Boston Compass #155

AN INDEPENDENT ARTS & CULTURE GUIDE

HEAD TO LAWRENCE FOR AN ELEVATED BLACK HISTORY MONTH EXPERIENCE!

Elevated Thought is an art and social justice 501(c)(3) based in Lawrence, Massachusetts working to develop spaces for BIPOC youth and communities to engage and understand art’s liberating power. This February, ET has curated a series of free offerings meant to honor Black creatives, educators, and cultural practitioners. The following events are not to be missed!

Colao En Lawrence Opening Reception + Artist Talk

2/3 from 6PM - 8:30PM

Local artist and educator Erick Maldonado introduces a visual influence of the Dominican diaspora in the City of Lawrence. In his contemporary works, Madlonado displays what he calls ‘COLAO EN LAWRENCE,’ which translates to ‘to sift in Lawrence.’Erick focuses on the cultural aspects of the area, popular pastimes, local folklore, and the unique dialect of his people.

Afro-Latinidad: Building Community Within a Racially Diverse City

2/11 from 6PM - 8PM

We will explore Afro-Latinidad and folks’ experiences and understandings of race and ethnicity. Some of the main ideas we will consider include: (1) identity and its impact on how we interact with each other, (2) anti-blackness in Latine culture and how it manifests and maintains itself, (3) steps we can take as a community to address this reality.

Teaching for Equity & Justice

2/28 from 6PM - 7:30PM

Lorena Escoto Germán will be facilitating a conversation about anti-bias and antiracist instruction. She grounds both of these concepts in culturally sustaining pedagogies (Alim, Paris) and will offer thorough reflection questions for practitioners to apply as they plan and prepare for teaching.

These are just a few of the events ET will be hosting! Check out their Instagram (@elevated_thought) and/or website (elevatedthought.org) to find out more. If you have any accommodation needs or general questions, please contact our Social Justice Strategist, Emma Burke (emma@elevatedthought.org)

—EMMA BURKE

5

CAN’T MISS CULTURAL EXPERIENCES THIS MONTH

1. Space Adventure is open all throughout February. Get immersed in the exploration of outer space. There will be rockets, computers, space suits, lunar modules, and more classified technology used by NASA and private sector companies. This is a family-friendly event with plenty of parking located in Chelsea, MA. The hours are WED-SUN until 7pm. Enjoy!

2. Canvas Studios is a black woman-owned paint bar located near Hyde Park on Fairmont Ave. They have awesome programming like Paint After Dark, which is a glow-in-the-dark experience. There’s also the Splatter Project which is a great way to express oneself by getting messy and being a lot less restricted. You literally throw paint on your canvas. Support your local business!

3. Lawrence, MA is not that far from Boston. It’s a 40 minute ride up I-93, or a 60 minute ride on the Commuter Rail. There’s a new art gallery open for viewing from January 21st until February 17th. Curated by photographer Destiny Medina, Bien Brutal is dedicated to the life and beauty of the island of Puerto Rico beyond the devastation of storms, colonialism, and government corruption. Elevated Thought is the non-profit that will be coordinating the gallery launch, artists mixers, and other dope local community arts programming like poetry nights and movie nights. Tap in ASAP!

4. All right, I know we’re on the outskirts of Boston, but we’re gonna take it a bit further westwards to Worcester. On February 20th, there will be an artist showcase called Black Excellence. Streaming live on Hip Hop Weekly Magazine’s IG account and in person. The winners of this competition will receive a record deal, studio time, and technical assistance for business and fashion design. You can find out more about this from Smoke House Media.

5. Tiny Trap Concerts was founded in February 2021. You’ve seen many artist showcases produced by them inside of dispensaries all across Massachusetts from SEED Dispensary in JP to Western Front in Chelsea. February 23rd will be the 1st year anniversary of TTC. Hosted at Expozed TV Studios in Hanover, there will be artists, mixers, performances, local brands and vendors. Featuring vibes spun by DJ Bobby Bangers and performances by Lord Ju, Jovian Martian, YaYa Gabbana.

Follow us on IG @whatshappening_boston for more events that don’t suck!

BOSTON HAPPS

CAKESWAGG WRAPS UP 2022 WITH

A TREAT FOR THE CITY

The Cake Frost Winter Show

voice. It was truly a family affair.

FINDING FRIENDS IN MANILA AND BOSTON

For most of my life, I was surrounded by perpetual greenery. The all-girls Catholic school I went to for 12 years prided itself in its evergreen walkways, perfumed by white temple flowers. These walkways, along with the open fields, served as playgrounds and third spaces for my life-long friends and me. Most if not all my friends from home started out as my classmates. I was more outgoing as a child and I would ask the person sitting next to me if they wanted to be friends right away. Our circles grew, either drawing in the people seated around us or connecting with friends of friends.

From first grade to senior year, we sat under the flowering trees and listened to the same music, shared packed lunches, secretly talked about our crushes, and fantasized about our futures. We learned how to be creative together, writing prose and poetry and painting portraits and landscapes. Our first attempts at photography had each other posing silly on the grassy fields and looking aloof in the mini-forest. Many of us even went to the same university next door, so our friend groups endured.

It’s common to have life-long friends in Manila. My dad’s high school best friend still comes to our house for brunch and my mom has regular dinners with her high school girlfriends. With the number of jobs and opportunities in the capital, people from Manila or Manileños rarely move out of the city, unless they move abroad.

So, when I moved to Boston, I faced a problem some Manileños don’t often experience — how to make friends from

EVERGREEN TREES REFLECTIONS ON LOUD

Last month I attended The Loud Experience, an event hosted by the “cannabis discovery platform” and multimedia company Loudminds TV. Held in an artist studio located in the Financial District, the event offered a space for individuals – whether engaged in the cannabis industry or not –to come together and support the work of LMTV. In addition to providing an occasion for leisure, rest, and enjoyment, the event had two major components. The first was a performance and collective meditation led by DZIDZOR, an educator, curator, and poet. Following the performance was the second element of the night, a screening of the first episode of the Loud Tour, a docu-series produced by LMTV. The debut episode focused on Ross Bradshaw whose cannabis entrepreneurship and advocacy includes founding New Día Cannabis Supply Co., establishing a partnership between New Día and Cookies, and co-founding the not-forprofit organization Equitable Opportunities Now (EON). Not only did the evening offer a way for folks to connect with LMTV and other like-minded individuals, but it also provided an opportunity to recognize Bradshaw and his contributions to the cannabis industry.

Soon to be released, the episode explores Bradshaw’s work with New Día and Cookies and delves into the foundations of his work with cannabis. For example, Bradshaw describes how his involvement in the business has changed over time, transitioning from a role in finance and consulting to establishing New Día, one of the few economic empowerment cannabis retailers in Massachusetts. Bradshaw also discusses the principles that

scratch. While I appreciated the ability to call my friends from home or to watch movies together, the 12-hour time difference wasn’t sustainable. I couldn’t regularly wake up at 8 AM to watch a television show and head straight to class or work afterward.

I tapped into my younger, more outgoing self and went on apps to look for friends. Often I encountered people of different backgrounds who were committed to pursuing their degrees, careers, or crafts in Boston. Although I have gained inspiration from them to reignite my passion for writing, it has been difficult to establish or integrate into a community when everyone is driven by different things.

Many of my friends during grad school have finished their program and moved elsewhere. So far, to make more friends, I’ve become more strategic about finding people I could make lasting friendships with, considering their availability, taste in food, and weekend activities. It’s a strange balance that I still have not mastered quite yet.

Outside my apartment window, the tree branches are bare and dry. Loneliness during the winter has made me question if the degree, the job, and the opportunities abroad are worth leaving the people who keep me grounded. Sporadic phone calls from home have helped me to get by. In a few months, tree branches will be covered in green once again, some even with flowers. Still, two years in, I know there are still more spaces to explore in Boston - and I hope friends and a community will follow.

Walking into The Jungle from the rain, I was met with a jazzy remake of “Fall in Love’’ by Slum Village. Despite the weather, people piled in and before I knew it, there was a full house. I’ve witnessed shows where the crowd swells for the headliner but the Cake Frost Winter Show had a solid crowd before the openers stepped on stage. Vinci, Big Body Kweeng, and Chizz Capo opened for Cakeswagg. Each performer brought ample energy. Vinci’s vulnerability captivated the crowd. Big Body Kweeng was accompanied by Diggity Dom on drums, adding a beautiful live element. J.A.B.S and Cakeswagg joined Kweeng on stage to perform “Pop That.” The crowd engagement from Chizz Capo succeeded in priming us for Cakeswagg’s entrance.

Accompanied by DJ WhySham, Mack on drums, Darius on keys, Safari on saxophone and Marquis on strings, Cakeswagg and her band had an undeniable chemistry. Her storytelling between songs added an intimate touch, while the band’s playful banter was entertaining and inviting. Cake balanced a cohesive and dynamic set while offering a glimpse into her life. The animated and lively energy from the crowd let me know “Guapanese” and “Ferb & Phineas” were fan favorites. In addition to the joy, the love and connection in the room was almost tangible. Cake proudly shared that her younger sister, Jaylen, choreographed a dance to “Ferb & Phineas.” It warmed my heart when Cake shared that “Thank You Black Girl” was written for her mom. In addition to playing keys, Darius, who is also Cake’s brother, charmed us with his powerful

Cake is brilliant and calculated in a way that is necessary in hip-hop. She offered alternative ways for the audience to participate in her performance of the track “Solid” from The Pencess, a project by DJ WhySham in which Cakeswagg is the main feature. For black folks the line was “cause niggas ain’t solid no more.” And for nonblack folks the line was “solid no more.” This decision exemplifies that Cake’s intentional about how she engages with supporters and that she respects the art form. Cakeswagg is good for passionate and imaginative bars and that’s exactly what she brings on her latest song, “Big Plays.” On the track, she asks “how many flavors I got?” And when it comes to fashions, sis has many! At the Cake Frost Winter Show, she gave us Donna Summer flyness before changing into a silver and sequin look reminiscent of a young Tina Turner. I’ve been impressed with Cake’s style since those pink boots she wore at Hella Black 2020. In addition to seeing how her style evolves, I look forward to hearing the music she’s cooking up for 2023.

It will always be a delight to see a black woman, especially one from Roxbury, be listened to and loved on. Cakeswagg has a star quality and level of consistency that sets a tone for others on how to move as a professional artist. With her talent and skill, she will go very far, but her values and character will make her a mainstay in hiphop. Decades from now, we’ll look back and say “Thank You Black Girl” for elevating hiphop and inspiring many.

undergird his work which include community, equity, and the growth and advancement of neighborhoods in Worcester. In regard to this last point, Bradshaw notes the importance of working with community members who have been involved in the legacy market, citing how their innovation has shaped retail practices more broadly and how their participation in the commercial market will continue to transform the industry. Yet highlighting these entrepreneurs not only acknowledges their contributions, but also calls attention to the way their very participation has been policed and outlawed; how the State has and continues to inflict harm on certain groups through the criminalization and weaponization of cannabis. In his work, Bradshaw emphasizes collaborating with Black and Latinx communities who have been targeted by these carceral institutions and governing systems that produce disparity –structures that have particularly barred the pathways for employment and businessownership. For Bradshaw, it is paramount to understand this ongoing history and have it at the forefront of his work.

After watching the episode and seeing Bradshaw discuss his work on radio shows and various publications, it is clear that his major goals include decreasing the barriers and limitations to market entry, creating employment and educational opportunities for the public, and redirecting resources back to local communities and organizations. In many ways, Bradshaw exemplifies the stories and perspectives that LMTV highlights through their stellar design and production.

Founded by Ian Powell in 2012, LMTV is “a Boston-bred, independent, community

based lifestyle brand, media company, and multimedia content provider…” At its core, the company educates viewers by sharing knowledge, news, and happenings related to cannabis, thereby raising awareness and increasing access to this information. Through the upcoming docuseries, cannabis reviews, and discussions – many of them available online – LMTV functions as a “public interest service-learning organization that provides transformative justice in advocacy of our Black & Brown communities.” This mission reflects one of Powell’s own aspirations which is “to keep the general public abreast of the latest developments in Cannabis related news…” In addition to content, curated events such as The Loud Experience are sure to advance Powell’s visions for the multimedia company.

Before closing, I want to return to the docuseries once more in order to reflect on DZIDZOR’s guided meditation and its significance. In the episode, Powell describes how strategic narratives about cannabis have been changing. Previously thought of as a “danger,” mainstream discourse is beginning to acknowledge and popularize the healing elements of cannabis. This is a welcome shift to be sure, but one that is likely changing in service of capital and without the repair of violence wielded against our communities who have long since challenged this idea of “danger.”

This takes me back to DZIDZOR’s performance which revealed this shift – this change in how we understand cannabis in relation to other forms of healing such as meditation. Although the performance did not include the use of cannabis, what’s important for me is the mere fact that this

meditation was an integral part of the event. DZIDZOR’s gathering was powerful in the way that she called on us to take a moment, let loose, laugh, yell, and breathe. She created a space in which we could shed barriers and move freely, enhancing the feelings of comfort and care I felt at the event. To generate such an experience DZIDZOR drew on repetition, raised soulsearching inquiries, merged them with pop culture (who are you uninterrupted?), and read powerful excerpts from Toni Morrison’s Beloved. This collage-like performance signifies elements of DZIDZOR’s practice – a form that encompasses a “style of call and response.” It’s a form that she notes “has reimagined poetry and story-telling as a way to include the audience in an experience to challenge, inspire and encourage self beyond traditional forms.”

What did it mean to have this performance in the midst of The Loud Experience? What did it mean that DZIDZOR facilitated this communal healing, unraveling, and undoing? It did the work of changing how we think about the impacts and possibilities of cannabis. This is not only in terms of its healing properties, but its ability to create a collective experience. In fact, it seems that this idea of communality was present throughout the evening – from Powell’s curation of the event, Bradshaw’s episode, to those of us who showed up to support. Perhaps The Loud Experience is just that: the desire to bring folks together over a common interest, one that happens to be cannabis but represents so much more.

ANNA CAYCO

MY FIRST NOISE SHOW

I went to my first noise show on December 10th at the Tourist Trap. I go to the Tourist Trap fairly often, but I didn’t know what to expect from this show. I was a little apprehensive to review it, but I really enjoyed it.

The most striking thing about this show was seeing how important the visual and performance art elements were to the artists’ sets. Performers of every genre need a stage presence, and will often use visual stimuli such as lights and props to elevate their act; but at this show the visual elements were melded with sound to enhance the experience in a way I had never seen before.

During their performance, Pain Chain held up a sign that read “end all suffering,” emphasizing the poignancy of their set. The music was haunting- there was an air of sadness and I felt like I was vibrating internally for most of the song. Their ethereal, angelic vocals towards the end of their performance really drove the sadness into my heart.

Untitled Noise Night set up a projector that shone flashing images over drummer and vocalist Emerson Borkave, while Shiloh Blue was behind the projector and out of the light working a turntable and a controller. These visuals really enhanced their danceable punk rock/video game music sound. And on a side note, Emerson’s drumming was absolutely sick.

Luc Hendries of New Grasping Machina had this instrument that looked like a bunch of nails and coils coming out of a wooden plank (in a cool way) that they later told

me was handmade for them by a friend in Finland. I loved that during their set they lit up a joint and passed it around the crowd.

The stand out performance of the night was definitely Pleasure Coffin. The set started out in pure red light; then, Sophia Re, the artist, made the basement venue pitch black. She walked through the audience with a flashlight while holding a noise gun (which she made herself). The noise gun made me feel as if I was surrounded as she moved about the basement, but in the darkness, I didn’t know what was there. Everyone was totally engrossed by her and the light she held.

I loved Pleasure Coffin’s music as well. I felt like it transported me to different moods, feelings, and places– in a different way than a lot of other genres. Because noise music has less structure and isn’t confined in melody or sonic beauty, I felt it could lend itself to changing the mood of an entire space so effectively. For so much of the night, I could feel the music more than I could hear it.

If you are uninitiated to the noise music scene, I would definitely head to a show and give it a try! Sam Gruca and Luc Hendries both run their own record labels: Mutual Aid Records and Mechanical Presence Records, respectively. Pain Chain and Pleasure Coffin are both local! I know I’ll definitely be heading to more noise shows in the future, especially if any of these performers are on the bill.

MASSACHUSETTS MINUTE

Brockton’s Luke Bar$ Speaks His Truth

Brockton is one of the most special places in Massachusetts. Rich in both history and culture, the so-called “City of Champions” is exactly that — a place where winners are born and legends last forever. Though it isn’t the easiest place to grow up, it’s the city’s ability to produce formidable human beings that has resulted in so many influential people calling it home. One such person is Luke Bar$, a rapper who embodies the essence of Brockton like no other. After months of teasing an upcoming project, Luke kicks in 2023’s door with a phenomenal body of work titled ‘Angels Never Die’.

Much of Luke’s 2022 was spent moving side by side with his Brockton cohorts that make up Van Buren Records. Together, VB has amassed one of the most exciting collectives of artists in hip-hop right now, doing shows across the country from New York to Los Angeles, releasing full-length projects, and boosting the international image of Brockton. Despite the identity that precedes Van Buren as a conjoined group of artists, each member of the collective has solo discographies as well. Their individual styles of art-making are foundational to the success of the larger group, and nowhere do these styles shine brighter than on these individual releases. This is especially true for Luke Bar$, with ‘Angels Never Die’ becoming the second solo release of his catalog.

Luke’s last solo album, ‘GoodEvil’, made its debut in 2020, and was revered by many fans of the local music circuit as one of the most impactful projects to come from Massachusetts that year. Having to followup on such prestige is not easy, but ‘Angels Never Die’ does exactly that and more. Sitting at 13 songs and featuring collaborators such

as Cousin Stizz, Max Moody, Notebook P, and Dupes, this album is a substantial one. While much of his prior work was centered around what Luke has been forced to endure in his early life, ‘Angels Never Die’ takes on a seemingly different approach, as he pivots towards seizing the unimaginable and overcoming any obstacle that comes his way. Instead of wallowing in self pity or sorrow, Luke is rising from the ashes as a force to be reckoned with, taking control instead of being controlled. This sentiment rings especially true on songs like “Yeah Yeah”, “Tables Turn”, and “Breathe”, which reflect on the struggles he endured, but also on his aspirations towards achieving what he’s always dreamed of. This dichotomy between pain and pleasure, between love and loss, is what ultimately lies at the core of this album, and subsequently at the core of Luke Bar$. Filled with immense meaning, ‘Angels Never Die’ is helping to further the narrative surrounding Luke as one of Massachusetts’ most-promising talents. Whether analyzing this project from a lyrical or sonic perspective, it passes the litmus test for many as a masterful piece of work. With each passing day, his project is making its way onto the radar of rap fans from far and wide, and more people are becoming cognizant of the multi-faceted identity that surrounds the Bay State. It’s apparent that the music Luke makes is bigger than himself, and as time pushes forward, Luke will assuredly further the impact that his discography is making on modern hip-hop music. Whether it be on his own or alongside his Van Buren Records teammates, one thing is for certain, and it’s that Luke Bar$ is an artist full of promise.

GANNOPY URENA

Benjamin Benne's new play. Tix at CentralSquareTheater.org

@Central Square Theater All Ages $25+

2/25-3/18 Zadie Smith adapts part of Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales in The Wife of Willesden at the Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Sq. Don't miss! Tix at AmericanRepertoryTheater.org

@American Repertory Theatre

All Ages $30+

community

2/1 Protecting Our Practice and Creative Self Online Workshop with Ngoc-Tran Vu Workshop for Boston artists presented by MASS MoCA. Sign up at www.tranvuarts.com

2PM-4PM FREE

2/4 Meeting the Moment: A workshop on confident interpersonal communication. In this three-hour experiential workshop, Eve Marie Mugar and Emily Jeanne Brown will guide you through communication exercises and reflective discussion, sharing embodiment and mindfulness techniques to access more openness, grounding and ease in future communication scenarios.

@Gallery 263 10AM-1PM $150

2/4 Death Cafe is a groupdirected discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes, with the objective of increasing awareness of death and helping people make the most of their finite lives. Hosted by Alan Bingham, a retired hospice and palliative care executive. Registration Required: www.tinyurl. com/3j7x3d3k

@Somerville Public Library

11AM-12:30PM All Ages FREE

2/5 New England Farm & Fiber Festival Filling the Boston Public Market with small fiber vendors from around the region. @Boston Public Market 10AM5PM All Ages

2/8 Grrreasetime with Femmechanics: Give Your Bike Some Love monthly open shop by and for femme, trans, women and non-binary people @Somerville Bike Kitchen

7PM-9PM All Ages FREE

@femmechanicsbos

2/5 Cambridge Lunar New Year Celebration for the Year of the Rabbit Chinese American Association of Cambridge is throwing a Festival (1-4:30PM) with Performances (2-4:30PM) to celebrate! @Fitzgerald Theatre

1PM-4:30PM All Ages FREE

2/9+2/16 Financial Well-Being Through Interdependence Workshop with Amy Smith & jumatatu m. poe Presented as part of MASS MoCA's Assets for Artists program @2PM-4PM FREE

2/11 NE Open Markets Presents

The Big Gay Valentine Market Shop from over 40 local LGBTQ+ artists, designers, makers, bakers & chocolatiers vintage dealers + plus special drag performances!

@Legacy Nightclub 1PM-7PM

All Ages $10

All Dawgz A collection of purposeful creations by former graffiti artists, vandals, thieves, hustlers & addicts via photos, wearable goods & more. With every purchase they donate $5 to nonprofits and orgs that support mental health, addiction recovery, education & more.

@alldawgz.us

www.alldawgz.com

Dorchester Bike Kitchen

Learn how to fix your bike at this free drop-in in Fields Corner!

6-9PM on Mondays and Saturdays

@1443 Dorchester Ave

@dotbikekitchen

Jukebox is a participatory public art project that is stocked with community stories. There are 100 tracks that serve as an audio archive of community voices housed in a unique, artistically restored, vintage jukebox, created to celebrate the equally unique, rich perspectives, backgrounds and stories of folks in Cambridge

Knowhere Studios Presents Artist Development Special Working on a budget? Can't find production that fits your music?

Join Melks + Andre X in sessions that include custom beats, song writing, recording and mixing. DM @knowherestudios_ on Instagram to book a session in Methuen, MA!

Slán Abhaile / Safe Home Sign up to be a part of a public artwork in Fields Corner! Krystle Brown is inviting the Fields Corner community to come together and share how the housing crisis has impacted them. Whether you have been a long-time resident or recently moved to the area, everyone is invited to come together to share their story. This project will culminate into creating a community-driven memory-driven bench at DohertyGibson Playground. Sign up to share you story at www.forms.gle/ AjqBEEGjxMfME7ih7 or follow Krystle on IG @krystlebrown_art

Take-A-Zine, Leave-A-Zine has a new location! Check out this incredible community resource where you can trade your coolest zines for even cooler ones! They just set up a new street box at

Gallery 263 in Cambridge that you can access 24/7. They even have a discord if you wanna get involved or learn more! More info on their IG @takeazine

advocacy

2/11 Pleasure Pie Presents Reproductive Justice Salon: an abortion fundraiser Come for community that shares your values of reproductive justice, stay for the presentations by local advocates, and leave having helped raise money for 5 abortion funds in some of the most restrictive states in the US. Plus a new zine, goodie bags and feminist coloring pages! More info at www.pleasurepie.org/ repro @Arts at the Armory 7PM10PM All Ages $15-50 Suggested Donation

2/16 Shut Down the Harvard Kennedy School Teach-In Join local community members to learn more about HKS being a training ground for police, intelligence agents and military personnel. Follow Resist and Abolish the Military Industrial Complex (RAM INC) @resist.abolish for more info.

@Democracy Center

7PM-9PM FREE

2/23 Mental Health While Black Summit 2023 Suicide has no racial discrimination. By focusing on the truth and normalizing the conversation about mental health and suicide we can chip away at the stigma so that people will seek help for themselves and their loved ones. Tickets on sale on Eventbrite. More info at www.deedeescry.com

@Encore Boston Harbor

8AM-4PM $81.20 @deedeescry

Feed The Hood: People's Resource Table Take what you need, leave what you can! FREE food, clothes, & essentials. Bring donations during store hours or leave at the resource table any time every Sunday. Organized by Voices of Liberation @Scope Apparel

Girl Magic Meets is a space where womxn empower each other through collaboration, photography, and sisterhood. This platform is for womxn to use to explore and express their true selves with the support of like-minded individuals through themed photo shoot meetups and events centered around building community. Stay up to date at www.girlmagicmeets.co and follow @girlmagicmeets

Pan-Afrikan Liberation Program Working to amplify, unify, and provide for Black and Brown masses around the world. Youth led + Boston based. Stay in tune on Insta @plpboston

Queer Women In Music Boston is a labor of love via The History Project www.historyproject. org which documents Boston’s LGBTQ history. QWIMB seeks to document, archive, promote, love, cherish, and support queer women and the gender expansive community in Boston’s music scene…past and present. Find out how to support and get involved at www.qwimb.org + follow

@queerwomeninmusicboston

Rent for Moms is a grassroots fundraising initiative led by Black women and other marginalized genders that centers the family, redistributes resources and places agency where it belongs – with the Moms. Done For DiDi Inc. runs this campaign and is looking

to raise $100,000 to help single

moms across the United States retain or obtain housing during the holiday season. Give at www. givebutter.com/RentforMoms @ donefordidi

Sista Creatives Rising is a mother-daughter team working "to help marginalized women/ femme creatives gain accessibility and visibility in the arts to facilitate personal healing." Check out their artist interviews and virtual art shows at www. sistacreativesrising-info.carrd.co @sistacreativesrising

South End Tech Center 25th Year Fundraiser Give if you can to this organization that Melvin King started and has provided an onramp to the information highway and brings opportunities in computer technology for Greater Boston’s underserved communities of color. They need $10,000 to keep their programs thriving. Visit www.gofund.me/ cb3bdecf to donate now or visit www.southendtechcenter.com

Warm Up Boston A Mass Line material aid on occupied Massachusett and Wampanoag territory. They distribute food, amenities and supplies to encampments. You can help by volunteering or donating! Follow updates and support at www.ko-fi.com/warmupboston

opportunity

CALL FOR ARTISTS: 3S Artspace

2024/2025 Gallery Seasons

Welcomes work in all mediums and media. Preference to art that benefits from or considers the unique space itself, are cohesive bodies of work that lend themselves to opportunities to encourage deeper engagement and/or exhibitions that might include an element of public participation. App deadline: 2/24/23, submission fee of $20. Apply online at www.3sarts.org

APPLY NOW! Better Beaches Grant! Save the Harbor and the Department of Conservation and Recreation will be granting more than $300,000 to groups and creatives with fun, unique ideas to bring free public events to our region’s beaches this summer. Deadline to apply is 3/13

APPLY NOW! Central Square

Theater Youth Playwriting Fellowship is a one-year program designed to support and mentor early-career BIPOC and/or LGBTQIA+ playwrights local to the Greater Boston area, who have a passion for working with youth and an interest in investigative theater. The YU Playwriting Fellow will be mentored by an established CST playwright and provided a stipend of $7800 per year of fellowship.

Deadline to apply is 2/12

CALL FOR ART! Juniper Rag

Presents TORRID | Abstract

Impressions Artists are open to submit 3 works of art that explore any way the word torrid affects you. Is it climate, heat, energy or fashion, style or attraction? Artists are free to explore and present work reflecting their instinctive response. Visit juniperrag. com/call-for-art for details + submissions. Cash prize for jurors; choice.

Deadline to apply is 2/11

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

Justice for Black Girls is currently looking for volunteers to support their Research + Education Team & Social Media + Content Creation

Team. Interested? Email: info@ justiceforblackgirls.com using the volunteer position you’re interested in as the subject line. Learn more at www. justiceforblackgirls.com

APPLY NOW! The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Literature Fellowship Offers $25,000 grants in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) and poetry to published creative writers. Deadline to apply is 3/8

APPLY NOW! The Reckonings Summer Institute in Social Justice & Community Archiving

A 4 day incubation and 1/2 day showcase that seeks communitybased organizations that are actively looking to document the rich histories of their organization and surrounding BIPOC communities in the Boston area by forging an institutionalcommunity joint partnership. Accepted attendees are provided stipends of $3,000 each. Check the virtual info session on 2/7. More info at www.forms.gle/ trYwaAm3TJs7J6CV9 + follow @reckoningsproject

Deadline to apply is 2/15

APPLY NOW! S.P.A.C.E.

GRANT PROGRAM *Supporting Pandemic Affected Community Enterprises) Grant Program will prioritize helping small businesses grow, with a priority for industries that were most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeking to help small business owners secure new storefront space or expand to a space by subsidizing the costs associated with operating expenses.

Deadline to apply is 2/17

APPLY NOW! Unstoppable Voters Fellowship 2023 by the Center for Artistic Activism is a special professional development program that runs from May through December 2023. It starts with a unique training retreat, continues with inspiring on-theground organizational workshops and exceptional one-on-one mentorship, and connects with a wonderful community of the most innovative voting activists. Learn more at www.c4aa.org

Deadline to apply is 3/1

I Cut Myself Shaving Again by Daniel Alejandro

Greenhouse Affect by Mehitabel Glenhaber

Wrecking Ball by Ben Doane

Article: Rocks

Docks & Blocks

ROCK:

Rockledge Urban Wild Rockledge St.

Neighborhood: Roxbury

By: Neil Horsky horskyprojects.com

REUSE REFUSE REST

In early January I caught my first head cold since 2019. I had been extremely sleepdeprived, anxious, and overextended for many, many months. A little bacterium caught a glimpse of my unfulfilled desires through the open window, and serenaded me sweetly. I let them in and we held hands for a long time.

A rugged nature oasis within a tightly-packed historic district. Stop off for a breather.

DOCK:

Scarboro Pond

Franklin Park

No docks in Roxbury, but the bridge and shore of this here water body will do you just fine.

BLOCK:

Alvah Kittredge Park

Linwood St. at Highland St.

A unique plaza with multicultural art, chess, sculpture honoring a local abolitionist hero.

SURVEIL & CONTROL

Every day, police demonstrate their true function as brute enforcers of the state’s status quo, shielded under the law and enabled by media narratives to operate by any means necessary. Monitoring and disrupting liberation movements that threaten existing power structures through invasive surveillance, violence, and misinformation campaigns are central to the modern policing model. The vast majority of law enforcement agencies have only increased their budgets following the 2020 uprisings, and, in 2022, police killed more people than any other year on record.

The Stop Cop City Movement recently gained national attention over the killing of forest defender and activist Manuel “Tortuguita” (little turtle) Terán by Atlanta police. During a violent raid to clear protester encampments, Atlanta police shot and killed Tortuguita. This murder by police follows months of escalations against activists occupying Weelaunee People’s Park. Last June, police arrived at a demonstration with guns drawn, arresting both protestors and uninvolved bystanders. In December, five protestors were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism following raids on the forest in which police reportedly used tear gas, pepper balls, and rubber bullets to dislodge activists from tree-sits.

Cop City is a $90 million dollar proposed police militarization facility to be built across the dense woodland of Atlanta’s Weelaunee Forest, also known as the South River Forest. This plan, under lease of the Atlanta Police Foundation, would cause ecological destruction through the reduction of carbon sequestration and significant deforestation of hundreds of acres of land that help to prevent flooding and protect against extreme heat.

Atlanta is already the most heavily surveilled city in the U.S. thanks to “Operation Shield”, a 2017 project to develop a network of nearly 11,000 surveillance

Where To Find Us

cameras and license plate readers across the city. Cop City will further increase police presence and budgets, as well as further militarize law enforcement through the creation of a mock neighborhood for raids. There, officers can practice advanced urban warfare tactics and stockpile military grade weaponry for future deployment against the people of Atlanta.

Destroying the natural environment to invest in police militarization and their advanced urban warfare is a matter of racial justice and climate activism. Diversity trainings, body cameras, citizen review boards, and other liberal reforms can never absolve policing from its inherent racialized violence, and have only funneled mass amounts of money into law enforcement agencies. The War on Crime and the signing of the Safe Streets Act ignited the allocation of federal funds to “modernized” police departments in the 1960s, and the flow of money, military hardware, and unchecked power has only intensified generationally to the era of mass surveillance we find ourselves in today.

The core objectives of policing are the objectives of white supremacy, as police are the defenders of white property and wealth assessed under racial capitalism. The Atlanta Police Foundation is incredibly well funded by these large corporations driving climate change through greed driven, destructive environmental practices. Increased and intensified storms cause flooding and other forms of destruction, disproportionately affecting members of historically oppressed populations such as low income and/or Black people and Latine people. Unless massively opposed, Cop City will provide a training ground for police to practice their work as agents of disruption, jailing and murdering those like Tortuguita who are actively fighting for climate and racial justice.

GRACE RAIH

Bronchitis was a horrible fling but I embraced it because I desperately needed to slow down.

~ * Will it help me end my toxic relationship with productivity? * ~

Crawling back into my day job, I sought advice.

My desktop wallpaper, a photograph of a workplace safety sign, said: “WARNING: If you don’t schedule time for maintenance, your equipment will schedule it for you.”

In a December 2022 interview with NPR, “The Nap Bishop” Tricia Hersey said:

“We have been brainwashed by this system to believe these things about rest, about our bodies, about our worth, this violent culture that wants to see us working 24 hours a day, that doesn't view us as a human being but instead views our divine bodies as a machine.”

My housemate said: "We're all in survival mode, which is one way that we take care of ourselves. But in survival mode we can forget about other types of care, the 'extracurriculars.' "

“It's going to be slow. It is not going to be a quick tip of advice that I can give you and just be like, this is going to work for you. It's really going to be a slow uncovering, a slow mercy and grace towards yourself.” (Hersey is a theologian, Black liberation activist, and artist who founded The Nap Ministry, which you should really check out: https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/)

My boyfriend said:

“Life is more than just blooming.”

“Rest can be part of a productivity mindset, or it can be valued as its own need.”

I don’t know what to do next, exactly, but I don’t want to swoon for lung disease ever again. And pillows are nice.

AMELIA YOUNG