The Contributor: November 9, 2022 by the-contributor-live

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Volu m e 16

| Number 23 | November 9 - 23, 2022

IN THE ISSUE

Contributor Board

LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

GRATIS Noviembre

2022

L a N ticia

Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital

www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Año 20 - No. 360

Nashville, Tennessee

Room In The Inn lanza temporada número 37 de refugios de invierno

¿Quién de nosotros o de nuestro circulo cercano de amigos o familiares no ha tenido la necesidad de albergue alguna vez en nuestras vidas? Situación difícil de entender si nunca nos pasó, pero es la realidad de Por Yuri Cunza muchos en nuestra Editor in Chief comunidad y en el @LaNoticiaNews mundo. Una muy triste condición que tenemos que unir fuerzas y recursos para erradicar. Es por esto que es muy grato compartir estas muy buenas noticias para nuestros vecinos sin hogar en Nashville por que se espera que Room In The Inn preste servicios a casi 100 personas desde este martes por la noche, ya que la organización sin fines de lucro lanza su temporada número 37 de refugios de invierno.

Contributor vendors write in this issue about 'Airheads,' Veteran's Day, Maryanne III, and a spotlight on a volunteer. A través de la generosidad de las congregaciones en toda la ciudad, Room In The Inn ofrece refugio seguro para los vecinos sin hogar de Nashville durante los meses más fríos del año, dijo la directora ejecutiva Rachel Hester. Más de 1000 voluntarios de 90 congregaciones que representan todas las tradiciones religiosas harán la vida un poco más cómoda para las personas sin hogar cada noche desde el 1 de noviembre hasta el 31 de marzo.

We've compiled a list of free events in the downtown area for locals and tourists happening in November!

lavandería, correo, comidas, apoyo para la vivienda, telesalud, refugio, educación, programas de recuperación, cuidado de recuperación y navegación de recursos.

Room In The Inn comenzó en el invierno de 1985, cuando su Director Fundador, el Padre Charles Strobel, abrió las puertas de su parroquia a las personas que buscaban refugio en el estacionamiento de la iglesia. Este simple acto de bondad marcó el comienzo de Room In The Inn. En diciembre de 1986, cuatro congregaciones se comprometieron a albergar a personas sin hogar hasta marzo de 1987. Para fines de ese invierno, se habían unido 31 congregaciones. Ahora, tenemos cerca de 200 congregaciones de una amplia variedad de tradiciones y más de 7,000 Room In The Inn Founding Director Charles Strobel and Executive Director Rachel Hester voluntarios que albergan a casi 1,500 Este año, Room In The Inn da la bien- to de la iglesia. Este simple acto de hombres y mujeres desde el 1 de venida a una mayor participación con- bondad marcó el comienzo de Room In noviembre hasta el 31 de marzo de gregacional después de la pandemia, The Inn. cada temporada. que presentó nuevos desafíos para las organizaciones que atienden a la “Este programa representa lo mejor de En 1995, abrieron su campus en el cenpoblación sin hogar de Nashville. Las Nashville, con voluntarios de toda tro de Nashville, que ofrece servicios de congregaciones que no pueden recibir nuestra área que se unen para abordar emergencia, programas de transición y huéspedes en sus instalaciones también la falta de vivienda. Se trata de que los tienen la opción de quedarse en una vecinos ayuden a los vecinos y apren- soluciones a largo plazo para ayudar a ubicación central en el campus del cen- dan unos de otros”, dijo Hester. “No las personas a reconstruir sus vidas. La apertura de una instalación de 45,000 tro de Room In The Inn. podríamos hacer esto sin la generosi- pies cuadrados en 2010 mejoró enormedad de nuestros muchos voluntarios, y Como medida de seguridad adicional, estamos profundamente agradecidos mente la capacidad de apoyar a las personas a través de programas que enfatiRoom In The Inn se asocia con el Departamento de Salud de Metro por el apoyo de nuestros fieles socios zan la salud, la educación, el empleo y la vivienda. Realizan este trabajo a Nashville y la Clínica del Centro para congregacionales”. ofrecer recursos educativos y acceso a través de la construcción de relaciones vacunas y pruebas a todos los partici- Room In the Inn sirve como el único uno a uno y ofreciendo hospitalidad a sitio de servicios completo y único de todos los que llaman hogar a las calles pantes e invitados. Nashville para personas sin hogar, que de Nashville. El programa de refugio de invierno de ofrece refugio durante todo el año y Room In The Inn comenzó en el invier- viviendas asequibles en el lugar. -Para más información ó si necesita no de 1985 cuando su fundador, el Además del programa de refugio de albergue visite www.roomintheinn.org padre Charles Strobel, abrió las puer- invierno, Room In The Inn brindó casi tas de su parroquia a las personas que 100,000 puntos de servicio a más de Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: buscaban refugio en el estacionamien- 3,000 personas, que incluyen duchas, news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-567-3569

Vendor Writing

‘Contributor’ Calendar

Foto: Room In The Inn

Las congregaciones recogen a sus huéspedes en el campus del centro de Room In The Inn en Drexel Street y los transportan a sus respectivos lugares de culto. Una vez allí, las congregaciones ofrecerán a los invitados hospitalidad, cena, una cama cálida y desayuno antes de transportarlos de regreso a Room In Ihe Inn a la mañana siguiente.

La Noticia + The Contributor

Moving Pictures

La Noticia, one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers in the nation, brings Spanish content to The Contributor.

Attention Scorsese fans: You will be subscribing to HBO Max (or finding a friend with a login) after reading this column!

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada?

WHAT WE DO

WHO WE ARE

1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

Basados en la Quinta Enmienda de la Constitución, los derechos de guardar silencio y contar con un abogado fueron denominados Derechos Miranda luego de la decisión de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de Estados Unidos en el caso Miranda vs. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, de 1966.

por

$2 VENDOR SELLS

www.juanese.com juanese@usa.com

PAPERS

$0.25 VENDOR BUYS PAPERS

CUSTOMER TAKES PAPER

Buying more papers grows & legitimizes a vendor's business, allowing the vendor to apply for housing.

The Contributor is a nonprofit social enterprise that creates economic opportunity with dignity by investing in the lives of people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Starting in 2019, our C.O.V.E.R. Program (Creating Opportunity for Vendor Employment, Engagement, and Resources) was the natural expansion of our mission of removing obstacles to housing. We now offer full case management, assistance with housing and rental expenses, addiction recovery, health insurance, food benefits, and SSI/SSDI assistance. We see the onestop-shop team approach radically transforming a vendor's image of self and their place in community. Since we started in 2007, more than 3,200 different vendors have purchased $2.3 million worth of The Contributor and sold over six million copies, generating over $15 million in income for themselves. Take the paper, change a life. Read the paper, change yours.

Tom Wills, Chair Cathy Jennings, Christine Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Kerry Graham, Amber DuVentre, Jerome Moore, Drew Morris, Andy Shapiro

Contributors This Issue

Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Ridley Wills II • Tasha A.F. Lemley • David Dark • Tom Wills • Cathy Jennings • Laura Birdsall • Rachel Ternes • Norma B. • William B. • Christopher W. • Wendell J. • Judith Tackett • Jen A. • Ray Ponce de Leon • Deborah R. • David "Clinecasso" C. • Yuri Cunza • Mr. Mysterio • John H. • Joe Nolan Contributor Volunteers Christine Doeg , Volunteer Coordinator Joe First • Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Laura Birdsall • Marissa Young • Matthew Murrow • Gisselly Mazariegos • Tyler Samuel

Cathy Jennings Executive Director Tom Wills Director of Vendor Operations Carli Tharp SNAP Specialist Ree Cheers SOAR Manager Rachel Ternes Housing Navigator Amy Holt Housing Navigator Mary Margaret Weatherford Housing Navigator Jesse Call Operations Consultant Raven Nye Director of Housing Initiatives Arnita Carson Recovery Specialist Justin Wagner Resource Coordinator & Reporter Barbara Womack Advertising Manager Amanda Haggard & Linda Bailey Co-Editors Andrew Krinks Editor Emeritus Will Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom Wills Contributor Co-Founders Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate. Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

The Contributor P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203 Vendor Office: 615.829.6829

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!

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PAGE 2 | November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

IN MEMORIAM

Remembering 'Contributor' vendor Perry Champion Perry was a gentle, quiet soul. He always seemed a little sad to me, like he truly didn’t expect much from life, or feel like he deserved it. He always had gratitude. When I moved him into housing, he slept on the floor in his sleeping bag for weeks because he didn’t want to get “used to” sleeping in a bed. He truly never expected to remain in one. I am happy that he slept in a bed until the end of his life. He will be missed. – Cathy Jennings, Contributor Executive Director Perry dealt with health problems for all of the past year. He had a bit of a rough exterior, but anyone who was sincere and caring and good to him, he would truly open his heart to. And that was an honor. He loved The Contributor — the staff, the volunteers, the community and the freedom and challenge of selling papers every day. He survived a lot in his lifetime, but he still had tentative hope, and occasionally a really great and surprising sense of humor. He had a few loyal friends who he was very dedicated to. It was a blessing to know him. – Rachel Ternes, Contributor Housing Navigator

Drawing of Perry's favorite hat by Rachel Ternes.

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ghbors

This Year, Everyone is a Bell Ringer

Ring the Bell and Rescue Christmas for Our Neighbors by Making a Donation on Your Phone. Learn More at SalvationArmyNashville.org November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 3

EVENTS

THE CONTRIBUTOR CALENDAR Nashville’s Best Free Events Downtown

Whether you’ve lived in Nashville for years or you’re just in town for a few days, there’s always a way to get out and about without spending a ton. Every two weeks, The Contributor rounds up some of the best local fun to help you navigate all the city has to offer as well as volunteer opportunities.

MUSIC OF APPALACHIA: THE SOUNDS OF THE SMOKIES Nov. 12 | 1-3:30 p.m. at the Tennessee State Museum, 1000 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. The Tennessee State Museum is hosting Mark Freed, instructor of Appalachian Music at Appalachian State University, as he lectures on Appalachian music. He’ll talk about music of the Cherokee, ballad singing, use of folk instruments, sacred sounds, blues, the early commercial radio and recording era, bluegrass, and songs of the coal fields. After the lecture, Freed will lead an Appalachian jam session and instruments will be available for hands-on demonstrations. Guests are welcome to bring their own instruments as well. HIKE FOR SAFE HAVEN Nov. 12 | 10 a.m. at Percy Warner Park, 7199 Highway 100 Safe Haven Family Shelter is hosting its 18th annual Hike for Safe Haven, where Nashvillians can come out for a day of outdoor fun at Percy Warner Park. The event includes hiking on paved trails, food, live music, children’s activities and more. It is free, but there’s a T-shirt for everyone who donates $35 or more to the organization. NASHVILLE PUBLIC TELEVISION'S HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT SCREENING AND DISCUSSION Nov. 17 | 6-7:30 p.m. at Hillsboro High School, 3812 Hillsboro Pike Nashville Nashville Public Television, WPLN and Metro Nashville Public Schools are hosting a screening of Ken Burns' film Hiding In Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness. After the screening, WPLN's Khalil Ekulona, host of This is Nashville, will lead a panel discussion with Monica Coverson, MNPS Director of Social Work & Trauma Informed Schools; Will "Big Fella" Simms, MNPS parent and community leader; along with local youth voices and others. There will be refreshments and information about local youth and family resources and support for mental wellness. FAMILY PROGRAM: DESIGN YOUR OWN AWARD Nov. 19 | 1 p.m. at the Country Music Hall of Fame, 222 Rep. John Lewis Way S. This program at the Country Music Hall of Fame is free to students under 18 years old and to members. The crafting experience draws from the exhibition Chris Stapleton: Since 1978, which features many of Stapleton’s awards, including a Waffle House Tunie award for having the most-played song on Waffle House jukeboxes. Attendees are encouraged to imagine an award they would like to receive some day, and think of the hard work they’ll need to put in and the steps to follow to reach the goal, and “solidify your aspirations in this program by creating a version of your dream top prize using commonly found objects.”

PAGE 4 | November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

VENDOR WRITING

Girls Night Out Part 2 BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR Not long ago I wrote a story about going to an Alan Jackson concert in Lexington, Ky., with my friend of more than 25 years, Joanne. A short time later, she got her hands on two two free tickets to Air Supply for Oct. 2 at Ryman Auditorium. She called and asked if I liked them, and I said yes. (I mean they were REALLY popular when I was in junior high or middle school as it’s known these days.) She invited me to go with her, and I did. The day of the show I worked selling the paper from about 12:30 until I went to the show. I texted Joanne to give her a heads up that I was in, “full '80s mode.” Her reply? Two words: “Oh Lord.” She knows me SO well! Picture this: I wore black leggings, a black tank top, a bright pink off the shoulder Nike t-shirt (think workout clothes), but it was a Sunday, so I had to dress it up a bit. How? I added a matching pink tutu that I borrowed from my granddaughter who offered her own critique of my appearance. I even wore make-up and jewelry consistent with the '80s, and my daughter came to my Contributor sales spot, and we went into the hotel lobby and she fixed my hair in '80s fashion, complete a blinged out headband! I was honestly surprised no one said, “You know Halloween isn’t until the end of the month, right?” There was an older couple (regulars of mine) that drove by and the woman asked, “What’s the occasion?” They know I don’t usually dress that way. I told them I had an '80s era concert to go to later that night. She said, “Well, you hit the nail right on the head with that outfit!” Her husband just said I looked, “cute.” My ride to the concert arrived later than I’d hoped, but I made it to the show just as it began! As usual, our seats weren’t handicap accessible but this time it didn’t matter

PHOTO BY NORMA B. because they were on the floor— Aisle seats in Row R — looking directly at the stage. A word of caution: The floor seats are church pews so they are NOT the most comfortable, but the acoustics there are absolutely AMAZING so it’s well worth the sacrifice! The show started with a few of their hits- “Sweet Dreams,” “Even The Nights Are Better,” “Just As I Am.” Then they took a moment to comment on the historic significance of The Ryman. They noted that even though they’ve been around a while, they take nothing for granted. The music continued with, “Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)”— one of my personal favorites. I, along with the audience, sang along. They actually thanked the audience for NOT going to see Elton John at Nissan Stadium that night, which I must admit would’ve been a great show too, but I didn’t have free tickets to that one.

My New Job BY WILLIAM B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR I've said before, "I’m still kicking," but I’ve been struggling with my medical problems a lot lately. I keep going though because The Contributor has given me so much to live for. Recently, one of my customers stopped me while I was selling the papers. He offered me a beer, and I declined, so then he offered me a cold bottle of water. Well that happened a few times and I said I’m gonna ask him to get me a job. So I knocked on his door and told him I needed a certain amount of hours at a job to get my social security in order and he said, “I think we can do that.” Those were his exact words. He’s

doing all the research on how many hours I can work. He even came down with me to Room In The Inn to talk to them about me working. He told me he’d give me a chance. I said “Sir, I won’t let you down.” And he said, “I will give you the chance to prove that to me.” I was a little late the first day, but I made up for that by showing how good I am at working with my hands and using tools. He started me off at drilling holes in these big whiskey barrels and cleaning up after that. I get breaks whenever I need to rest. I get to eat lunch. That’s the kind of person I like working for. Someone who lets

November 9 - 23, 2022

After 47 years together in the entertainment industry, newcomers in the audience were guaranteed to be “Airheads” (the official nickname of Air Supply fans), by the time the show was over. Then he asked the people in the audience who were seeing them for the first time, “What took you 47 years to come to our show?” In our case, it was definitely the free tickets! Next up they sang “Chances” and “Goodbye.” (Two songs I’d NEVER heard before.) Next, Graham Russell introduced their musical director Aaron McClain. He talked a little bit about how they got here saying they, “took a left tun at Greenland,” a reference to The Beatles response to how they came to America that I’m NOT familiar with. Then he recited a poem he wrote entitled, “Am I.” Next, he introduced the piano and bass player. He went on to explain how and why he began to write music. He said he had no friends and couldn’t get a date so he retreated into his own little world with his imaginary friends, and even though he was happy being alone, he often felt like something was wrong with him. That led to his reading the words to a poem entitled, “Is There Something Wrong With Me?” With time he noted how everything changed. Now everyone wants to date him! He talked about his relationship with his friend and band mate Russell Green. They met in choir practice May 12, 1975 when he was playing his guitar upside down. They shared a name (Graham Russell and Russell Green). They were born three days apart. They both saw The Beatles live in concert at age 14, and they’ve NEVER had an argument. (I find that hard to believe.) Next, the audience was invited to sing along to one of their classic hits, “Two Less Lonely People In The World.” As the guitar player played, he didn't just strum the strings,

he used the guitar almost like a drum. Speaking of drums, the drummer put on quite a show too, at one point throwing his sticks in the air, catching them and continuing to play without missing a beat! It was SO cool! “The One That You Love” earned the duo a standing ovation. The audience again sang along acapella following the duos lead. “Lost In Love” had the crowd on their feet singing along and clapping their hands. At this point the lady in front of me turned around and said, “Wow! You can really sing.” I usually sing along to every song I know, especially at a concert, but what a nice compliment. I have to admit it made me feel good. The duo again thanked the crowd for coming out to see them. Next they performed their first encore song, “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.” The crowd asked for another encore (this was the first time I’d ever actually heard a crowd chanting encore) and they performed, “Without You.” They thanked the staff at The Ryman, and let the audience know about their upcoming concert dates in South America. They introduced their remaining band members and their behind the scenes crew, and paid tribute to veterans in the audience. They said there were a few nights that they’ll always remember in their career, and this is one of them. The last song of the evening was, “All Out Of Love,” which they performed acapella with the audience on their feet once again singing along to every word. With that the show came to an end. I found myself wishing it could’ve been longer,like some of the others I’d been to, but then I realized they’d done ALL their most popular songs. What more could they possibly do? It was another night of AWESOME music shared with a GREAT friend, and as promised, Joanne and I left as members of a select group of people. Yep, it’s official, we are now “Airheads!”

me work on my time. That’s really important for people who have medical problems to be able to work like that. I haven’t been able to go out much lately though because I’ve been sick off and on. I found out my blood is low. I’m anemic and have some other things wrong with my immune system, so the doctor told me to drink a whole lot of water. So, if it hadn’t been for this man here giving me the opportunity to get a little extra money, I wouldn’t have enough money to get my papers or have food in my home. Food stamps only get you so far. If it hasn’t been for this man who gave me the chance to prove myself, I probably would have gave up, and I’m not a quitter by no means, but I was in the process of wanting to stop. The Contributor is fulfilling a dream for me. I’m a street entertainer playing my music and selling my papers. It’s given me the opportunity

to meet people from all over, and I mean all over: Canada, Japan, Australia, Alaska, Texas, Russia. Some people want to take a video of me and I say, “I’m not bashful, I’m from Nashville!” They tell me I’m a good spokesman for The Contributor, and I hope I am because I started playing my spoons downtown before I even started selling the paper. I’ve even done a video for The Contributor! And I feel good about that. That’s how I feel like I’m in the business. I’d like to invest in music and into video because I got everything I need to do it, I just don’t know how to set it up. I’ve got my good days and I’ve got my bad days, so I can’t get out as much as I want. But, selling The Contributor is my best medicine because it takes my mind off my problems. I want people to know that this can work for them too. Anyone who wants to sell.

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 5

PAGE 6 | November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

NASHVILLE HISTORY CORNER

Nashville and Gallatin Interurban Company was better known as the Bluegrass Line BY RIDLEY WILLS II In an earlier issue of The Contributor, I wrote about the Franklin Interurban Railway. Another interurban railway, one that connected Nashville with Gallatin, was named the Nashville and Gallatin Interurban Company. It was often called the Bluegrass Line,

as it opened electric rail car service over a single track line connecting the public squares of the two cities in 1913. Driven by electric power taken from overhead lines by a trolley, the cars negotiated the 27 miles in approximately one hour. Occasionally, deep snows, such as one in

1929, interrupted service. Nevertheless, the electric cars were well patronized by commuters and shoppers until the depression when improved highways and an increase in the use of automobiles caused it to fail in the mid1930s.

Ridley wrote a book! Longtime writer for The Contributor Ridley Wills II has published a book cataloging all of his work writing History Corner articles for the paper from over the past decade. All proceeds from the book will be donated to The Contributor to continue its mission of providing low-barrier income opportunities for people experiencing homelessness so that they can find sustainable housing.

FIND THE BOOK AT THESE LOCAL STORES: • • • • • •

Belle Meade Mansion Gift Shop: 5025 Harding Pike Elder's Bookstore: 101 White Bridge Road Fort Negley Visitors Center: 1100 Fort Negley Boulevard Historic Belmont: 1800 Belmont Blvd. Logos Book Store: 2136 Bandywood Drive Parnassus Books: 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Suite 14

November 9 - 23, 2022

• Landmark Booksellers: 114 East Main Street, Franklin TN • Hot Pink: 831 Franklin Pike, Brentwood TN • Duck River Books: 124 Public Square, Columbia TN

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 7

VENDOR WRITING

Volunteer Spotlight: Tyler Samuel BY NORMA B., CONTRIBUTOR VENDOR In keeping with the volunteer spirit of the Volunteer State, it’s time for another Volunteer Spotlight! Meet Tyler Samuel. She was born in Arkansas, and moved to Nashville in 1998 after her parents divorced. She is grateful that she got to experience life in the city in Nashville, and the country life spending her summers in Arkansas. You might say she experienced the best of both worlds! She went to Cumberland Elementary School for grades K-4. She attended East Literature Magnet School for grades 5-12. Her collegiate career was spent at the University of Evansville in Indiana where she got her degree in Vocal Performance, but she didn’t wait until she had a degree to pursue her dreams. She’s been singing professionally since she was 14! She loves singing opera and classical music. She also does background vocals with

the group W. Crimm Singers (aka Wakanda Chorale). They specialize in negro spirituals, a historical art form dating back to the time of slavery. (If you’re unfamiliar with this style of music as I was, I encourage you to check it out. It’s unique and VERY moving!) At the risk of sounding like an infomercial, that’s not all! There’s so much more to her story! She’s on the Mayor’s Advisory Council for People with Disabilities. She’s also on the Tennessee Deaf, Blind, and Hard of Hearing Council, as well as the State Rehabilitation Council, which are 3 year terms that are appointed by the Governor. So how did she get involved with The Contributor? She remembered it from when she was a kid, and bought a subscription from Maurice B. (A digital subscription makes it easier for her to read as she’s legally blind.) While reading the paper, she

noticed an ad inviting people to volunteer at The Contributor. She took immediate action and contacted our Volunteer Coordinator Christine Doeg and she’s been volunteering on Thursdays and at paper release ever since July 6, 2022. In that short time, she says she’s gained a real sense of community, and that she’s found joy and is more fulfilled as a result of the vendors and staff. She stressed the importance of outreach in helping others. To that end she says she wants to see Nashville take care of each other. When asked what she hoped to achieve as a volunteer she said personally she wants to help people by being a part of their support system. That’s DEFINITELY a good goal to have, I mean, EVERYBODY NEEDS THAT! She also says she wants people to rec-

ognize the value of the content of The Contributor as a voice that needs to be heard in the community. I wholeheartedly agree!

LET'S RAP By Christopher W.. Kids from the bricks come to Downtown for weekend kicks marker has been placed can be taken without a trace Our marker has been seen as looking like Mr. Bean the alley was dark we have our mark so the time is right. We hussle over tuned into a bussle. Yes Mr. Bean turned really mean I've turned 19 In juevy til 21 momma tried and my homeys lied.

Alexis Wilkins is a country music artist popular for singing, "615", "That Girl", "If I am Being Honest" and "Old Fashioned Christmas." Her latest song, "Stand" honors veterans for Veteran's Day. She also volunteers at @WarriorRounds, which helps veterans heal through music. ART BY WENDELL J. PAGE 8 | November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

NEWS

A Few Questions with at-large Councilmember Bob Mendes

ob Mendes is one of the most powerful at-large councilmembers who leads the new East Bank Stadium Committee. He has 11 months left in his second term and says he is not running for any office in 2023. The Contributor talked with Mendes as part of a series called A Few Questions With where we interview councilmembers about their district’s most pressing issues.

BY JUDITH TACKETT

Community Planning Areas (Subareas) Metropolitan Nashville & Davidson County

METRO COUNCIL COMMITTEES: • Affordable Housing • Budget and Finance • Charter Revision

As an at-large councilmember you represent the entirety of Davidson County. What are the top issues you hear about from Nashvillians? Nashville is such a big place with 700,000 people, so you hear different things from different people in different places of the county. People everywhere want a safe place to live for themselves and their family, a fair chance for a good education, and a decent job. In Nashville, we’ve had trouble with the garbage pickup. People want to get their garbage picked up on time, and they don’t want to be in traffic for too long. For all the fancy things we have in Nashville, people want for government to provide and protect these basic services, so they can have confidence that they and their kids can enjoy a good quality of life. You chair the Metro Council’s East Bank Stadium Committee. What’s the purpose of this committee and where do discussions stand? The Vice Mayor set up the committee in June and asked me to be the chair anticipating that the Mayor and the Tennessee Titans would soon be wrapping up their private negotiation and let the rest of us know what the deal is that they’re proposing. The Mayor and the team took longer than anticipated. On Oct. 20, they finally delivered a 27-page, unsigned, non-binding term sheet for consideration by the Metro Council. The non-binding term sheet is basically an outline for a proposed deal to build a new $2.1 billion enclosed football stadium, to capture hundreds of millions of dollars of additional tax revenue to pay for future stadium improvements, and to have 100 acres of high-rise development around the football stadium to help pay for it all. Through the summer, the goal of the committee was to gather enough information for the public and the Council to make an informed decision about whether to support a deal or not when it comes before us. Now that we have the non-binding term sheet in front of us, the committee has scheduled 12 meetings through mid-December for us all to learn more about the proposal. In your blog, you say that the stadium development cannot be seen apart from the overall East Bank development. Can you highlight some of the main opportunities and concerns you see for this development? First of all, the stadium and the East Bank development are completely interlocked together. As far as the concerns, pro-football attendance is typically an upper-middle-class hobby.

It costs more than $500 per game for a family of four to attend. Not everybody can do that, and there is a question about whether this is a worthwhile spending of public tax dollars. We’re told it will be much more than $1 billion of state and local tax dollars committed to a stadium that will be the biggest ever in the history of the United States. That's not including an additional hundreds of millions of tax dollars being captured for future stadium improvements. So, it’s a big deal. And then, anybody who’s been in Nashville since at least the 2010 flood knows that we have to be worried about flooding on the East Bank. As far as opportunities, the team and the Mayor’s Office are quick to point out that the city is already committed and obligated to pay a certain amount for the existing football stadium. With a new deal, we’re talking about the potential to move our current commitment where we use mostly property tax dollars to pay for the stadium and switch it over to using mostly sales tax dollars to pay for a new stadium. The argument will be there is a better opportunity to switch how we pay for it. The Mayor talks about building Nashville’s next great neighborhood and some view that as an opportunity. Some people wonder what our commitment is versus [existing] neighborhoods and whether we should build a new neighborhood or not. And the Mayor’s Office has been clear that they think there are opportunities to help with the transit network because the East Bank is a November 9 - 23, 2022

blank slate because it’s mostly been floodplain and parking lots before now. So, they think there is a traffic or transit opportunity. Now that we are about a week or so into seeing the proposed non-binding terms, we can start to get a better sense of what the opportunities and concerns are. You are in your last year of the Metro Council; do you have a major goal you would like to see through this year? It’s on my mind, I’m down to 11 months. Clearly the stadium and East Bank conversation. It’s the biggest deal that Metro has ever worked on. I have a lot of energy and focus as an at-large member on that. I am also keenly aware that while term limits have a benefit of getting fresh thoughts and fresh ideas, there is also a substantial downside to term limits. Especially in this particular era. In my seven years in office, I’ve seen three mayors, three vice mayors, three legal directors, three finance directors, three Council directors, and due to that turnover, I’ve got as much experience and knowledge at the top levels of Metro as anybody there is, and I’m walking out the door in 11 months. So, it’s on my mind to try to do what I can to encourage first-term councilmembers to take the lead on things. I try to be a resource for them and pass along as much knowledge as possible. We all want Nashville to be a set of interconnected neighborhoods where people can live and learn, work and play, and live their

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 9

lives. Yet with turnover in government it’s easy for progress to go in fits and starts. And finally, what are some potential solutions to homelessness you would like the city to implement? It’s hard to know where to start. I get concerned that homelessness over the years has been more a political football and talking point than an actual top priority to address. Over a generation and a half, the city has accomplished whatever its top priority was. Whether it was building Downtown or a convention center or shifting to tourism, now shifting to the East Bank. The city has a demonstrated success rate of accomplishing of whatever its number one objective is. That begs a lot of questions about whether homelessness has ever been a top priority any time recently. I think the advocate community understands what needs to happen. My understanding is that the informed Housing First approach that involves a genuine access to a full range of services depending on the needs of the person works. It’s labor intensive, it’s time intensive, it’s money intensive. But that’s what organizations that have success do. And I don’t know that as much energy has ever been put into that as into a new building. You know, everything is important, but we have to have a number one priority somewhere. So, to me, I feel like the solutions are out there, but I am just not sure the priority has ever been made to make it happen.

LEARN MORE ABOUT

Learn More About: Housing First Why the Housing First Approach Needs Sustainable Funding BY JUDITH TACKET T Nashville’s Mayor has at last endorsed the Housing First approach, a win from the community advocacy perspective. With a $50-million infusion in federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to address outdoor homelessness over the next three years, we may have a great kick-start to improving our local Housing Crisis Resolution System* to prevent and end homelessness. One major principle to remember when talking about Housing First is that some programs can view themselves as a Housing First program, but it truly is a philosophy that provides the lowest possible barriers to access housing and services within a solutions-focused system. A true Housing First approach offers program options and housing choices for people to figure out what works best for them. Housing First is anything but a cookie-cutter approach. And while it focuses on housing as the solution to homelessness, it recognizes that housing is the starting point. Housing First is not Housing Only. On the contrary, the individualized approach ensures that people are offered service options as needed. Some people will utilize those services on an ongoing basis to be able to manage their health, mental health, and/or substance use issues. Others may need minimum assistance and eventually are able to maintain their housing on their own. One thing that we seem to choose to forget though, is that a true Housing First effort needs ongoing funding to accommodate the individualized approach that includes a diversity of ongoing service options. That’s why it is imperative that we recognize that while different aspects of the recent $50-million proposal by Metro are Housing-First oriented, unless the city comes up with a sustainability plan, it won’t be able to implement and maintain a Housing-First system. So, is the current approach a true effort to implement Housing First? Or is the current approach essentially an effort that will initially achieve political results and reduce visible homelessness, but in the long run not maintain the outcomes that a huge investment like the $50 million initially promises? My fear is that the public is blinded by the big $50-million number, not realizing that when we

take a closer look, it is by far not enough to end either outdoor and/or chronic homelessness. On the contrary, without further federal, state, and local investments, homelessness may look similar in three years after the ARP funds are used up. Nashville will still have assisted a lot of people, but without proper public education around the difficulties to build an efficient Housing-First-oriented system that truly prevents and ends homelessness, the recent publicity hype may be misleading. A quick calculation shows what I am talking about. Of the $50 million, $25 million will be designated to create actual housing units. Early estimations show that 120 new permanent supportive housing units should be generated. Of the remaining $25 million, $9 million will go toward support services, $9 million toward temporary housing (allowing for the quick dismantlement of encampments), $3 million toward landlord engagement, and $4 million toward innovative programs. It’s not clear yet what the criteria of the latter programs will entail. When Nashville received and invested $10 million in Emergency Solutions Grant-COVID funds in 2020 to house more than 600 people and support them over a two-year period, I presented to the Mayor’s Office a calculation that an ongoing annual investment of $12 million was needed to ensure we implement a Housing First approach (compare that to the $8.3 million per year investment of the $25 million in ARP funds for services over the next three years, and you’ll start to see the shortcomings). My $12-million calculation was based on the continued prioritization of the most vulnerable people who often need intensive support services to maintain their housing. Furthermore, this calculation was only a starting point that did not fully account yet for addressing an influx in homelessness, which happens in a booming city like Nashville when rents continue to increase, mainstream service delivery (especially for mental health and substance use) are unobtainable for people without health insurance, and other safety nets outside the homelessness system keep failing people. In other words, no matter what politicians will tell us, we will need local investments in ad-

dition to federal and state dollars to significantly increase our ongoing investment if we want to build a safety net approach as part of an efficient, Housing-First-oriented Housing Crisis Resolution System. Why did we not have these conversations before? Most significantly, four years ago, our city did not have the tools to be able to conduct needs assessments or truly measure outcomes at the program and community levels, which is a necessity to any Housing First effort. The provider community of the Continuum of Care worked hard to change that, and now we have those tools in place. In addition, we utilized COVID dollars to create a solid landlord engagement effort and developed an innovative approach by creating the Mobile Housing Navigation Centers. Tools that are now in place to benefit the $50-million investment. A win for our community. We, as a community, cannot be blinded by election language including the term Housing First without scrutinizing whether city leaders are completely understanding how to build a true, long-term Housing First-oriented system. As Councilmember Bob Mendes says in his interview (in this issue), “The city has a demonstrated success rate of accomplishing whatever its number one objective is. That begs a lot of questions about whether homelessness has ever been a top priority any time recently.” Mendes hit the nail on the head. I don’t think our political will is prioritizing homelessness yet; otherwise, we would have seen a sustainable plan along with the $50 million in the multiple presentations the Mayor’s Office provided to tout a win. Instead, the focus appears to be to close encampments. Many people will obtain housing, and that is a good thing. But I don’t believe a sustainability plan is in place that includes preventing others who were housed during the past two years from falling back into homelessness. Each Homelessness Planning Council member should take on the task and serve as a watchdog and leader and avoid rubber stamping what Metro puts before them. The recent community work was completed by a committee on only one of the resolutions about temporary housing. Metro falsely claims that all four resolutions had public

Dr. Richard Cho, senior advisor for housing and services at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development (HUD), published an article in 2014 when he was working for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). Cho clarified four specific misconceptions of Housing First. He explained that Housing First is a philosophy that should be implemented at the systems level. (www.usich.gov/news/four-clarifications-about-housing-first/) 1. Housing First is not a “program.” It is a whole-system orientation and response. 2. Housing First is a recognition that everyone can achieve stability in (real) housing. Some people simply need services to help them do so. 3. Housing First is about health, recovery, and well-being. Housing itself is the foundation and platform for achieving these goals. 4. Housing First is about changing mainstream systems.

scrutiny and input. Again, to me it seems the Mayor’s message was misleading. Nonprofits are aware of it, but with that many millions at stake and up for bidding, many of their voices seem to have been quieted. To sum this up, a true Housing First approach outlines long-term goals and mechanisms. We cannot rest on $50 million in temporary funds. And so far, the sustainability plans Metro officials like to point toward are based on dollars that are already being utilized by nonprofits to address homelessness and potential new federal funds that are neither appropriated yet nor sufficient to prevent and end homelessness in Nashville over the next few years. *A Housing Crisis Resolution System is a communitywide system that includes all types of programs from prevention/diversion, emergency and temporary interventions to permanent housing solutions. As a whole, an effective Housing Crisis Resolution System focuses on identifying people in a housing crisis as early as possible and connects them with housing and needed supports as quickly as possible. Most leaders at the national level use the term homeless crisis response system. However, I always preferred the terms housing and solution when speaking about our response to homelessness.

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| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

IN 15 YEARS' TIME

In 15 Years Time: Reflecting on the first issue of 'The Contributor' BY LAURA BIRDSALL As The Contributor approaches its 15th anniversary, its co-editors, Linda Bailey and Amanda Haggard, recently dug up the paper's very first issue, released on a cold December morning in 2007. Poring over these early pages feels like time travel. Since The Contributor's inception, we've lived through four different presidencies, a two-year pandemic, a flood, a tornado, a Christmas day bombing just blocks from the paper's office and the seemingly unstoppable tide of development and displacement in Nashville. One wonders how any institution could weather these 15 years, let alone a small nonprofit street paper. There is a charm to the first issue, an underdog endeavor peppered with its writers' now archaic-feeling Comcast and BellSouth email addresses, and whose design indulges in a slightly overexcited array of fonts. However, one also notices instantly that this first issue is not a capricious or myopic undertaking. Its writers and editors are clearly aware of the vast scope of the systemic obstacles and challenges they face. In what is perhaps the most prescient piece, Charles Stroebel, religious leader and founding director of Room In The Inn, writes

passionately about the global problem of homelessness. He is resolute in his conviction that compassion alone is not enough — one must insist, he says, that housing is a human right and that we must fight to enact this principle. Although Housing is a Human Right has now become a familiar refrain, this notion was a radical one at the time. Tom Wills, the paper's co-founder (whom one may still find tapping away on his laptop in The Contributor office, a small annex of Nashville's Downtown Presbyterian Church), writes an evocative profile of unhoused artist Paul Fahle. Fahle, then a staple at Bongo Java on Belmont, is a subject of genuine aesthetic admiration for Wills (an artist himself), who is thrilled to discover a cache of Fahle's paintings in storage. He recounts the experience of reuniting Fahle with his work before losing track of him again. Profiles of other members of the homeless community fill out the issue, describing folks' daily lives and struggles. One piece recounts the planned renovation for the park across from Nashville's Downtown Library. The park is a gathering place for the homeless commu-

November 9 - 23, 2022

nity and folks wonder if the changes pitched as improvements will in fact exclude them from a treasured public space. Another piece explains why fresh socks are one of the most crucial items for an unhoused person to own. In another feature, a homeless fellow named Tony responds to an interview question with one single stream-of-consciousness response that veers from Sisyphus to Camus to T.S. Eliot in a way that somewhat marvelously makes its own perfect sense. The first issue's breakout star is indisputably Ray Ponce de Leon (Vendor #0001), a homeless vendor and writer who was to become a beloved staple in The Contributor's pages. His wit and jouissance sparkle in a satirical piece proposing that the Bush administration introduce a program whereby members of the public can adopt homeless people as pets. The piece is goofy and dark, but it belies a more important ethos, that on which The Contributor was founded: that our homeless neighbors are not a monolithic bunch, suffering abjectly and awaiting charity (or adoption through Habitat for Humane-ity, as Ray describes his ironic proposal). Rather,

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 11

we live in a community in which some folks are housed and some folks are unhoused. Both groups comprise artists and writers and gardeners and animal lovers and parents and kids. In his sharp and imaginative way, Ray gently reminds the reader that "helping the homeless" is not akin to saving the whales or adopting a dog. We (those who are housed right now) help our unhoused neighbors because they are our neighbors and friends — we would be the abject and sorry lot if we didn't. Today, the paper trucks along, weathering storm after storm. Its tight-knit community of vendors, staff and volunteers have come together time and time again to overcome sometimes farcically difficult odds and to welcome new folks into the fold. The paper itself has found its rhythm and tone (and its fonts), but it has never lost its scrappy optimism or its exuberance, even as it continues to address the tough realities of homelessness. Housing, it still steadfastly contends, is an undeniable human right. Ray Ponce de Leon passed away in 2017 and is dearly missed.

IN 15 YEARS' TIME

Reflecting on visibility and endurance ‘I hold hope that something has a better chance of healing when it’s no longer festering in the dark’ B Y T A S H A A . F. L E M L E Y, C O - F O U N D E R , F O R M E R E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R I made my first visit to Brookmeade Park yesterday. Working on a small update piece for WPLN, I went with a former longtime resident who warned me before going in. “They're in fear of what other people will think,” she said, “they've lost hope of…their life changing. And it's all hidden now. Hidden down there.” There’s less than 50 people living in this half-mile stretch of the park right now — down from more than double that at pandemic peak. It’s surreal. Genuinely apocalyptic. There’s a large tent at the trailhead under a trail map for visitors who no longer come. Then hundreds of shopping carts line the greenway where our Nashville-park-standard wooden bridges and paved paths weave through. All in disrepair. It’s muddy. And the grass is an awkward length. Residents are quiet. A few people bike through, but not for exercise. They’re headed

to their home in the woods. Something happened here. “It's not a home, it's not a park,” my interview tells me, “it's survival mode.” I think back to my first visit to Tent City on the other side of town nearly 20 years ago. That particular evolution of that campsite felt … different. Like it had a sense of purpose. And life. We cooked fish and made hand pies under the interstate while pets and chickens roamed around. There was music. And laughter. Maybe it was the mercy of younger naive eyes, or always being at arms length. Or maybe we really are in a different time. Whatever it is, Nashville is different since we founded this rag 15 years ago. For one thing, I think our unhoused friends have gotten more visible. Maybe it’s thanks in part to the endurance and pride of our newspaper vendors. “Here I am. See me.” Or maybe it’s the same reason deer come down my urban

street more often now. We’re growing into the city we’ve been trying to be — and that growth simply can’t include everyone. The campsite closure cycle seems increasingly swift. It was just months, if not weeks, after the camp behind Gerst Haus was razed (as was the Haus itself) before some of the same residents returned home and raised tents again. And there they are, for all the rest of us to see. Like a beacon of despair, and resilience — and a flashlight on our liability. The voice of a prophet calling in the wilderness. Seems like, used to be, it was easier to look the other way. We had to actually go behind… and under — and through — and down to get to someone’s tent. But now things seem more honest, maybe. Mary is right there under the I24 overpass. The tent Thomas lives in is by the tracks as I walk to my coffee shop. John and Kenyon’s camp occasionally peppers the bowl

as we circle down Ellington, and on the sidewalk behind the Church Street post office live Theodore and Theresa and Samuel and others. There’s no doubt our fentanyl situation is awful. The economy is tough. Housing is hard to get at. We’re all tired and angry and scared. And mental health services are difficult to navigate. And homelessness is a tidal wave on the West Coast. At the same time, I hold hope that something has a better chance of healing when it’s no longer festering in the dark. Tiny Tim wanted people to see him because “it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.” Pleasant? But what about healing for him? That took a reforming benefactor, yeah? So, hooray for visibility! Cheers to discomfort! May I stop hiding — and never forget someone else’s load as I’m contemplating my own.

PHOTOS BY ALVINE

Reflections on limited views of justice ‘Love overcomes fear and that transformative justice seeks the healing of all parties’ BY DAVID DARK , AU THOR, E ARLY WRITER FOR THE CONTRIBUTOR My email address has changed, but I still want to say a word — many words — about Harmon Wray. I’m still learning from him and trying to get in on his act which, at every turn and every minute in particular, was a witness of transformative justice. I say was, but I should probably say is. Harmon’s witness still rings loud and true even as the terrors he sought to address and overcome with love have intensified and become even more normalized in Tennessee. Not long after my piece on Wray was published in the first issue of The Contributor, I started teaching at the Tennessee Prison for Women through the Life Program run through David Lipscomb University. One night, we received a visit from Gov. Bill Lee who was there, I assumed, to express an interest in solidarity with incarcerated people. Little did I realize he would stage a

successful run for the governor’s office, refuse to meet with men on death row who asked him to pray with them before killing them, and also decline to follow President Joe Biden’s directive to release nonviolent offenders charged with cannabis possession. If I’d known what we were in for — how limited Lee’s vision of justice, civility and valor is — I hope I would have said something. I know Harmon would have. He loved people, but he had no respect for positions. He wrote me a letter of recommendation when I applied for graduate school at Vanderbilt. When I got in, he was happy for me, but he wouldn’t credit Vandy (or any institution) with the esteem he extended to individuals. “You’ll be good for their brand,” he said. That posture toward what the Apostle Paul refers to as principalities and powers had helped me think through my own PAGE 12 | November 9 - 23, 2022

work more carefully. An institution, at its best, might function as a legacy and, in some sense, a gift. But it something only operates as an acquisitive and abusive dynasty and therefore exerts its power as a grift. Harmon was a cleareyed counselor in these matters. In my piece, I refer to “the prison system,” and, in a preceding paragraph, “incarcerated people.” I now mean to exercise more direct language. Anthony Ray Hinton has taught me that our system isn’t broken. In fact, it does exactly what it was designed to do. Our for-profit, industrial military incarceration complex is an extension of the transatlantic slave trade. When we see it this way, we can begin to realize that it must be defunded and abolished. When I speak of individuals as “incarcerated,” Rahim Buford reminds me that the word I’m looking for is “caged.”

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

In honor of Harmon, let me put it country simple: My state cages people for profit. Under Gov. Bill Lee this is all undertaken with our money and our presumed consent under the spell, the wicked dream, of retaliatory justice. I can imagine Harmon telling me we shouldn’t expect anything different from a man who refuses to debate his challenger or his predecessors (Bill Haslam and Phil Bredesen) who won’t publicly affirm that he should. Harmon had a way speaking plainly of the chumocracy that makes our state government a white supremacist stronghold and the cults that comprise out culture of deferential fear and moral cowardice. But for all the fecklessness and fear. He also understood that love overcomes fear and that transformative justice seeks the healing of all parties. Harmon goes before us.

IN 15 YEARS' TIME

Reflecting on walking together “We’ve been walking 15 years; Walk with us 15 more” BY TOM WILLS, CO-FOUNDER, DIRECTOR OF VENDING The Contributor was founded 15 years ago to help meet the needs of homeless men and women then and into the years to come. The years to come are here: today and tomorrow. I invite you to walk with us, by buying the paper, reading it and telling your friends to do the same. The first issue of 2023 will be The Contributor’s 400th issue. And over the past 15 years, around 4,000 homeless and formerly homeless vendors have sold over 7.3 million papers and profited more than $20 million. We celebrate this, but we also step into today and look forward to our next 15 years as a true Nashville solution to homelessness. The majority of our vendors who have been active for longer than six months have found housing because of the hard work of our vendors and staff. But it is also because people like you bought and took a paper home.By taking a paper home with you, you have helped a homeless vendor sell out, and selling out is the powerful moment that can change a vendor’s life. It makes a vendor want to

keep being a vendor. And vendors that come back to replace their papers find value in themselves. It means more than the dollars they profit. It is hope. When this paper started 15 years ago, Nashville was slowly beginning to change into the city it is now. The gritty, partly abandoned downtown landscape had attracted new residents for the first time in memory. The Sobro neighborhood and Gulch were mostly empty warehouses. But Nashville’s first modern downtown apartment building The Cumberland was nine years old. The new Downton Library had been there just six years. And more new residents were finding loft apartments and claiming downtown as their neighborhood. But our homeless neighbors had been there for decades. The Nashville Rescue Mission opened at 429 McGavock Street in 1954. In 1985, Charles Strobel founded the Room In The Inn to house people across the city in the winter months. A lesser known part of that story is that Stroebel also began to network

with downtown churches to feed homeless men and women lunch throughout the week. The Downtown Presbyterian Church was one of those congregations that in the late 1980s chose Wednesday to serve free meals to those in need. It was at The Downtown Presbyterian Church in 2007 where Tasha Lemley asked two homeless outreach workers (Will Connelly and Steve Samara) and I if we wanted to start a street paper. This was a different kind of question, than asking “How do we provide a meal?” Street papers ask: “How do we provide homeless persons self-sufficiency and a voice in their community?” We gathered at meetings at The Downtown Library with an assortment of folks. When searching for a name, I suggested we call it “The Contributor” because it could carry a double meaning. Not only would it be a way for the people of Nashville to “contribute” to help our homeless vendors, but it was a way for our vendors to be and see themselves as “contributors

to society”. And on Nov. 14, 2007, we published our first issue. Since then, 4,000 men and women have trained to start their own businesses. They have spread out over the greater Nashville area and over a decade and a half. Your support will encourage them and those that train next year to invest in themselves. Over the past 15 years, well-meaning folks have told me that they tell the vendors to keep the paper and sell it to someone else. While generous, this gesture actually discourages vendors from seeing themselves as business owners. When I suggest they take the paper instead and send them back to us to buy more, they light up, they “get it.” Nashville is a growing city and our homeless population is unfortunately growing along with it. Help us be a path of hope by taking a paper home with you when you see a vendor selling it. Tell your friends to do the same. Get to know a vendor by name. They are your neighbor. You can help change their life and possibly yours.

Reflecting on the paper as a front door ‘The people who work here, volunteer here, and are vendors here, recognize the dignity that we all are born with’ BY CATHY JENNINGS, E X ECU TIVE DIREC TOR, THE CONTRIBUTOR I came to The Contributor through Curtis. He sold the paper on 8th and Wedgewood, and I ignored him for about as long as I could until he caught my eye one day and I caved and rolled down the window. It took a few more days until I actually read the paper, and a few more papers until I walked down to The Contributor to volunteer. Multiply those days by a few thousand and here I am, working daily for this magical nonprofit. For there is something magical about seeing people turn the corner and begin to succeed in their communities. People often walk through our doors hopeless, sick, and desperate. The depths of homelessness are hard and climbing out alone almost impossible. But the people who work here, volunteer here, and are vendors here, recognize the

dignity that we all are born with. We focus on that dignity and offer a path. It takes hard work, consistency, and patience to succeed as a vendor, but Contributor vendors are a plucky lot. My life has been greatly enriched because they are a part of it. Well-meaning people sometimes tell me that we need to “change our model,” that newsprint is “dead,” and that our vendors should sell “something else.” But our model and the paper attached to it are so much more than a product to sell. Yes, it is absolutely an immediate income for someone who needs it. But it is also a beacon of hope, a mechanism for dignity, a path to housing and a voice to the community. I would never have known about Fort Negley and the shortage of housing if Curtis November 9 - 23, 2022

had sold me a bottle of water instead of a paper. I would never have come to love Jaime and her cats, or Keith and his gardens, or a hundred other neighbors had I not read about them in The Contributor. Nor would I have read the wisdom of Jen, Norma, Maurice, Vicky and countless other vendors who write and draw for The Contributor. In the last 15 years, we have gone from a paper sold on the bench in front of Downtown Presbyterian Church, to a state recognized, low-barrier workforce opportunity, with wrap-around services that include food, housing, SOAR and mental health and addictions services. But the front door of The Contributor should always be the street paper, should always be our vendors, their struggles, their

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 13

victories, and their indomitable spirit. Their stories in the paper is the vehicle that goes over, around, and through the walls that divide us. That work and the paper are funded in part by our annual fundraising campaign with NewsMatch, which allows us to triple match donations in November and December. Please help keep this work alive by giving during these months at thecontributor.org/ donate. When you buy the paper, you change a vendor’s life. But more importantly, when you read the paper, you change your life. Thank you for reading and being part of the Contributor family — 15 years in, we are grateful you are still reading

IN 15 YEARS' TIME

Original art by Jen A. from 2015. Jen created a series of artworks focusing on encouraging people to read The Contributor.

Reflecting on Vendor Expression B Y L IND A B A IL E Y, C O - E D I T O R , TH E C O NTR I B UTO R I read a poem today that was written on a crumpled paper bag. Since I started working at The Contributor in 2011, I've seen submissions written on the back of napkins, medical paperwork, coffee bags and scraps of notebook paper. Whenever I meet someone who hasn't yet read The Contributor, I tell them to start with the Vendor Writing. In my experience,

the heart of the paper lives here. It was in these pages (and through conversations with vendors) I learned about the power of writing or drawing your story and having a place like The Contributor to publish them. Vendors write a lot about their faith, they write about tough times and good times, they share recipes and gardening advice, they talk

about their animals and going through the housing process. I've laughed, cried, gasped and cackled at vendor submissions. I've immediately called a friend to read them a submission they'd enjoy. The subject matter is as diverse as the vendor force, which really shouldn't be that surprising. This week, I took a scroll down memory lane through 15 years of PDFs looking for

SNAKES

A LATE DINNER WITH MY SON

By Ken J., 2014

By Jen A. Remember that night at dinner— it was about a year ago— we went to Sammy’s restaurant on Caroline Street. You ordered a shot and the Mediterranean Plate. I had water and the avocado, sprouts, and Swiss on whole wheat. You paid because I didn’t have any money, Remember? We exchanged polite chit chat for a while— you obsessively fingered your tortoise-shell frames feeling superior and suspicious the whole time— me just trying to get to the meat. Without meaning to, I cut too close to the bone. Your face, that face I know so well, flushed crimson. Thunderbolts of ridicule stormed from your mouth, Remember? You started calling names—mocking my bright spirit. Then you slammed fifty bucks on the table and headed for the exit, me following a little behind. Out on the street, you leaped into the driver’s seat, gunned the engine, and peeled off into the night leaving me standing in a Niagara rain on Caroline, Remember? Well, my umbrella was in your car. I’d like to have it back. This poem by Jen A., published in The Contributor in 2014, won "Best Vendor Submission" in 2015 by the International Network of Street Papers.

THE BLUE JAY By Deborah R., 2015 The blue jay what a pretty bird And a little noisy I don’t know what he has to say But I know he wants to be heard.

a few old submissions that would perfectly highlight vendor expression throughout the years. Turns out this task was impossible so I just ended up choosing a few of my favorites. I hope you enjoy them. I hope you learn something from them. I hope you keep reading vendor writing. And I hope you call a friend and tell them to Read The Contributor.

by Ray Ponce De Leon

NASHVILLE NIGHTS By Todd Derik Homeless Musician, 2008 (The Ballad of a Street Musician) Another Sunday morning With an empty city street Music City's silenced No shuffle from people's feet Hungry, cold and lonely He sits with his guitar But no one's there to hear him Not even a single car (chorus) The freedom that he feels When he opens up his case Has been silenced by the sundays And the blue laws set in place But he sits there for the love Of the music that he writes And the music that he plays On those crazy Nashville nights Evening passes quickly As the sun falls out of sight He sings for passing tourists Deep into the night As morning creeps upon him His voice is tired and sore Then a crowd of drunks walk by Asking him for more. Someday he's gonna make it If he only gets the chance He has a way about him For making people dance If The Good Lord has his way He'll be up there on that stage Playing for the people That helped him turn the page

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| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

Some say when the grassis tall You can't see the snakes at all I haven't see any as I recall Maybe there's none in the grass at all.

TIME TO SING By Anita S., 2017

Time to sing Time to swing Time for the bells to ring Time for queens to meet their king Time for the hot summer, goodbye spring Time to do a new thing Time for more love and caring Time for you and I to sing Time for new beginnings For Linda and Molly

SICK GENOCIDE By Wild Bill, 2020 Corona 19 You know what I mean? It’s more than a flu You can get it, that’s true So we’ll pay the price To cure it’s alright It’s a national pandemic Gotta get your back in it We’ll find a cure I know it’s quite sure No shakin hands It’s part of God’s plan Just to let you know I love you so Not gonna push or shove you You see I’m just one man So let’s make a stand COVID-19

VENDOR WRITING

SATIRE BY RAY PONCE DE LEON Formerly Homeless Writer

ou may remember the recent “English Only” proposal dealing with governmental applications. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if animals were in charge of this topsy-turvy world? Would they make proposals that are just as short-sighted? Let’s say the last mayoral election was won by the Doggietarian Party and former Dog Catchee Fido Dean took office. The canines of Nashville would be feeling so superior to the other defeated animals, that they might try to push their weight around by trying to pass a “barking only” law. Then only “Dogspeak” could be used in official government business, social services applications, etc. How would the other zoological citizens react? Top feline social activist, Catrina Catatonia immediately sprang into action by passing around a door-to-door “say ‘no’ to barking only” petition. Her first stop was at the barn of Mr. Gettin’ Uster Rooster. If Gettin’ had been born a hen, her eggs

would’ve only been good for making waffles, as Gettin’ waffles constantly, never taking a firm stand on any issue. “I don’t reckon barking would be all that bad,” he crowed. “Cock-a-doodle-doo has become so cliché.” “You don’t say!” hissed Catrina. “I’ve been practicing shortening my morning wake up call, sorta like this: “Cruf, cruf, cruf!” “That sure wouldn’t wake me up!” scowled Ms. Catatonia. “Have you no pride? No rooster consciousness?” “I think it’s good to learn a second language,” Gettin’ grinned. I always say, “When in a Roman chicken coop, do what Roman chickens do!” “You’re hopeless!” hissed Catrina. Next, Catrina went to the tent of the circus seal, Seal of Agoogle. “I bark already,” said Seal, balancing a budget on his nose. “No problemo for me! And I can clap and blow horns with my nose at the same time, which makes me better than dogs!” Seal barked proudly. “These Doggietarians are just lift-leg reactionaries. Maybe next time I’ll run for mayor myself.” Catrina couldn’t get Seal to sign her petition either. She got so mad, that Ms. Catatonia climbed up on her soapbox in the middle of Meow

Mix Plaza and gave a Cat-astrophic speech. “My finned, feathered and furry friends. Don’t let the dogs scare you. We all have a right to be heard! ‘Quack’ and ‘Meow’ are proper words. Give ‘em a centimeter and they’ll take a kilometer. Take away my right to purr, and as sure as mules wear socks, next they’ll make me use a hydrant instead of a litter box!” A rush of animals ran up to Catrina to sign her petition. One of them, however, was Bipolar Bear. “I love your idea! I hate it! I’ll sign your petition, but then I’ll have to erase it!” Next, Woodsap Woodpecket said, “I hammer on tree bark. Does that count? I’ll try to sign your petition, but I’m afraid I’ll only make holes in it!” Pinky Pig E-maileon squealed, “I can only oink and squeal, no way I can bark. At this rate, they’ll never approve me for slop stamps!” When Catrina finally took her petition to city pound, Mayor Fido Dean said, “There’s not one paw print on your petition, so it’s invalid!” Catrina got so mad, she marked her territory on the Mayor’s face, and he choked in his resignation. “How ‘bout that,” purred Catrina. “The mark is mightier than the bark!”

David "Clinecasso" Cline has published countless art pieces in The Contributor over the years. This piece from 2012 shows off his signature style using colorful sharpies and bold lines.

November 9 - 23, 2022

FROM STREET TO HOUSING Art and Poem By Michael "The Scribe" G., 2014 The eyes are a mystery through the hand beholding a Contributor newspaper, especially the one whose only dream is housing. The foundation, the stability, the miracles; Divided is the right hand from the left. Fixed-solid a gazing of traffi c to stay the eyes-wide-void of judgement. To supplement my daily bread. There is now only one dream in his head. Sir; please get out of the rain, here’s a $20.00 There’s a storm on the way. Yes mamm; Thank you so much for this I’m leaving the elements as we speak. Thank you saith the right hand beholding the street paper that says it all. The eyes, the angelic nature from one person to the next. All our supporters are the best. Sayeth the eyes with the hand, who came from the west.

The Max & Mable comic ran in The Contributor from 2011 - 2016. The original comics were hand drawn by longtime Contributor supporter, Ed Galing, a poet in his 90s who would send us poems and drawings in the mail. This comic ran in 2012.

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 15

LA NOTICIA “The Contributor” está trabajando con uno de los principales periódicos en español La Noticia para llevar contenido a más lectores en Middle Tennessee. Nuestros vendedores de periódicos han pedido durante mucho tiempo que nuestra publicación incluya contenido que apele al interés de residentes de habla hispana en nuestra comunidad.

“The Contributor” is working with one of the leading Spanish-language newspapers La Noticia to bring content to more readers in Middle Tennessee. Our newspaper vendors have long requested that our publication include content that appeals to the interest of Spanish-speaking residents in our community.

LOCALES - POLÍTICA - INMIGRACIÓN - TRABAJOS - SALUD - ESPECTÁCULOS - DEPORTES Y MÁS...

GRATIS Noviembre

2022

Año 20 - No. 360

L a N ticia

Escanee esta imagen para ver La Noticia newspaper edición bilingüe digital

www.hispanicpaper.com

“DONDE OCURREN LOS HECHOS QUE IMPORTAN, SIEMPRE PRIMERO... ANTES”

Nashville, Tennessee

Room In The Inn lanza temporada número 37 de refugios de invierno ¿Quién de nosotros o de nuestro circulo cercano de amigos o familiares no ha tenido la necesidad de albergue alguna vez en nuestras vidas? Situación difícil de entender si nunca nos pasó, pero es la realidad de Por Yuri Cunza muchos en nuestra Editor in Chief comunidad y en el @LaNoticiaNews mundo. Una muy triste condición que tenemos que unir fuerzas y recursos para erradicar. Es por esto que es muy grato compartir estas muy buenas noticias para nuestros vecinos sin hogar en Nashville por que se espera que Room In The Inn preste servicios a casi 100 personas desde este martes por la noche, ya que la organización sin fines de lucro lanza su temporada número 37 de refugios de invierno. A través de la generosidad de las congregaciones en toda la ciudad, Room In The Inn ofrece refugio seguro para los vecinos sin hogar de Nashville durante los meses más fríos del año, dijo la directora ejecutiva Rachel Hester. Más de 1000 voluntarios de 90 congregaciones que representan todas las tradiciones religiosas harán la vida un poco más cómoda para las personas sin hogar cada noche desde el 1 de noviembre hasta el 31 de marzo. Las congregaciones recogen a sus huéspedes en el campus del centro de Room In The Inn en Drexel Street y los transportan a sus respectivos lugares de culto. Una vez allí, las congregaciones ofrecerán a los invitados hospitalidad, cena, una cama cálida y desayuno antes de transportarlos de regreso a Room In Ihe Inn a la mañana siguiente.

Foto: Room In The Inn

lavandería, correo, comidas, apoyo para la vivienda, telesalud, refugio, educación, programas de recuperación, cuidado de recuperación y navegación de recursos.

Room In The Inn comenzó en el invierno de 1985, cuando su Director Fundador, el Padre Charles Strobel, abrió las puertas de su parroquia a las personas que buscaban refugio en el estacionamiento de la iglesia. Este simple acto de bondad marcó el comienzo de Room In The Inn. En diciembre de 1986, cuatro congregaciones se comprometieron a albergar a personas sin hogar hasta marzo de 1987. Para fines de ese invierno, se habían unido 31 congregaciones. Ahora, tenemos cerca de 200 congregaciones de una amplia Room In The Inn Founding Director Charles Strobel and Executive Director Rachel Hester variedad de tradiciones y más de 7,000 voluntarios que albergan a casi 1,500 Este año, Room In The Inn da la bien- to de la iglesia. Este simple acto de hombres y mujeres desde el 1 de venida a una mayor participación con- bondad marcó el comienzo de Room In noviembre hasta el 31 de marzo de gregacional después de la pandemia, The Inn. cada temporada. que presentó nuevos desafíos para las organizaciones que atienden a la “Este programa representa lo mejor de En 1995, abrieron su campus en el cenpoblación sin hogar de Nashville. Las Nashville, con voluntarios de toda tro de Nashville, que ofrece servicios de congregaciones que no pueden recibir nuestra área que se unen para abordar huéspedes en sus instalaciones también la falta de vivienda. Se trata de que los emergencia, programas de transición y tienen la opción de quedarse en una vecinos ayuden a los vecinos y apren- soluciones a largo plazo para ayudar a ubicación central en el campus del cen- dan unos de otros”, dijo Hester. “No las personas a reconstruir sus vidas. La apertura de una instalación de 45,000 tro de Room In The Inn. podríamos hacer esto sin la generosi- pies cuadrados en 2010 mejoró enormedad de nuestros muchos voluntarios, y Como medida de seguridad adicional, estamos profundamente agradecidos mente la capacidad de apoyar a las personas a través de programas que enfatiRoom In The Inn se asocia con el Departamento de Salud de Metro por el apoyo de nuestros fieles socios zan la salud, la educación, el empleo y la vivienda. Realizan este trabajo a Nashville y la Clínica del Centro para congregacionales”. ofrecer recursos educativos y acceso a través de la construcción de relaciones vacunas y pruebas a todos los partici- Room In the Inn sirve como el único uno a uno y ofreciendo hospitalidad a sitio de servicios completo y único de pantes e invitados. todos los que llaman hogar a las calles Nashville para personas sin hogar, que de Nashville. El programa de refugio de invierno de ofrece refugio durante todo el año y Room In The Inn comenzó en el invier- viviendas asequibles en el lugar. -Para más información ó si necesita no de 1985 cuando su fundador, el Además del programa de refugio de albergue visite www.roomintheinn.org padre Charles Strobel, abrió las puer- invierno, Room In The Inn brindó casi tas de su parroquia a las personas que 100,000 puntos de servicio a más de Envíenos sus sugerencias por e-mail: buscaban refugio en el estacionamien- 3,000 personas, que incluyen duchas, news@hispanicpaper.com ó 615-567-3569

Conoce tus derechos: ¿Que hacer en caso de una redada? 1. Mantenerse callado 2. Sólo dar nombre y apellido 3. No mentir 4. Nunca acepte/lleve documentos falsos 5. No revelar su situación migratoria 6. No llevar documentación de otro país 7. En caso de ser arrestado, mostrarla Tarjeta Miranda (llámenos si necesita una)

por www.juanese.com juanese@usa.com

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| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE

November 9 - 23, 2022

| The Contributor | NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE | PAGE 17

The New Christian Year Selected by Charles Williams

Charles Walter Stansby Williams (1886–1945), the editor of the following selections, is today probably the third most famous of the famous Inklings literary group of Oxford, England, which existed in the middle of the 20th century, and which included among its ranks the better-known and longer-lived Oxford Dons J.R.R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis—but he was arguably the most precocious and well-read of this eminent and intellectually fertile group. He was also known to have influenced Dorothy Sayers, T. S. Eliot and W. H. Auden. Lacking a proper degree unlike his fellow Inklings, this genius Cockney-speaking author, editor, critic, and playwright was eminently well-versed in both philosophical and theological writings of the remote past as of the present day (the mid-20th century) and used this familiarity to good effect in his poetry, supernatural fiction and his lesser-known devotional selections designed for the spiritual benefit of the faithful in the Church of England. This series of profound quotations, encompassing all walks of life, follows the sequence of the themes and Bible readings anciently appointed for contemplation throughout the church's year, beginning with Advent (i.e., December) and ending in November, and reaches far beyond the pale of the philosophical and theological discussions of his day. It was under his hand, for instance, that some of the first translations of Kierkegaard were made available to the wider public. It is hoped that the readings reproduced here will prove beneficial for any who read them, whatever their place in life's journey. — Matthew Carver

22nd Wednesday after Trinity I ALSO wish thee to look at the Bridge of My only-begotten Son, and see the greatness thereof, for it reaches from Heaven to earth; that is, that the earth of your humanity is joined to the greatness of the Deity thereby. I say, then, that this Bridge reaches from Heaven to earth, and constitutes the union which I have made with man . . . So the height of the Divinity, humbled to the earth, and joined with your humanity, made the Bridge and reformed the road. Why was this done? In order that man might come to his true happiness with the angels. And observe that it is not enough, in order that you should have life, that My son should have made you this Bridge, unless you walk thereon. St Catherine of Siena: Dialogues. HE who desires to become a spiritual man must not be ever taking note of others, and above all of their sins, lest he fall into wrath and bitterness, and a judging spirit towards his neighbors. Tauler: Sermons.

22nd Thursday after Trinity GOODNESS procreates itself and all that is in the good soul: knowledge, love, energy, it pours them all forth to the good man, and the good man receives all his being, knowing, love and energy from the central depth of goodness and from that alone. Eckhart: The Book of Benedictus.

22nd Friday after Trinity THE faithfulness of God may be obscured, but we cannot be rid of it; His gifts may evoke no gratitude, but they will not be withdrawn; His goodness will bring under judgement those who withstand it, but it is His goodness none the less. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans. THE benefits that God contrives to give in any one way are to be found and gotten in good ways one and all, and we ought to find in one way the good things common to them, not those peculiar to that one. For man must always do one thing, he cannot do them all. He must always be one thing and in that one find all. Eckhart: In Collationibus.

22nd Saturday after Trinity BEFORE the foundations of the worlds, and before all that can be called 'before', thou art, and art God and Lord of all which thou hast created: in thee abide, fixed for ever, the first causes of all things unabiding; and of all things changeable, the springs abide in thee unchangeable; and in the live the external reasons of all things unreasoning and temporal. St Augustine: Confessions. UNLESS the shape of his Manhood be withdrawn from our bodily eyes, the love of his Godhead may not fasten in our ghostly eyes. The Epistle of Privy Counsel.

Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity THE Gospel is not one thing in the midst of other things, to be directly apprehended and comprehended. The Gospel is the World of the Primal Origin of all things, the Word

which, since it is ever new, must ever be received with renewed fear and trembling. The Gospel is therefore not an event, nor an experience, nor an emotion—however delicate! Rather, it is the clear and objective perception of what eye hath not seen nor ear heard. Moreover, what it demands of men is more than notice, or understanding, or sympathy. It demands participation, comprehension, co-operation; for it is a communication which presumes faith in the living God, and which creates that which it presumes. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans. THIS only is charity, to do all, all that we can. Donne: Sermons.

23rd Monday after Trinity THE Day of Jesus Christ is the Day of all days; the brilliant and visible light of this one point is the hidden invisible light of all points; to perceive the righteousness of God once and for all here is the hope of righteousness (Gal. v. 5) everywhere and at all times. By the knowledge of Jesus Christ all human waiting is guaranteed, authorized, and established; for He makes it known that it is not men who wait, but God—in His faithfulness. Barth: The Epistle to the Romans.

23rd Tuesday after Trinity THE soul, when it least uses its own proper ability, travels most securely, because it walks most by faith. St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel. SOMETIMES, when the soul least thinks of it, and when it least desires it, God touches it divinely causing certain recollections of Himself. St John of the Cross: Ascent of Mount Carmel.

punished, but that His love will visit them with every calamity and distress that can help to break and purify the bestial heart of man and awaken in him true repentance and conversion to God. It is love alone in the holy Deity that will allow no peace to the wicked, nor ever cease its judgements till every sinner is forced to confess that it is good for him that he has been in trouble, and thankfully own that not the wrath but the love of God has plucked out that right eye, cut off that right hand, which he ought to have done but would not do for himself and his own salvation. William Law: The Spirit of Love.

23rd Saturday after Trinity AND that thou mayst win to the sweetness of God's love, I set here three degrees of love, in the which thou be aye waxing. The first degree is called insuperable, the second inseparable, the third singular. Thy love is insuperable when nothing may overcome it, that is, neither weal nor woe nor anguish, lust of flesh nor liking of this world . . . Thy love is inseparable when all thy thoughts and wills are gathered together and fastened wholly in Jesus Christ, so that thou mayst no time forget him, buy aye thou thinkest on him . . . Thy love is singular when all thy delight is in Jesus Christ and in none other thing finds joy and comfort. Richard Rolle: The Commandment.

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity THEN said our good Lord Jesus Christ: "Art thou well paid that I suffered for thee?" I said: "Yea, good Lord, gramercy. Yea, good Lord, blessed mayst thou be." Then said Jesus, our kind Lord: "If thou art paid, I am paid: it is a joy, a bliss, an endless liking to me that ever suffered I passion for thee; and if I might suffer more, I would suffer more." Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love. MY Eros is crucified.

23rd Wednesday after Trinity OF all things the beholding and the loving of the Maker maketh the soul to seem least in his own sight, and most filleth it with reverent dread and true meekness; with plenty of charity to his even-Christians. Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love. HEAVENLY things naturally belong to thee, not earthly ones. Boethius: Consolation of Philosophy, translated by King Alfred.

23rd Thursday after Trinity LORD, since Thou hast taken from me all that I had of Thee, yet of Thy grace leave me the gift which every dog has by nature: that of being true to Thee in my distress, when I am deprived of all consolation. This I desire more fervently than Thy heavenly Kingdom! Mechthild of Magdeburg: Light of the Godhead. SECRETS are revealed to a friend who has become one with his friend and not to a servant. St Catherine of Siena: Dialogues.

23rd Friday after Trinity THE pure, mere love of God is that alone from which sinners are justly to expect from God that no sin will pass un-

24th Monday after Trinity THE whole life of Christ was a continual passion; others die martyrs, but Christ was born a martyr . . . His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday are but the evening and morning of the one and the same day. Donne: Sermon of Christmas-Day, 1626. IT requires moral courage to grieve; it requires religious courage to rejoice. Kierkegaard: Journals.

24th Tuesday after Trinity OUR Lord Jesus oftentimes said: "I it am, I it am: I it am that is highest, I it am that thou lovest, I it am that thou likest, I it am that thou servest, I it am that thou longest for, I it am that thou desirest, I it am that thou meanest, I it am that is all. I it am that Holy Church preacheth and teacheth thee, I it am that showed me here to thee." Juliana of Norwich: Revelations of Divine Love. "THAT that I am, Lord, I offer unto thee; for thou it art." And think nakedly, plainly, and boisterously, that thou art as thou art, without any manner of curiosity. The Epistle of Privy Counsel.

The Contributor: November 9, 2022

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