a nasty habit of treating female economists like second-class citizens. He noted several recent examples of journalists leaving women’s names as an afterthought.
<p>Academics can be very sensitive about who receives credit for joint papers. In economics, there’s a convention that names on a paper go alphabetically, and collaborators contribute roughly the same amount of work. So, “Anne Case and Angus Deaton,” not the other way around. To switch the names would be unusual; it would imply that Deaton did the lion’s share of the work.
<p>-<a href=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/11/13/why-men-get-all-the-credit-when-they-work-with-women/>"Why men get all the credit when they work with women"</a> by Jeff Guo (November 13, 2015; <cite>WaPo</cite>)</blockquote>
+<p>(It's Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson who are <a href=http://www.itsthedishes.com/2343/2011/03/economists-in-love-betsey-stevenson-and-justin-wolfers/>not-married for tax reasons</a> -- not Jesse Shapiro and Emily Oster.)
<p>+<p>
<a href=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130519-women-scientists-overlooked-dna-history-science/>"6 Women Scientists Who Were Snubbed Due to Sexism"</a>
<ul><li>"Born in Northern Ireland in 1943, <b><a href=http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.physics.ox.ac.uk%2Fastro%2Fpeople%2FSJocelynBellBurnell.htm&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGZQE3UhexoumYEbACzEui2bejMSw>Jocelyn Bell Burnell</a></b> discovered pulsars in 1967 while still a graduate student in radio astronomy at Cambridge University in England."
<li>"Born in 1922 in the Bronx, <b>Esther Lederberg</b> would grow up to lay the groundwork for future discoveries on genetic inheritance in bacteria, gene regulation, and genetic recombination."
<li>"Born in Liu Ho, China, in 1912, <b>Chien-Shiung Wu</b> overturned a law of physics [the law of parity] and participated in the development of the atom bomb."
<li>"Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1878, <b>Lise Meitner</b>'s work in nuclear physics <a href=http://www.sdsc.edu/ScienceWomen/meitner.html>led to the discovery of nuclear fission</a>—the fact that atomic nuclei can split in two. That finding laid the groundwork for the atomic bomb."
<li>"Born in 1920 in London, <b>Rosalind Franklin</b> used x-rays to take a picture of DNA that would change biology."
<li>"Born in 1861 in Vermont, <b>Nettie Stevens</b> performed studies crucial in determining that <a href=http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/Sex-Chromosomes-and-Sex-Determination-44565>an organism's sex was dictated by its chromosomes</a> rather than environmental or other factors."
</ul>
+<p>
<a href=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2519603>"Markets for Scientific Attribution" by Joshua S. Gans & Fiona Murray</a> says that you should assign authorship after the paper has been written if you want the best end product
<p>+++<p>
<b>#OscarsSoWhite</b>
<p>
<a href=http://time.com/4217056/oscars-america/>"What This Year’s Oscars Say About America"</a> (by Stephanie Zacharek, <i>TIME</i>, Feb. 11, 2016)
<p>+++<p>
<b>A Modest Proposal (Jonathan Swift)</b>
<p>
<a href=http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html>full text</a> or, annotated version: <a href=https://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/modest.html>annotated version</a>
<p>
My former pastor Molly Baskette back in the summer of 2012 preached on <i>The Hunger Games</i> and <a href=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Kings+6%3A24-30&version=NRSV>the story from 2 Kings</a> (the story of parents eating children during a famine -- see <a href=https://www.openbible.info/topics/cannibalism>here</a> for a list of all instances of cannibalism in the Bible).
<p>+++<p>
<b>nihilism + Taylor Swift (McSweeney's)</b>
<ul>
<li><a href=http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/nihilistic-password-security-questions>nihilistic password security questions</a>
<li><a href=http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/nihilist-job-resume>nihilist job résumé</a>
<li><a href=http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/taylor-swift-a-socratic-dialogue>Taylor Swift: A Socratic Dialogue</a>
<li><a href=http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/taylor-swifts-b-sides>Taylor Swift's B-Sides</a>
</ul>
+++<br>
+++<p>
<b>NYT article on evictions and housing for the poor</b>
<p>
<a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/20/books/a-harvard-sociologist-on-watching-families-lose-their-homes.html?emc=edit_th_20160220&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=26489006&_r=0>"A Harvard Sociologist on Watching Families Lose Their Homes"</a>
<p>+++<p>
<b>Heather Maloney</b>
<p>Has her solo stuff on <a href=https://play.spotify.com/artist/3epjAWvLxTBlI9FgGCUNID>Spotify</a> (as well as her work with Darlingside).
<p>I think it's <i>Time and Pocket Change</i> (2011) and her 2013 self-titled album that I own.
<p>+++
<br>+++<p>
<b>do plants feel pain?</b>
<blockquote><b>Nutritional yeast</b> is a deactivated <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast>yeast</a>, often a strain of <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae><i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i></a>, which is sold commercially as a food product. It is sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder and can be found in the bulk aisle of most <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_food_store>natural food stores</a>. It is popular with <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan>vegans</a> and <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism>vegetarians</a> and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condiment>condiment</a>.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-1>1</a>]</sup>
<p>While it contains trace amounts of several vitamins and minerals, it is only a significant source of some <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B>B-complex</a> vitamins. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12>vitamin B<sub>12</sub></a>.
<p>Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese>cheese</a> substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of cheese.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-2>2</a>]</sup> It can be used in many recipes in place of cheese, such as in mashed and fried potatoes, and atop scrambled tofu. Another popular use is as a topping for <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn>popcorn</a>.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-3>3</a>]</sup>
<p>In Australia, it is sometimes sold as "savoury yeast flakes." In New Zealand, it has long been known as Brufax. In the United States it is sometimes referred to as "nooch" (also spelled nüch), or "yeshi," an Ethiopian name meaning "for a thousand". Though "nutritional yeast" usually refers to commercial products, inadequately fed prisoners of war have used "home-grown" yeast to prevent vitamin deficiency.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-4>4</a>]</sup> Nutritional yeast is different from <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast_extract>yeast extract</a>, which has a very strong flavour and comes in the form of a dark brown paste.
<p>-<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast>Wikipedia</a></blockquote>
+<p><a href=http://lifealive.com/menu.html>Life Alive smoothies</a> are all vegan -- some are made with homemade almond milk, some with rice milk, some with soy milk, some with coconut milk non-dairy ice cream, and their "Vibrance Alive" doesn't have any dairy-like base.
<p>+<p>A <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_foodism>raw food diet</a> is apparently about not processing (e.g. cooking) your food, so it's kinda like Paleo (though you can do a vegan or vegetarian raw food diet).
<p>+<p>"Fruitarian" is closer to the idea of only eating foods that have fallen naturally --<blockquote>
Some fruitarians will eat only what falls (or would fall) naturally from a plant: that is, foods that can be harvested without killing or harming the plant.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-2>2</a>][<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-3>3</a>][<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-4>4</a>]</sup> These foods consist primarily of culinary fruits, nuts, and <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seed>seeds</a>.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-5>5</a>]</sup> According to author <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Gollner>Adam Gollner</a>, some fruitarians eat only fallen fruit.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-ReferenceA-6>6</a>][<i><a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Identifying_reliable_sources>unreliable source?</a></i>]</sup> Some do not eat grains, believing it is unnatural to do so,<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-7>7</a>]</sup> and some fruitarians feel that it is improper for humans to eat seeds<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-8>8</a>]</sup> as they contain future plants,<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-ReferenceA-6>6</a>]</sup> or nuts and seeds,<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-9>9</a>]</sup> or any foods besides juicy fruits.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-10>10</a>]</sup> Others believe they should eat only plants that spread seeds when the plant is eaten.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-bndnkn-11>11</a>]</sup> Others eat seeds and some cooked foods.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-pyzvyr-12>12</a>]</sup> Some fruitarians use the botanical definitions of fruits and consume <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulse_(legume)>pulses</a>, such as <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bean>beans</a>, <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pea>peas</a>, or other <a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legume>legumes</a>. Other fruitarians' diets include raw fruits, dried fruits, nuts, honey and olive oil,<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-13>13</a>]</sup>or fruits, nuts, beans and chocolate.<sup>[<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#cite_note-14>14</a>]</sup>
<p>-<a href=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruitarianism#Definitions>Wikipedia</a></blockquote>
+<p>
There's apparently a bunch of research about plants having memory, etc. (the field is misnomered "plant neurobiology")
<p><a href=http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-01-09/new-research-plant-intelligence-may-forever-change-how-you-think-about-plants>This Public Radio International article</a> summarizes and links to a <a href=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/12/23/the-intelligent-plant>Michael Pollan <i>New Yorker</i> piece</a>.Elizabeth Sweenyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02139820324292387737noreply@blogger.com0