Season 2: ocean, animal, sibling, ghost

Notes from the second gathering (and first farewell to summer).

Nov 25, 2023

Words from the September storytellers on top of the four drawings by artist J Marshall Smith. Top left: Treva Ellison says ‘It’s safe to be soft here. You’re from here.’ over top the light burst drawing. Top right: eunjung kim says ‘I lay your body in the woods by the tree stump & cover you with grass, leaves, and wildflowers.’ over top the dandelion head. Bottom left: Mel Y. Chen says ‘She said with great urgency, We have to go. We have to go.’ over top the pink-purple landscape. Bottom right: Briar Baron says ‘I imagined him finally, as the candle burned down, having space to weep.’ over top the wood chair.

The second seasonal gathering of Communion: Queer + Trans Memorial + Mourning took place on September 17, 2023. We had the tender honor of hearing from:

Treva Ellison (they/them) spoke on the ocean as a Black grief portal. They are a Georgia-based artist, land steward, and cultural worker.

eunjung kim (she/her) spoke on burying roadkill. She is a Seoul- and upstate New York-based teacher and scholar of transnational feminist queer crip theories and praxis.

Mel Y. Chen (it/they/he/ta) spoke on being a dead child. He is a SF-bay area based scholar, teacher, and climber, and thinks about animals, chemicals, language, and friends.

Briar Baron (she/her) spoke on ritual vulnerability with a father’s queer ghost. She is a Brooklyn-based software engineer with a passion for movement-based somatics and dance.

Many thanks to visual artist J. Marshall Smith. Join us for the next virtual gathering on December 18th at 5pm EDT (2pm PDT) as we say goodbye to autumn.

Communion

Season 2: ocean, animal, sibling, ghost

Notes from the second gathering (and first farewell to summer).

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