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"We Have Friends Everywhere"

"We Have Friends Everywhere"

We live in an era in which there are hardly any pop culture references that everyone gets. But that four-word quote—whether you hear it as a simple, decontextualized declarative statement, OR as the rebel pass-phrase from the TV show Andor—is so rich in meaning.

There is a lot of pain, chaos, and crisis in the world right now, and there are a lot of inspiring people still doing good work, everywhere. In that spirit, here are a few offerings: art, resources, and efforts I hope people can tune into.

(1) New Song: WORTHY OF THE STONE

Okay, so this first one isn't so grandiose: it's just a song I made with SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE over the beat that plays in Andor when Mon Mothma spins around in circles. But it aligns with everything I wrote in the intro to this message. Since it's an old-fashioned, mixtape-style jacked-beat, it'll never get a proper release on bandcamp or streaming, but you can watch our live, in-studio performance here:

(2) Minneapolis Election Thoughts + Resources

For local friends! We have a big election coming up Tuesday, November 4 (although early voting is already open; that's how I do it). In times of chaos and crisis at the national level, local politics can be an important line of defense. If you haven't been super tuned into the mayoral race, city council races, and beyond, this post shares a few resources, voter guides, endorsement pages, etc.

(3) Food Bank Fundraiser!

Lots of vital food shelf support work happening right now; obviously, support your local food shelf when and how you can, and support hyper-local mutual aid networks when and how you can, and disrupt and dismantle the larger system that prioritizes the desires of the mega-wealthy over the needs of the many when and you how you can… but for anyone interested: My family is running a #FoodBankChallenge fundraiser, just trying to get to $5k. Any contributions are very much appreciated!

Additionally, a context question: What causes hunger? It's not because there isn't enough food.

(4) Whistle Zines + MONARCA Trainings

In Chicago, neighbors used whistles to alert one another of ICE activity. It's a super down-to-earth, effective way to make noise and gather a crowd quickly. Here in the Twin Cities, there's work happening to adapt that tactic. Here is a post sharing a TC-focused "remix" of the original zine that explains the whistle tactic, as well as links to some good background info.

I'd also shout out the MONARCA rapid response trainings and tip line here. For people fired up about protecting their neighbors, one of these trainings in a great next step.

copies of a zine w/ text "form a crowd stay loud; protect each other"

(5) Workshop Offerings for Activist Organizations

Most of work is at schools, colleges, and conferences. But for any friends out there involved in some kind of activist work, a new offering: From basic skill-building stuff like public speaking, social media, and facilitation/program design, to deeper dives into integrating arts and culture into movement work, these are all workshops I've facilitated for other groups and would be down to bring to yours.

To be clear: I offer these not because I'm an expert or authority (I'm not), and not because I'm trying to get paid (I mean, I am, but not necessarily from this). This is just work I already do, and I thought it'd make sense to have a more public-facing list of offerings, especially for newer/smaller orgs, student groups, etc.

(6) A Reminder: My Asynchronous Online Class on Political Writing is Available Now!

My previous email was all about this, but a reminder that (1) My class, Meeting the Moment: Political Poetry and the Anthemic Impulse, is open now, and anyone can sign up and get the videos and other content immediately; and (2) A number of people have very generously paid more than the asking price, so anyone who needs a scholarship, no questions asked, you're in. Find info on all that here.

I'll Leave You with a Few Poems

In the spirit of art that "meets the moment" (a few thoughts on that here), these are some poems that have stuck with me lately:

I've got a new poem coming out soon too—one that I am very excited to share. Connect with me on Bluesky or IG or just as another human being out there in the world, not on the internet. Thank you.