Monday Morning Muse

raised on musicals

Bob and I go way back: I posted about his kidney transplant [https://mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/p/bob-needs-a-kidney?r=53aj9r] 14 months ago, but we met c. 2008 at Stoneridge Children’s Montessori School, where I taught two of his four children and we shared the effervescence of early childhood magic. I had the good fortune of coaching Bob as a singer 2018-2020; in this video we reference musicals like Big River [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_River_(musical)] and Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_and_the_Amazing_Technicolor_Dreamcoat]. Bob shares about his trip to ancestral grounds in Italy while we discuss creativity, empathy, and what is fueling our engines of delight at a time of global anxiety. Bob talks about the consumerist societal mandate: “fill your role and feed the monster.” I want to hold onto this snippet as an invitation to deep soul-diving. Perhaps a future guest will want to reflect on their own ways of evading the monster. Two final notes: * The novel I talk about in this episode is Percival Everett’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel James [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/173754979-james]. * Here’s the Wikipedia entry on the interstitium [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstitium], the anatomical space that currently fascinates me. Monday Morning Muse thrives when its listeners drive. To receive new posts & help steer future collaborations, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe [https://mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

Live with Hannah Lynn Mell

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objects I've (unintentionally) stolen & advice I've ignored

Five-year-old me pipes up to begin this episode. While aspects of the memory are blurry, I’ll never forget the feelings of indignation that came when I was accused of stealing a toy. While I recently took a roll of painter’s tape from a workday at Windhover Performing Arts Center [https://windhover.org], I confessed it in an email to my friends there within 24 hours. My confessional streak - childlike at times - makes sense for a person who has always worked with children and families. I’ve learned some of my best lessons from wide-eyed writers like Annie Dillard [https://www.anniedillard.com] and Rumi [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumi], whose line “unfold your own myth” I bring up (& misattribute) in this episode. I’m grateful to all who offer truth with love and respect: case in point, the luminous John Hicks, a fellow music educator who works in Gloucester, Massachusetts and keeps in touch with students & friends from around the world. I hope to bring John on the podcast eventually, but I especially love eating tacos & sharing time with him. John gives sound advice (pun intended), but it’s his presence that is a transmission of lovingkindness. May we all offer our communities compassion and courage in the here-and-now. Thanks for checking out Monday Morning Muse! This post is public so feel free to share it. Next week I plan to post a conversation with another brilliant poet; stay tuned. Keep an eye on my YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@HannahLynnMell] (@HannahLynnMell) for some live Zoom conversations about music making. Monday Morning Muse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe [https://mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

maximizing human creativity

Aloha vibes to the nth degree with the empathic and comedic Ryan Wilson. His Linked In profile [http://www.linkedin.com/in/wilsonryana] suggests that he knows his stuff when it comes to sustainability and complex systems. This conversation runs the gamut from human psychology to spiritual practice, and it comes back again and again to the joy of being an inhabitant, explorer, and protector of Mother Earth. Ryan and I will schedule a live for some time in the next couple months to dive deep into our understandings of organizational evolution as well as frameworks for integral spirituality (I mentioned Ken Wilber [https://kenwilber.com/about] ever so briefly). Keep an eye out! Ryan and I are both consultants who offer services across a variety of sectors. Ryan is an engineer with a heart for everyone in the room; my musical, Montessori, and MSW backgrounds have me focused on igniting social change through the arts and education. We met via Alignable [https://www.alignable.com] a couple months ago. I love seeing the way Ryan’s mind works in real time and talking not only about Boston Climate Week but about music. Here’s some beautiful music to start your week off, with gratitude to Ryan for introducing me to the genre of forró. two Brazilian forró songs: - Feira de Mangaio - Clara Nunes 1979 - Eu Só Quero um Xodó - Dominguinhos - 1998 from Ryan: I must add one more, as a Trinidadian and with mother’s day on sunday … If I were a song; in this moment it is this one. - Far From Home - Calypso Rose - 2016 Monday Morning Muse is a reader and listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe [https://mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]

bring in the truth: poetry, sustainability & SoulCollage®

Wonderer, Warrior, and Witness. Triadic conversations delight me just as much as alliteration. Here I play the wonderer while introducing Warrior Von’Erik to bring in truth & tech-speak. Our wise & winsome Witness is Danika, Substack’s own Literary Spinster [https://literaryspinster.substack.com]. Next week: I will air a conversation with Ryan Wilson [https://www.wilsoneeconsult.com/], local engineer and consultant who is deep-diving on Boston Climate Week [https://bostonclimateweek.org]. I’ve enjoyed geeking out on sustainability as far back as I can remember, and I’m looking forward to learning more from him and sharing his wisdom. I will be offering a monthly “Live” for paid subscribers only on the SoulCollage process, please check out the official SoulCollage website [https://soulcollage.com] if you’d like to learn more! If you’d like to play the role of the “witness” as Danika did this week from a different location, please message me or add a comment. The musicians who provided background music today are Alexis Ffrench [https://www.alexisffrenchmusic.com], Marconi Union [https://marconiunion.com], and Dustin O’Halloran [https://dustinohalloran.com]. Monday Morning Muse is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe [https://mondaymorningmuse.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2]