August and Everything After

Following Up on a Few Loose Threads.

August is my birthday month, and it always feels like a good time in my life to take stock of what is happening before moving gingerly forward. This week on WPR, I will update you on a few details that I have touched upon recently and give you a glimpse into a couple of new things.

At the end of this issue, there is an extended Artist Date section. I could not believe the beauty I recently witnessed, and I had to share what I found.

Thanks, as ever and always, for reading.

1. The Voter Suppression Letter in TN
   
   Last month, I devoted an entire issue of WPR to the voter suppression letter I received in the mail here in TN. A few days ago, I received a follow-up letter from the same government agency (TN Elections Division) stating that no one would be removed from the voting list if they did not respond to the letter. It was not an apology for the confusion and distress caused by their actions. In fact, this agency absolves itself by stating that “non-governmental organizations have created confusion about the contents and purpose of that letter.”
   
   I still have unanswered questions. Why did only a few people (immigrants and POC like me) get this letter instead of the entire list of people who can vote in TN? If voting integrity is so paramount, why were the vast majority of stones left unturned?
   
   What saddens me is the likelihood that several hundred people filled out the removal form and sent it in out of fear or a lack of correct information. Silencing peoples’ voices can be such a tactical and delicate maneuver.
   

   Thankfully, I voted in yesterday’s primary elections in my district, and I look forward to doing so again in November.

   

   
   

2. Windows to the Inside

   
   For my regular WPR readers, I recently posited the possibility of returning to a weekly posting rhythm and having every other issue be a gallery of my original art. The responses in the survey were unanimously clear, and I was heavily leaning in the same direction anyway.
   
   Starting this month, WPR returns to a weekly output. Look for the new segment Windows to the Inside every other week and see for yourself where my piano has been roaming lately. For the most part, it will include an opening paragraph and a gallery of photos with short captions of new art and anything else I have been up to. (It will not include an Artist Date section.)
   
   Through this interior view, colors will explode everywhere.
   

3. A Whole New World

   
   Last week, I was hanging out with my mom when I casually mentioned that I was thinking about purchasing a sewing machine. She turned to me and said, “I have an extra one that I am not using. You can have it.” My mom is EVERYTHING!

   

   
   HOLY COW! There was no turning back after that. A couple of days later, my dear friend and fashionista Spice Rack from my neighborhood spent an afternoon teaching me how to use it.

   

   I have a chicken pin cushion, as one does.

   Since then, I have sewn two small napkins for practice and was blissfully overjoyed at having made them myself! I had no idea how much I would enjoy this. I have plans to make more napkins for my house, bandanas, pillow cases, curtains, and eventually, clothes for daily wear and performances. My grandfather was a tailor, and my mom has sewn garments all her life. This feels good on so many levels.

   

4. Social Media
   
   I have harbored a love/hate relationship with social media for a long time now. The idea of my life and art being beholden to aggressive, multinational corporations like META and algorithms that steal everything does not sit well in the pit of my stomach.
   
   Moving forward, I will continue my advocacy for a ceasefire to stop Israel’s relentless ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians, but I will also start posting about what it means to use critical thinking skills amid an ongoing tidal wave of invasive media. I’ll start asking big questions and seeking answers, hoping more people will do this too.
   

5. Something to be revealed on August 28.

   
   It has been my annual tradition to unveil a new creative work on my birthday. This year will be no different. Behind the scenes, I have been toiling away at something I have never done before, and I have loved every minute of it. Look out for a special birthday issue that comes out Wednesday, August 28. My dear readers here at WPR will hear all about it first.
   

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2024 is the Year of the Dragon, and as such, I am a Fire Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac. This serves as a gentle reminder to fight back against my inclination to hide. While this tendency has served me well in the past to keep me safe, fear need not be the primary motivation in my life. There has to be space for joy, love, and justice.

Somewhere in this universe, dragons must fly.

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Upcoming Shows:

RNBW Collective at Lipstick Lounge
Nashville, TN
September 17, 2024

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On a short trip last week, my Mom and I visited the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY. We thought we might see at least a couple of cute quilts before heading out to some antique shops, but we were unprepared for the insane level of artistry on display at this museum—utterly gobsmacked by the ingenuity fueled by sheer grit and imagination. It was almost enough to restore my faith in the human race (a ceasefire in Gaza would help in that regard too).

As people who deeply respect and admire textile arts, we were thrilled and awestruck by what we saw. Pictured below are only a handful of the gorgeous quilts we encountered. (There was SO MUCH MORE to take in. Sigh.) Each piece is made of layers of fabric and threading and have largely taken multiple years to finish. (The enormous polar bear pictured below is a quilt made out of doilies!)

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