Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
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Let us break bread together…

I had a plan.  Since the beginning of Pandemic Times, I have not managed to sit down and write at all.  On a good day, maybe I have strung together a few thoughts on Instagram to go with the photography practice that has helped me maintain a slight hold on the thread of life, but words?  This many?  No.  This has not been possible. A few weeks ago, though, having survived my first video choral project, feeling like there might be some music left in this tossed and tumbled old soul, I thought to myself, I'll begin a series of essays.  I'll write about different pieces of music that I've…
Read More

Lo, how a rose ‘ere blooming…

No. I haven’t jumped ahead to Christmas. I am fully aware that today is Thanksgiving. Painfully aware most of the time. The day we celebrate as Thanksgiving is such a complicated day for so many, and for me. Even without the personal struggles that so many of us (myself included) face as the holiday onslaught of images of perfect families and perfect houses and perfect lives flood our way, there are the cultural struggles that we face as we work our way through the mythology of “America” to something closer to a truthful history of the taking of this land. I survive all of this internal complexity by holding tight to the…
Read More

Let us break bread together…

I had a plan.  Since the beginning of Pandemic Times, I have not managed to sit down and write at all.  On a good day, maybe I have strung together a few thoughts on Instagram to go with the photography practice that has helped me maintain a slight hold on the thread of life, but words?  This many?  No.  This has not been possible. A few weeks ago, though, having survived my first video choral project, feeling like there might be some music left in this tossed and tumbled old soul, I thought to myself, I'll begin a series of essays.  I'll write about different pieces of music that I've…
Read More