Now
Your future, not ours: lessons on liberation from The Girl with All the Gifts
[attention: there will be spoilers] What is liberation if it requires the enslavement of others? How can we prioritize our freedom while holding space for empathy? Imagining new futures means we do not have to accept the compromises made in the past. We can discard...
To get to the future, you will need a map: the importance of vision and ideology in Parable of the Sower (and real life)
The white male founders of the United States lived in a world that was not at all one where all men were equal, or where all men had the same access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness---and for the most part, they were perfectly happy with this reality....
In case you didn’t notice: hidden characters on this site
There is a new-ish section on this site I wanted to point out. I added it late last year but never really announced it; the link just appeared in the navigation menu quietly. This was purposeful on my part, because it is a vulnerable act for me to create space on this...
The future will set you free: themes of regression and progression in Octavia Butler’s work
Human societies are constantly struggling between the past and the future, rarely fully inhabiting the present. We see evidence of this conflict today more plainly than ever, as climate change threatens humanity's long-term survival while U.S. politics is preoccupied...
Considering ways of instantiating freedom in an unfree world
I made a decision recently to extricate myself from a couple projects that I took on while I was on an upswing, and no longer have the energy to be a part of. When I did this, I knew I was doing what was necessary given my recent struggles. Still, I've been ruminating...
Using the master’s tools to build a shack outside so you can be alone (aka navigating disability gatekeeping in the educational system)
Even before I stopped taking medication, I stopped going to therapy. I didn't have a therapist through most of the withdrawal process; only at the very beginning did I seek out a psychologist because I thought it would be safe. But I just found myself arguing with...