the hive newsletter
Shades of Honey newsletter bringing you updated events, merch, future collaboration, news, and our community
NOTES FROM THE HIVE
POEM OF THE MONTH
COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT
BOOK OF THE MONTH
NO-FLY ZONE
OUR COLLABORATORS
HONEY OF THE MONTH
SEPTEMBER 2023
From : Sam Casanova (she/they)
A photo of Sam sitting outside on the grass and smiling at the camera. They are wearing a yellow long sleeve shirt with ripped black jeans while working on their computer.
pouring (and/or poking) into us
_________________________________________
A few weeks ago, I came across this this video by Dr. Raquel Martin where they discuss “emotional residue” and how to become more aware of its presence. After interacting and/or engaging with certain people, environments and activities—it can be helpful to check in with how you are feeling (emotionally, physically, spiritually, etc).
Dr. Raquel Martin offers a series of questions (below) to ask yourself if/when trying to understand whether certain aspects of our lives are pouring into us or poking into us.
After interacting with this person/place/thing, do I consistently feel more anxious, depressed, or stressed than before?
Do I feel mentally or physically exhausted after our interactions or visiting this place?
Do their values and behaviors align with mine? Or do they constantly challenge or belittle what I believe in?
Do I feel better or worse about myself when I’m around them, or in this space, or engaging in this activity?
What does my intuition say? Do I have a nagging feeling that something is off?
Do I experience physical symptoms like headaches, stomachaches, or muscle tension when I think about or interact with them?
How do I see my future with this person/place/thing? Does the thought bring relief or distress?
Note: it’s OK for multiple truths and answers to exist at once. These questions are meant to support folks in thinking about what is pouring into them and what might not. And for those items that are not pouring into us, asking what purpose does it serve. This fall, we might have to let go and/or shift our energies a bit. And thats okay. There’s always room to re-assess, re-evaluate and re-calibrate.
what if this body — adrienne maree brown
ah but what if this is the ideal body after all
this body which once danced all night and still waited to see the sun rise
this body which caught mothers as they released babies from their bodies
this body which has known so many kinds of touch
from lovers who wanted and didn’t want it
from doctors who saw and didn’t see it
from children who did not hesitate to surrender tears or laughter or dreams
onto my bosom
what if this body has kept me from becoming a monster
kept me humble
stilled me from ego
with sufficient doubt
what if this body was the ideal protection
from the death throes of patriarchy
if this body was a lighthouse
to the lovers who knew
freedom was the arousing aspect
and what if this body
is the ideal body
for what is coming
when the food dwindles on the shelves
because all of us willing to pull it from the ground
and milk or slaughter the beasts
have turned to feed our own
or are too busy grieving
or gone quiet in the plague
of a nation that will always choose
pride and profit
over its people
when the rest of the world
is sick of indulging the bully
and the rich men are stabbing each other with phallic weapons
and we are all simply too sick
to apologize or be accountable
the farmers are sick
and the teachers are sick
and the babies are sick
and the soldiers are sick
and the nurses are tired
and the doctors are depressed
and the scroll is eternal
and the rest of us
are watching the end
muted on our televisions
what if this body was made
for an endless quarantine
as this dysfunctional nation collapses
what if this body is the promise of a lush future
perfect for holding on to
through another night of grief
that is not even shocking
because we all know
we all die
what if this body is the last to know hunger
unveiling the strength always there
carrying us through this wild life
while greedy bellies grumble in absence of the fat that fills one up
may mine swallow my thighs from within
delight in self loving sweetness
sustained by soft
what if this body
is the ideal body
for this apocalypse
what if?
what if the future
is simply all the fat girls
outlasting the fools
SHADES OF HONEY BOOK OF THE MONTH:
MOUTHS OF RAIN
edited by briona simone jones
A blue background with a photo of the queen of Hawai’i’ and her home in the background with the title in all white at the top of the page.
A groundbreaking collection tracing the history of intellectual thought by Black Lesbian writers, in the tradition of The New Press's perennial seller Words of Fire
African American lesbian writers and theorists have made extraordinary contributions to feminist theory, activism, and writing. Mouths of Rain, the companion anthology to Beverly Guy-Sheftall's classic Words of Fire, traces the long history of intellectual thought produced by Black Lesbian writers, spanning the nineteenth century through the twenty-first century.
Using “Black Lesbian” as a capacious signifier, Mouths of Rain includes writing by Black women who have shared intimate and loving relationships with other women, as well as Black women who see bonding as mutual, Black women who have self-identified as lesbian, Black women who have written about Black Lesbians, and Black women who theorize about and see the word lesbian as a political descriptor that disrupts and critiques capitalism, heterosexism, and heteropatriarchy. Taking its title from a poem by Audre Lorde, Mouths of Rain addresses pervasive issues such as misogynoir and anti-blackness while also attending to love, romance, “coming out,” and the erotic.
Community highlight:
ASHLEY CORNELIUS
(SHE/HER)
"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but the words of Ashley Cornelius have healed me".
Ashley is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and is the manager of the RESTORE program at Denver Health, providing confidential peer support to Denver Health personnel. She is passionate about mental health and removing stigma for those seeking support. She graduated with a master's in International Disaster Psychology from DU.
Ashley Cornelius is the 6th Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate. Her poetry focuses on empowerment, self-care, body positivity, intersectionality, and systemic oppression. Ashley is sought after across the nation for speaking engagements and workshop facilitation.
Ashley won the the Prism award from One Colorado, the EY Next Wave Leadership award from CBCA, the 2023 NAMI Colorado Springs Advocate of the Year, the Lyndon E Copeland Music and Arts Influence award, and the the Bee an Arts Champion award from the Bee Vradenburg Foundation. She is a Colorado Business Journal Rising Star class of 2021 and a finalist of the 2021 Mayor Young Leader Award. She won Silver and Gold for the Colorado Springs Independent Best of Artist Category. She has won multiple poetry slams in Colorado Springs. She was the Women of the World Poetry Slam Colorado Springs representative and competed in Dallas at Nationals.
Ashley has opened up for former U.S. Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo and the Grandmother of Juneteenth, Opal Lee. She competed at the Women of the World Poetry Slam in 2018. She is a two-time Tedx speaker. She performs regularly across Colorado and prides herself on her community engagement. Ashley is the Co-Director of Poetry719, a Black-led poetry group lifting the voices of marginalized communities and BIPOC folks through poetry in Colorado Springs. Ashley is a therapist and believes poetry is a powerful modality for healing. Ashley has a background in poetry education and was the program director of an art nonprofit in Denver focused on poetry workshops and curriculum. Ashley is committed to using poetry as a platform to speak up and out for marginalized groups and be a voice for those who have been historically silenced.
“When a flower doesn’t bloom, you fix the environment in which it grows, not the flower.”
— Alexander Den Heijer
OUR COMMUNITY
THESE ARE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT CONTINUALLY SHOW UP FOR AND ALONGSIDE SHADES. THEY HELP US TO HOST EVENTS, FUNDRAISE, AND STAND IN LOVE WITH US! PLEASE SUPPORT THEM, THEIR MISSIONS, AND THEIR BUSINESS!CUT & PASTE COLORADO
@cut.paste.colorado on IG
THE BRAZEN PROJECT
fights to shift the culture on Colorado campuses to end abortion stigma. We’re loudly, unapologetically pro-abortion access. We help lift up and share stories, have meaningful conversations with other students, and push for a better understanding of this common medical procedure. Right now, we’re active on the Auraria campus, CSU, and CU Boulder.
THE LABORATORY OF RITUAL ARTS & PEDAGOGY
The RAP LAB at the University of Colorado, Boulder is a trans-disciplinary research hub for the study of hip-hop cultures and adjacent artistic movements of color. We not only study the history of this artistic movement but its mechanics as a dynamic system of rituals that can be implemented in the streets to help youth and families engage in culturally legitimate learning. Inspired by a natural sciences laboratory and a hip-hop record label, The RAP Lab is experimental, project-driven, and outward-looking. We bring together students, faculty, and community leaders to work on collaborative and individual research, publications, digital multi-media content, archives, courses, community projects, and public events.
CELSTIAL ALEGRIA REPARATIONS NETWORK
The Reparations Network is a community funded action to make reparations to our beautiful Black community. The Reparations Network was originally created to run parallel each time I offer the Confronting Anti-Blackness for Latinx and Chicanx program. For Fall 2021, the Reparations Network ran in tandem with the Confronting White Supremacy program I collaborated on with Bianca Mikahn and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Denver.
From the community raised funds, Celestial Alegría pays $500 of reparations to 10 Black leaders, artists, organizers, healers and organizations each week as the Confronting White Supremacy participants moved through the 10 week training program. Each Friday reparations recipients are uplifted on the Celestial Alegría social media!
Since the launch of the Reparations Network in July 2020, our community raised $20,000 through this grassroots community action, and offered reparations to 40 Black siblings and Black led organizations in our community!
NO-FLY ZONE
Shades of Honey offers the “no-fly zone” as an offering to pause and reflect. This month we have included a video clip from Deshauna Barber who shares a lesson she learned from an experience with her pet snake. When you can, take a moment and listen.
Would love to hear any thoughts or revelations you have. This is one of my favorite clips to come back to.
HONEY OF THE MONTH
Every month we give you some of our favorite tunes!
CURRENTLY STREAMING:
Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony