After cutting most social media out, I’ve found a return to the joy scroll, not unlike the ol’ days o’ the 2000s-Internet. Such careful curation has led to some pretty kick-butt (content) creators. Namely, I’ve been finding poets sprinkled through suggested posts, like Tracy K. Smith. One of Smith’s pinned posts on social media is…
Writing
Open-Hearted: Actions and Allyship
Welcome back to my series on open-hearted living. “Open-hearted” is my word for 2025, and every month, I dive into a different letter of the compound word. How do I stay open-hearted while also being courageous to make change? When so many (queer, Black, brown, disabled, home-insecure) people are suffering, how can I show up?…
Make New: Songwriting
July’s been full of creativity. By making space in the in-betweens, adding an extra few minutes at the store of the day by meditating, and meeting up with fellow creatives, I’m exploring new things. And that, my dear friends, includes songwriting. Let me be clear: While my partner, best friend, brother, mom, and many more…
Staying Committed: Carolyn Burkhart
Now that I’ve graduated from my library program, I’m regularly reading, often 1-2 books in a week! While I love a thriller, sci-fi, or historical fiction, I’ve been on a memoir kick. I just plowed through Wild, about Cheryl Strayed’s solo journey through the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). An author and reader herself, Strayed shares…
Open-Hearted: Easy Energy
I considered many Es for this post, enoughness, essentialism, and enthusiasm, among others. Fortunately, there’s one last E at the end of this open-hearted series. In a sea of transitions, I’ve pondered many questions, opening my heart and home to new possibilities. Such a process of intentional asking and opening my heart to the universe…
Make New: UX and Drupal
Websites, branding, usability… oh my! After a decade of making websites, branding, and marketing, I went back to school. This June, I graduated with a master’s in library and information science with a 4.0. This minty-fresh degree will prepare me for my goals of digital librarianship, digital archiving, user experiences (UX), and other community engaged…
Staying Committed: Jeanine
I graduated a week ago, and one way I am existing outside of my head is by volunteering. Instead of spending my days ruthlessly applying to job after job/working part-time jobs I am fortunate to still have, these service hours give me back my time. It’s due in part to my friend and colleague, Jeanine….
Open-Hearted: Help and Healing
It takes courage to ask for help. Becoming my truest self has been healing. Yet my people-pleasing tendency sometimes quietly lies, you’re not (doing) enough. I’m not letting people-pleasing win anymore. If I need help, I need to communicate it. The key is asking for support. It’s not only sharing an unmet need or want,…
Make New: Lyrics
When your partner shares a new book on writing song lyrics… You roll with it. I’ve written and performed (slam) poetry. But I’m not a singer. Yet. My partner? He’s definitely a guitarist first, singer second, and something of a poet. And he’s inspiring me to try song-writing. My toes are tapping, my hands are…
Staying Committed: Jessamyn West
In less than a month, I’ll have a few letters after my name. That’s right, soon I will be a master! (Muhaha… or the Doctor’s antagonist? You decide.) I’ll have a master of library and information science, that is. In honor of those little “MLIS” letters, today’s post is about another fellow librarian, Jessamyn West….