20-26 October 24 QOTW

Image description: I am wearing a red hoodie and looking up to a a sculpture of the moon made by Luke Jerram at the glass windowed tower of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Photo by Charles Earl on October 17, 2024, which we visited for the Rewilding Exhibition. https://nature.ca/en/visit-us/whats-on/listing/earth-moon/

Sunday

if we are able to create a space that explodes some other kid’s mind, that makes them realize that incredible things are possible, that human beings are actually capable of writing poetry in stone, and that we can actually inspire the next generation beyond what they thought was possible because we did things that we didn’t know were possible — isn’t that an incredible act for humanity?

Rosa Chang, community advocate. ‘Incredible Things Are Possible’: The Power and Potential of New York’s Public Spaces. A behind-the-scenes look at one of the stories we’ll be sharing at RTBC’s upcoming live event in celebration of our fifth anniversary., Reasons to Be Cheerful, 2024.

Monday

we can do hard things, and we get them done better together than alone.

Glennon Doyle, quoted by

Jeannine Ouellette

in Writing in the Dark, Thursday Thread: We Can Do Hard Things

Tuesday

My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.

Desmond Tutu as quoted by Asifa, Kim and Mari in the Firefly blog/newsletter issue, Open Mic Night and All the Feels.

Ps. If you want a really supportive and energetic creative community, please visit Firefly Creative Writing to check out all that they do.

Wednesday

Shaming is one of the deepest tools of imperialist, white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy because shame produces trauma and trauma often produces paralysis.

Bell Hooks

As seen in

Rebecca Woolf

‘s Substack, Introducing: 'NO SHAME with Rebecca Woolf' a new podcast ft women who refuse to behave

And how wonderful it is to hear news of this podcast!

Rebecca writes, “Every week I will feature the stories, experiences, and wisdom of those who inspire me most: the women who have been shunned, shamed, and stigmatized for being unapologetically human in their work, relationships and lives.”

Spotify link here.

Thursday

I tried to make a playlist that reminded me of my various moods in Toxemia. Simultaneously combative, absurd, quiet, sad, fearful, angry and wry. I tried to it oscillate between simple and more layered sounds, between sad and defiant, between meaning and meaninglessness. I had to pull out anything too elegiac though some melodrama lingers. It isn’t despairing though it is dark in parts. I think there’s love in parallel. I want flexibility. My first list was unending.

Christine McNair, on her playlist for Toxemia.

and you should get Christine’s book!

Friday

Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.

James Baldwin, Giovanni’s Room. Saw this on flo literary magazine’s FB page.

Saturday

The human impulse toward generosity is strong. Generosity is a form of deep caring. Generosity—sharing what we have—is a balm for heart and soul.

T. Thorn Coyle, Keep Breathing, a free newsletter

If you have inspiring and intriguing quotes to share, please reach out. I’d love to include them here.

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