speaking in common during a deluge of muteness
March greetings everyone.
'~~~~~~~~~~~~~'
SOME INTROSPECTIONS
Ten days ago, I moved. I moved into an apartment last year and now I moved out of that place to attempt living with my longtime boo.
I've been going through this long period of shooting myself down or something like ... anything I say about myself becomes immediately unbearable. I've been deleting a lot of half-thought thoughts. Even this is a struggle. Something quantum is happening or has happened. Do you follow what I mean? The entanglement bit. I think this has been done already somewhere. Me trying to say what I'm saying.
Thankfully I'm having a starchart reading with a powerful witch next week, and I could use any and all new interpretations on my tired perspective of life/living right now. That might imply all life/living, but I more specifically mean ~this life~ that ~i'm living~. And that implies dissatisfaction. Which is not exactly what I think is happening. Feel is happening.
The other day my friend asked/suggested me to imagine where I'll be in the future. I had a big blank. I only have vague conceptions. Delany says you must imagine everything in exacting detail, if you are writing. You must create the false memory. Rasheedah says to create the future memory. I've been having such...a ... time... making a plot of All That's Left.
Sometimes when a goal or a project just doesn't seem to materialize, a helpful thing I find to do is to say out loud, maybe I should let it go. Quit. Pass on. This thing isn't the thing anymore, and yet I keep holding on to it. There's a tarot card for that (which is it, one of those high swords).
Since I deleted my tumblr (years ago), since I got kicked off FB (years before that), and since nearly every socially mediated space around me feels off-and-on like a professional self-advertising device (and that's sort of what I do for work)... since Metropolarity turned beneath and inward, our performance events lessened, several new waves of fresh faces who have never seen me perform... since my stories get longer and longer and i'm tired of reading the short ones... I just been thinking about what it means to have an audience, and what it means to express myself for an audience.
The need for an audience to create a feedback loop. Cyborglife.
I'm an information addict. That's a confession. I live like a sponge. The other day I asked myself if maybe I was oversaturated.
I moved in with my boo to keep doing this monk's life but at least have some companionship. It's good to make change for yourself when you feel clueless.
I'm waiting to hear back from Clarion. I hope I get accepted to be quite honest, but I understand that's a simple move to make. I realize that I should be making plans for myself whether or not I'm accepted. I want access to mentors and an audience, but that's merely my assumption of what I will get.
Thanks for reading, by the way. How have you been? Daylight savings is this Sunday THANK THE STARS THANK SAINT ANTHONY THANK LA VIRGEN
(by the way, remember when i was talking about if my mechanical keyboard exacerbated my chronic tendon inflammation*? the answer is definitely yes. so sad. this thing has amazing feedback. it's fascinating how mechanics are so powerful that this pleasant sensation of typing turns into more force on overworked tendons. i better switch back to my laptop keys right now)
*i would say tendonitis if this was my condition, so don't get confused here thx
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A FEW ANNOUNCEMENTS
1) Next Thursday, March 14th, 7pm at the Wooden Shoe, Ras and myself will be repping Metropolarity for Max Fox's book release, a translation of The Amphitheater of the Dead, "a lightly science-fictionalized memoir by the French thinker Guy Hocquenghem, written in the last months of his life with the intention of prolonging it."
> Here is the FB event link
> and a Google calendar link
2) Saturday, March 23rd, 3:30 to 9pm at the Insectarium [8046 Frankford Ave,19136], once again Ras and myself will be showing out for Metropolarity at this all ages one-day sci-fi convention. It's $15, children under 4yrs are $8. Tix + other info at meatrobot.org Here's the FB event description:
A Science Fiction Community phenomenon featuring live music, a science fiction themed art show, a kids zine-workshop, RPG's hosted by Red Cap's Corner, sci-fi stories from Metropolarity, Amalgem comics, afro-futrism from Community Future's Lab, face-painting, vendors and more all amongst the beautiful insects & weird creatures featured at the Insectarium. Science Fiction is a great vehicle to explore all the possibilities of our human experience, this convention focuses on that potentiality through fun, music, art and games for all ages.
Visual Artists include Aboyomi Louard-Moore (http://theghostboat.com), Eleanor Schnarr (http://eleanorschnarr.com), Rodger Binyone (http://www.nomanillustration.com/), Debora Rosa, Gloria Jean Martin, Shmeg Macklin, Kelsey Whalen, among others.
Live music is DSCK (dark Jazz with intense female vocalist), Alex Smith (Science Fiction virtuoso), S.T.A.R.W.O.O.D. (alien cyborg band at https://starwood.bandcamp.com), more TBA. Comedian Keith Ruffian will be there to MC.
Carolyn Chernoff is hosting kids sci-fi zine workshops to introduce youngin's to some first person art making. (http://www.phillysoapbox.org)
Red Cap's corner will be hosting live table-top gaming of an array of science fiction boardgame choices. (https://www.redcapscorner.com)
Community Futures Lab will be on hand to introduce the concepts behind Afro-futurism and have literature available. (https://www.afrofuturistaffair.com)
Metropolarity will be gracing all of our presences with science fiction stories (http://metropolarity.net).
Amalgem comics will be on hand to show off their great selection of alternative sci-fi comics, wares and just be awesome (http://www.amalgamphilly.com).
The Philadelphia Insectarium & Butterfly Pavillion is the backdrop for this great event so you get to see the weird creatures and exhibits while enjoying the expo (https://www.phillybutterflypavilion.com)
There will be vendors, adult drinks, facepainting, playground for kiddos (part of museum) and an overall sense of wonder.
3) April 5th & 6th, at the New Orleans Main Branch Library, Ras & I once again will form our unit to table at the New Orleans Comics & Zine Fest. COME SEE ABOUT US cause we rarely travel off the east coast as a unit. I'm still trying to figure out how to transport all our damn books in a cost effective way.
4) TRANSITIONAL TIMES TRANSITIONAL BODY is once more restocked, this time in perfect-bound form. This informal little book makes a good travel companion, especially if you’re looking to read new fiction that’s not sympathetic to the values of empire & colony. The four short stories include tales previously debuted in Topside Press’s Meanwhile Elsewhere anthology & Lethe Press’s Transcendent series, as well as a first-time-in-print performance piece read on the 4th of July for a Kimya Dawson show, and an epic brand new All That’s Left tale.
71 pages. Set in OpenDyslexic typeface.
$6 + media mail shipping in US.
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Goddamn doing all that was exhausting and now my mind is all scattered. =p
I've been following Jordan Baumgarten's IG for years now and his documentation of the changes in Kensington are really something. I much prefer him over the dude that just takes pics of Kensington addicts, idk I don't trust him or his style at all (p sure he's some transplant). But Baumgarten, I fuck with.
I've really been struggling with the plot logistics of All That's Left as a long form book. I cannot bring myself to write out a series of events that empowers a mirthless dystopian world, as a matter of magic will (a refusal to summon). Yet I keep holding myself back from entering (what I'm calling) fantasy. I think a lot about an IG post Carolyn Lazard shared a loooong time ago, which was a photo of an Apple computer sticky note overtop an image of Beyonce holding a dance pose at a concert that said: "Sometimes technology fails you and magic is your only recourse"
Fantasy. Summon. Magic.
May your saints protect and guide you.
Monk
@}-}-;-------
p.s.
all 4 stories from my TTTB collection are now on my website for your reading pleasure.
HEAT DEATH OF WESTERN HUMAN ARROGANCE
About A Woman And A Kid
Real Work You Deserve
Monk's Dream
I hope to make recordings of the above pieces this year, for your listening pleasure. =)
OH and my Mask Magazine piece about the colonist scifi fantasies of Mars is no longer behind their paywell. enjoy & thank you to everyone who writes back to these or thinks about writing back! I really appreciate the exchange.