good shit

i feel a bit bipolar lately, up and down about just about everything. but today it is 80 degrees! and so, a quickie-post, in honor of the gorgeous weather. as the title suggests here is a list of some good shit that i've seen/ heard recently:

"the business of being born"- a film about the birthing industry in the US with some incredible footage of home-births. it made me disgusted with US hospital birthing policies, and more than that it made me want to deliver and/ or have babies immediately!

i have been reading "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith. just wanted to say that i cannot put it down. the novel takes place in London and follows 3 generations of families from different backgrounds (white, Bangladeshi, and Jamaican.) this was Smith's debut novel in 2000 and the writing is incredible. she moves seamlessly from skillful plot that weaves between characters and years, hilarious and poignant character development, and spot-on critical study of identity politics (often without being clear which is which.) i am impressed and enamored!

check out this organization: Young Women's Empowerment Project (YWEP) based in Chicago. i heard a woman from YWEP speak and i was blown away by the depth and breadth of what they do and the fearlessly radical way that they do it. the woman who spoke actually said that her job is being phased out because the organization is in the process of becoming entirely youth run and operated! it's overwhelmingly exciting to hear of a group that seems so grassroots, sustainable, and solution-oriented.

i heard Irene Aebi sing, in person! if you don't know, Irene was Steve Lacy's wife and muse. her energy and presence were unbelievable. i'm not always into all that woo-woo stuff but you know sometimes you're in someone's presence and you can just feel the beauty of their spirit? being near Irene was like that. the group "ideal bread" performed some Lacy tunes, and then Irene sang some of Lacy's art songs with a soprano saxophonist and pianist. gorgeous. Steve Lacy's writing is humorous and painful, composed and messy. i was so happy to hear a few tunes i knew and a lot of new ones. one thing i love about Lacy's work is that his pieces are about something. always. he puts thought into his titles, dedications, text-settings. a true artist. sometimes i think jazz musicians are afraid of language. we should all take a tip from Lacy and partner with words, worship the world of letters while simultaneously using music- those sounds that get at what we could never speak or write. okay, enough. watch this: