Hey Sistas,
Cara and I had a blast talking about "Bad Feminist" written by Roxane Gay on the podcast today.
A collection of
essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the
most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane
Gay.
“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”
We talk about how Sarah Bessey's book, "Jesus Feminist" prepped us to read this book from a whole place. We share our favorite essays (yay), and the ones that didn't quite speak to us, (nay...or more accurately.. meh), we touch on the differences between feminism and womanism, and, of course, Cara sings
We give shout outs to the Sistas who shared their thoughts of the book over at the Shalom Sista Hangout.
Ashley Ford's thoughts were SO SPOT ON!
I love the grace in it. For ourselves and each other. She's unequivocal in her declaration of how necessary the peace-making practice of feminism is, while also holding that it, and she, is no perfect. She won't let that stop her march toward wholeness though. And it's an encouragement not to let it stop us either.
You could, of course, extrapolate that idea out to any practice of shalom, which I think is the greater truth here.
It was a fabulous conversation and we hope you love it too!
Don't forget to get your copy of, "Esperanza Rising" for next month's book club from the Shalom Bookstore*.
Esperanza thought she’d always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico–she’d always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn’t ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances–Mama’s life, and her own, depend on it.
BTW...Doesn't this cover give you, Beyonce's "Hold Up" vibe from "Lemonade"?
We hope you pop over to the hangout and share your thoughts on, “Bad Feminist” and if you’re reading, “Esperanza Rising” with Cara and me let us know.
Your thoughts and questions are super important to our conversations.
Join us in the Hangout here
Get your copy of, "Esperanza Rising" here
A Raising a tall glass of Lemonade to you my Shalom Sistas,
Osheta
*Affiliate link...your purchase in the Shalom Book Store will help keep the podcast lights on
My guest on the podcast this week is Kori Williamson. I learned so much from her. She’s thoughtful, kind, and you’re going to wanna run out to Lowe's and get a compost bin. You know, tomorrow is Earth Day and I never know what to do! I know that when we think about Shalom, we think about wholeness in our relationships, in systems, and the Earth itself, but that last part feels so inaccessible to me. What does recycling and conserving water have to do with wholeness? And more than that, how can I work it into my life without being all or nothing! By the end of my conversation with Kori, I not only felt like I could do something to care for the Earth as a practice of Shalom but I felt so much grace for the moments I forget to recycle or my garden is a huge failure. I'm actually excited about tomorrow I hope you'll listen to today's episode and get excited too. We have a great time talking about creation care, documentaries, and of course, "The Lorax"!
The first episode of the Shalom in the City's books club episode. In the book club episode, Cara and I discuss, "The Light of the World", by Elizabeth Alexander.
In THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, Elizabeth Alexander finds herself at an existential crossroads after the sudden death of her husband. Channeling her poetic sensibilities into a rich, lucid price, Alexander tells a love story that is, itself, a story of loss. As she reflects on the beauty of her married life, the trauma resulting from her husband’s death, and the solace found in caring for her two teenage sons, Alexander universalizes a very personal quest for meaning and acceptance in the wake of loss.
In this episode, we deep dive into the two major themes of the book: death (obs) and identity. We also laugh, share deep, dark confessions, and Cara breaks out into song.
We also answer a question from a listener posted to the Shalom Sistas' Hangout
The passage that stands out most to me is on p.93 about Alexander's parents' response to her husband's death and the quote,
"To be a parent is to be terra firma, to stand, is to be planted in the earth." Having dealt with grief myself as a parent, I've wondered how much I should shelter my kids and how much to share. How do we help them with their own grief without traumatizing them with ours?
Over all we have a great time and can't wait to jump into our next book selection, "Bad Feminist"
A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.
“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue."
We hope you pop over to the hangout and share your thoughts on, "The Light of the World" and if you're reading, "Bad Feminist" with Cara and me let us know. Your thoughts and questions are super important to our conversations.
A Bookish Kind of Shalom to you my Sistas,
Osheta
My guest on the podcast this week is Margot Starbuck. I love Margot so much. She’s funny and whip-smart and you're going to love my conversation with her about her community, "North Street Neighborhood", a neuro-diverse community built around person with disability. We break down some terms and she gives us the most incredibly Shalom Steps. You know, I sometimes feel so out of depth when it comes to being a good friend to persons with disabilities. But by the end of my conversation with Margot, I was so empowered that I rallied my kids to go to the upcoming Special Olympics and..y'all...IT WAS AMAZING! I hope you take a listen because there's some good stuff for everyone of us in this episode. Plus, we laugh...a lot!
I've known about Margot for a little bit now because I review books for one of her publishers, Herald Press.
Shalom Steps
Books/Authors Mentioned in the Episode*
*As always, if you use the links to the "Shalom Bookstore" to purchase your books, then a few pennies will be kicked over to me to keep the podcast up and running.
Margot mentioned a fun video of an impromptu concert with her neighbors and friends from Urban Promise in the show. Here's that video:
I seriously wanna move to Durham, y'all! Wait...what am I talk about? I love LA, I need to come alongside a Friendship House here and help create shalom through dancing and singing just like this.
I hope you love today's episode and if you do let me know by leaving a reaview on iTunes. Did ya'll know "Shalom in the City" made New and Noteworthy last week? It did! I'm so thrilled. The more weeks it can stay on the list, the easier it'll be for fellow shalom sistas to find the show. So, pop over and leave a review when you get a chance.
Eeep!
You can learn more about the North Street Neighborhood on their site. You can find Margot on her site, Margostarbuck.com or follow her on Facebook.
As always, you can continue the conversation in the Shalom Sistas Hangout.
Shalom in your earbuds, y'all!
~Osheta