Signifyin' Into the New Year! Fall/Winter/New Year Newsletter

"Take in a wide-angle perspective of your life. This Aquarius season, spotlight your educational quests, travel plans, and long-range journeys." – ChaniNicholas.com, Gemini Free Daily Horoscope — January 19, 2025

“That’s all anybody can do right now. Live. Hold out. Survive. I don’t know whether good times are coming back again. But I know that won’t matter if we don’t survive these times.” – Octavia E. Butler, Parable of the Sower

Greetings dear readers! Welcome to the Fall/Winter/New Year newsletter! I’m here, piecing life together one page at a time in the midst of wild times I never imagined. My writing is going well, which would be easier to enjoy if social contracts were not deteriorating left and right. Still I press on, and with gratitude. People are still kind in many places. Still caring in unexpected ways. We won’t give up.

I thought I would share some Year in Goals reflections on the goals that I’ve been pursuing this past year. Before we get to Year in Goals: a few updates. Please check other posts here or on my Patreon for more detailed updates of the recent weeks, such as my Senegal trip and my November reading in Washington DC.

Recent Appearances/Publications

• Mid Atlantic Review and Dionne’s Story: In the Spring/Summer newsletter I was announcing my acceptance into these publications; since then they’ve both been published in print: TA-DA!

• TRIPAS: An Odyssey in Haiku: I was invited to read at my friend Amaranta’s book release at Nabala Café. She created a beautiful, communal vibe and each of the artists I shared the mic with were impressive! Please check out her book TRIPAS for an expansive journey into the haiku form. and check out Nabala Café – it’s a lovely spot!
• Kwanzaa 2024: I was invited back to Third Unitarian Church of Chicago to co-lead their Kwanzaa service, and it was – as usual – a beautiful time! Here is a link to my talk if you’d like to listen:

Cultural Work

• Signifying: for a long time I felt silly about this, but in recent months I have fully embraced the power of signifying. At every opportunity I find a way to display symbols of solidarity upon my body, like wearing my brick earrings during Pride month, or my dresses covered in poppies to work, or the watermelon earrings that are a staple among my many collected pairs. My kuffiyah design manicure won’t free any prisoners, but it may let a like-minded colleague know they aren’t alone. Might signal solidarity to someone who needs to see it, so I’ll continue with political mani-pedis, solidarity accessories, and hats of hope.

What I’m Writing

• Manuscript, manuscript, manuscript! My recent trip to Senegal has taken things to the next level!

What I’m Reading

• Check me out on StoryGraph for more about what I’m reading. StoryGraph is a black owned alternative to Goodreads. It’s good to have choices. Here are two of the books that I’m working through right now. I met the authors of both of these books recently, and both are doing exciting, innovative, revolutionary work: Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072 by Eman Abdelhadi and M.E. O'Brien and Heirloom by Ashia Ajani. I recommend both.

Coming Up

• In the coming months, facilitation is the name of the game. I will be co-leading some anti-racism courses, and doing some private consulting work. Gotta pay these travel expenses that the GoFundMe didn’t cover.

Read on for my Year in Goals Retrospective. If you have to bounce, I want to thank you for another year of your support! It means so much that people are interested in reading the ideas bursting out of my head. 😘🥰🙏🏿

Atena’s Year in Goals Retrospective

Among my most important goals I committed to last year, the following rank among the highest:

• Resist genocide
• Take risks for solidarity 
• Finish or nearly finish my manuscript 
• Be more present with my kids

Resisting Genocide: I made sure that at the very least I resisted genocide. I can’t say it feels good; it feels more “right“ than “good.“ It’s been scary at times but the creation of FSJP (Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine) has been joyful and healing. Being able to turn to colleagues who are also committed to seeing justice in Palestine has been a true balm when solidarity does not always feel safe. 

Take Risks for Solidarity: I took risks for solidarity and it is all at once incredible pressure and intense relief. Taking chances in my professional setting with the teach-in and the FSJP has been rough at times. Several work colleagues and leaders at my job engage with me differently now. I also know that practically every time I stepped out on a limb for solidarity, it has been affirmed in some way and my resolve strengthened.

Much of the relief comes from being able to walk my talk. I talk big – not just in activism but in my professional career, too. All of my work is conceived with an anti-racist lens and at my job we certainly tout that as a core value of our approach. I couldn’t deliver the way that I do (which is quite good, BTW) if I didn’t align my actions and resources towards solidarity. I am glad that I have done that as best I can. And continue to do it. I am proud of myself. 

Finish/Nearly Finish Manuscript: I am leaning into the encouragement I received that my book is nearly finished. Working on this manuscript has been an extraordinary experience. I haven’t hit the books and busted my ass like this since graduate school. I’ve never done work so ambitious or sustained. Fear about writing a book dogged me for years: that I wouldn’t finish it, like so many half-knitted socks. But I signed up and I showed up and I’ve got something I feel pretty great about. I committed to the fundraisers and the retreats. I don’t claim perfect attendance but trust and believe that even when I’m not at my weekly writing and revision groups, the amazing creatives that maintain those spaces resonate in my spirit. This manuscript is my baby and I have excellent doulas and midwives. Friends sent me articles and retreat opportunities to encourage my research in writing; it feels really good: to know that people are thinking of me, want to support me and are willing to take that extra step. I’m so grateful. Receiving that kind of energy helps me do a little bit more each day to let this work crack me open so I can bring it into the world.

Be More Present With Kids: I am working on being more available and and present for my kiddos. This is always a work in progress. It is far too easy to say ‘I’m busy’ or ‘Not now,’ especially if I think of the time I spend on my family in terms of labor and caretaking. The labor and caretaking is exhausting and often unappreciated, and I’m often trying to recoup some of my selfness when I receive invitations to watch unhinged videos or the playful bids for attention that start with overzealous bear hugs or the hiding of my phone. The kids want to spend time with me. They don’t ask to play board games together or watch TV shows or movies anymore. I kind of wish they would, and I offer sometimes: no takers. I get what I get, and I can’t afford to squander it. The mutual love and belonging I share with these humans is unbeatable. 

In terms of personal achievement, it’s been a pretty good year. Who knows what is coming next, but I’m gonna keep showing up and trying. I hope we’ll be side-by-side together as we journey into whatever this year brings.

In solidarity and gratitude,

❤️ Atena