poetics & possibility

songs of freedom: which ring true?

Someday I’ll write a song for the country that I love. Today I practiced the 4th verse of Francis Scott Key’s “The Spar-Spangled Banner” after a morning walk ‘round Prospect Park Hill in Somerville. The Grand Union flag is a beauty surrounded by pollinator gardens and birdsong. Muse on this: what song do you most associate with a place you love? Many of my favorites are protest songs that capture the yearning for freedom. I will be praying for peace while singing out lesser-known verses and songs of comfort this week. Teachers from many walks of life will be featured on this summer’s Monday Morning Muse. Next week’s live (9:00 AM ET) will offer art journaling teacher & visual artist Tom Forsythe. If you’re interested in art journaling, SoulCollage®, or the business of creativity, it’s a great opportunity to hear from two midlife makers who won’t stop/can’t stop offering beauty in a bustling world. Your attention & time makes this space possible. Your money helps, too! 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]

maximize the moment

Von’Erik Barren-Tucker has a mind like no other. From roller blading as movement meditation to commending hyper awareness as a form of artistry, this conversation has had me marveling all day long. I prefer in-person connection to screen time, so it was fun to sit down in my apartment living room for this conversation. Talking with someone who thinks in code kaleidoscopically helps me see more clearly how tech can enhance human thriving. You might notice me moving more than usual in this episode: my back is sore from cleaning out my U-Haul storage space last week: a rainy-night saga that Von’Erik actually helped with. If I’m having a rough day, Von’Erik’s deadpan wit and compassion re-center me without fail. I imagine Von’Erik will be back to talk about my new website when it’s completed. In the meantime, the authorship of the poem Von’Erik attributes to Langston Hughes [https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/langston-hughes] is actually unknown. Here’s a YouTube video [https://youtu.be/YR6geneDxtY?is=UHhpf16PybbAp2zy] with the poem; thanks to Guilherme Carvalho, who posted that video. Attention is love. Your time and listening ear means a lot. Money helps too! Please 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]

moons & Junes & Ali Fields

for Fieldsy top row far left Soprano 1 steady gaze, lyrics memorized, worlds of adolescent wanting waiting on the other side of this concert for students you are haven, for colleagues you are ballast, to your family you are the door that won’t ever be deadbolted in February you let me take this yarn June 6th I’m knitting leg warmers back pew Portsmouth while you read Wendell Berry to introduce Deep Peace I put down my needles & curl up inside the sound I want to glance up at you while making slow progress on imperfect holiday gifts as long as we both shall live Today’s poem I wrote after watching my friend Ali Fields perform with Voices From the Heart [https://www.voicesfromtheheart.org/] in Portsmouth, NH. Ali is “Fieldsy” to me: a wide open field and a born adventurer. New moon as of yesterday; I’m still wading through the murky middle of life transition, but I feel less fear and more constancy in my creative work. My friend Kim Woods [https://substack.com/@kimwoodschannel?r=53aj9r&utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-page] reminds us that we’re all invited to shine in her recent post Jupiter in Leo: Your Year to be Boldly Seen [https://substack.com/@kimwoodschannel/note/p-201502743?r=53aj9r&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web]. Whatever work you’re up to - loud or lilting - I wish for you friends & chosen family who help you polish yourself back to shining. Thanks for being here. Like all creative endeavors, Monday Morning Muse thrives when you keep showing up! 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]

(faith) fully funny

Hannah Trav [https://hannahtrav.com/], Esq. is a stand-up comedian, writer, and lawyer based in Philadelphia. We helped grow each other up by sharing church life in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Hannah is witty, winsome, and dynamic on stage. As a kid she made up sketch comedy with friends. We both remember her hilarious turn as Abednego in the kazoo-wielding Biblical musical It’s Cool in the Furnace. In this conversation Hannah celebrates her dynamic family, shouts out her undergrad philosophy professor Cheryl Foster, and is candid about the anxiety she’s experienced since youth. From the importance of changing the toilet paper roll to our shared preference for listening to full albums, this conversation gets musical, social, and just plain silly. Hannah chose two songs in the lightning round, Liability by Lorde [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtvJaNeELic&list=RDBtvJaNeELic&start_radio=1] and Cool Girl by Tove Lo [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsFneCExrCQ&list=RDXsFneCExrCQ&start_radio=1]. Keep up with Hannah Trav on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/wandacheeseburger?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==] or on her website [https://hannahtrav.com/]. I’m looking forward to catching her live the next time I’m in Philadelphia. Thanks for being here. Like all creative endeavors, Monday Morning Muse thrives when you keep showing up! 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]

Inherent dignity & hope: Monday Morning Muse Live with Hannah Lynn Mell

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]