The events over the last few weeks have forced me to dig deep to access my resilience. Russia invades Ukraine and threatens nuclear war, U.S. government officials roll out hateful anti-trans and anti-queer policies, hate crimes continue to rise against Asian American women, and I’m wondering what can support me in the face of overwhelming sadness, outrage, anxiety? What are the core beliefs that can help me move through my days? What is available to me as grounding, nourishing forces?
I find myself humming this protest chant. And some days, I believe it. Some days, that’s what keeps me going.
Ain’t no power like the power of the people
‘cuz the power of the people don’t stop!
Say what?
Ain’t no power like the power of the people
‘cuz the power of the people don’t stop!
I believe these words when I read about the many nonviolent ways that people in the Ukraine resisted the invading Russian army—from changing highway signs in order to sow confusion to standing in front of tanks, to confronting Russian soldiers.
I believe it when I watch Rep. Michele Rayner standing on the floor of the Florida State house in her full, queer humanity telling all the young LGBTQ+ people watching that they matter and that they are loved.
I believe it when I see college students defying an anti-trans Texas House candidate who visited the University of North Texas. (h/t Chani Nicholas for this and the above link) (And for state-by-state list of anti-trans legislation and actions you can take, check out this post by Anti-Racism Daily.)
The power of the people don’t stop.
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I listened to this For the Wild podcast episode in which Black-Latinx transdisciplinary artist brontë velez changes the phrase “the powers that be” to “the powers who think they are.” I love this reframing. It challenges the idea that state or corporate power is an uncontested and perpetual state of being. And it suggests that such power is delusional, a usurping by those who think they have the right to it, but actually don’t. It opens up a lot of room to question and challenge that power. To take it back.
The people of Ukraine’s resistance, queer and trans folks insistence of our worth and beauty, the ongoing resilience of the Asian American community. All this and more reminds me that even in the face of overwhelming oppression by “the powers who think they are,” people keep pushing for justice, autonomy, and dignity. For the right to be seen and loved for our full selves. For the power to control our own destiny.
There will always be more of us—people who want to live our lives fully, in beauty and love, dignity and respect—than those who seek to amass power and control through violent and oppressive means.
We don’t have their guns, tanks, or weapons. But we have our bodies and our breath, our brains and our hands, our senses of humor and our voices. And we’ll keep using them until we can’t. To protest, to make art, to organize, to subvert, to love each other, to feed each other, to nourish each other. In dignity and justice, with equity and love.
What else is there to do in this lifetime?
Prompting
I’m writing postcard poems this month, as I do every year, to other Kundiman poets, as part of the Poetry Coalition. One poem a day, written on a postcard and sent out into the world. The theme this year is “The future lives in our bodies: Poetry & Disability Justice,” drawn from the poem “Femme Futures” by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha.
Writing a short, postcard-sized poem to send out every day is a powerful exercise in letting go. I can’t be too precious about the process, nor can I be perfectionist about the product. I write and send, write and send, write and send, for thirty one days. This month, I am writing from my body toward the future, into what I know and what I don’t. Listening and learning from people with disabilities about what it means to make space and thrive in an ableist world.
This, too, is how I can practice what it means to manifest the power of the people—my power. It’s not an intellectual exercise. It’s somatic, it’s heart-centered, and I have to show up for it day after day after day.
So here’s your prompt:
Draw Tarot or oracle cards for these questions and/or journal about them.
Where is my power located?
How can I access it and tap into it in a consistent and sustainable way?
What does it look like to step into my power?
Do one thing every day that taps into that power.
Maybe this one thing is writing a poem. Maybe it’s telling someone you love them. Maybe it’s speaking out against an injustice, however slight. Don’t think too hard about it, and don’t be afraid if it’s not perfect. Just do your version of write and send, write and send, write and send. (And if the thought of accessing your power brings up feelings of discomfort or fear, you might want to check out Typewriter Tarot’s new, beautiful offering on exploring your personal power, available to patrons.)
If you want to actually write and send a postcard poem a day, it’s easy to do.
Organize a group of friends to participate
Make a spreadsheet with people’s names and addresses
Get (or make) 31 postcards and postcard stamps
Start at the beginning of the month (or whenever!) and write and send one poem a day. You’ll send the first postcard to the person listed below your name, and then just go down the list, cycling through the names until the end of the month.
This project is especially dear to my heart because I love snail mail and the USPS. So, here’s a special Starlight and Strategy offering for subscribers (paid or free). If you send a postcard poem to me with your return address and the email address that you use to subscribe to this newsletter included, I will send one postcard poem back. I can’t promise when I will get to it, but I promise to do it. Send it to P.O. Box 260250, Mattapan, MA 02126.
Write and send, write and send.
Engaging
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you probably know that one of my favorite teachings of adrienne maree brown is “what you pay attention to grows.” Right now, it’s easy to pay attention to news that feels terrifying and crushing. I think it’s crucial to know what’s happening in the world and our communities. But what I’m trying to pay the most attention to is the news that’s not always readily available in mainstream news sources. I’m looking for reporting and evidence of what has been and will always be the counterforce to injustice, political aggression, and oppression: the power of the people.
If you, too, are looking for news, analysis, and poems that’s not readily carried by mainstream outlets, I’m linking to a few more things that are giving me hope, that are helping me witness and be part of the unstoppable power of the people.
The successes of the anti-nuclear weapon movement, and how it can once again become a powerful force: “The anti-nuclear movement was big, broad and diverse. It won, again and again and again.”
The close connection between authoritarianism and misogyny—and why and how women and queer folks are critical to successful anti-authoritarian movements: “It turns out that frontline participation by women is a significant advantage, both in terms of a movement’s immediate success and in terms of securing longer-term democratic change.”
A feminist, intersectional analysis of the war in Ukraine: “From Eastern Europe’s historical experience of second-class citizenship, of non-Western whiteness, and of poverty under neoliberal capitalism, a new form of solidarity should emerge, one that connects with impoverished people and people of color everywhere, from the First World to the Third.”
Reparations for Black Americans, starting at the grassroots. “Until federal reparations are actualized, grassroots organizations across the country are heeding the call to right these wrongs.”
Starbucks workers are unionizing, despite corporate attempts to shut down union drives. “These election outcomes show Starbucks’ efforts to keep workers from unionizing are failing, according to labor experts.” (h/t Anti-Racism Daily)
Poems by Serhiy Zhadan, contemporary Ukrainian-language poet and novelist. “It will go like this: a bird’s lightness and rage / people, who forestall the evening chill by singing, / will start to remember winter like a forgotten language, / they’ll read it, re-read it, recognize it.”
What are you reading/watching/listening to outside of mainstream sources? What is giving you hope or helping you tap into resilience? Let us know in the comments.
Community/Announcements
Witches and Warriors
I’m so excited to let you all know that applications are open for the inaugural Witches & Warriors Retreat for BIPOC poets and social justice organizers/activists!
It will be an opportunity for BIPOC poets and activists to gather, rest, dream, scheme, collaborate, share skills, and build relationships. Bringing together the radical creativity of poets with the audacity and expertise of activists, Witches & Warriors will create space for participants to envision together a more liberated future. Activities will include workshops, discussions, writing sessions with faculty mentors, rest and play time, and a public reading/celebration.
And I couldn’t be more pleased that Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Cynthia Dewi Oka will be our faculty this year.
I hope you check it out and apply and/or help us spread the word.
And, if you want to financially support the retreat—which is free for participants—you can make a tax-deductible, online donation here via our fiscal sponsor, the Peace Development Fund.
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Headed to Philly and AWP
And on the subject of poetry and organizing, I will be presenting on a panel titled “Whenever the Wounds of Injustice Are Salted We Will Gather: Poetry of Activism” at the AWP writer’s conference — in person in Philadelphia, on Saturday, March 26.
I’ll also be signing books at the Alice James Books table (#947) at the AWP bookfair, 10 -11 am on Friday, March 25.
If you are attending AWP please stop by if you can! (Saturday tickets are $25 if you are in the Philly area.)
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My most recent poetry collection, Last Days, has been nominated for a Lambda Literary Award!
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Substack made an app for iOS, on which you can now read this newsletter, if you wish.
That’s it for me for this month! I’ll be back in your inbox for the next full moon, on April 16. Until then, I wish you love, power, and resilience.