In Order to Survive...
|
Hello friends, What does it mean to survive? To build a life against grim odds? To grow beautiful, despite hardship? To band together with others like you, however distant? On a recent walk, I stopped, mid-conversation, to wonder at the beauty of a circle of succulents growing from a rock wall. Amazing, that such a beautiful thing could find a way to live in what would seem to me to be difficult conditions to thrive. Not only was there scant soil—between the cracks, somehow?—but the plant rooted in vertical space, clinging tightly to the stone. And yes, is not that a metaphor? It is said that life finds a way, and it does. But not everyone makes it, either. I think of the gay men of my youth, dead from a disease deemed appropriate punishment for daring to live in truth instead of shadows. I think of the children, starving, as the world watches. I think of too many heartbreaking, and enraging things. Every day. Yet each day I am also reminded of the resilience of this earth, and the beauty in human faces. I am reminded of the power of creation. Connection. Survival. I think of myself, and others I know, who have made it through terrible times and found a way to not only survive, but to create and thrive. In order to survive, we must cling to life in all its terrible beauty. And then we must each find a way to help each other through. Best wishes — Thorn Reminder that 50% of my Witches of Portland ebook bundle sales and 100% of Resistance Matters ebook sales from my website go to organizations fighting for immigrant justice in the US: ThornCoyleBooks To help starving families in Sudan: Displacement & Health Relief Network To help starving families in Gaza: Gaza Soup Kitchen
|
T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, Years ago, writer Starhawk penned a novel in which city neighborhoods had fruit trees growing on the sidewalks, so anyone who was hungry could partake. It was a beautiful vision of a world we could live in, if we chose to. I now live in a city neighborhood with fruit trees growing on the sidewalk. Pear. Apple. Plum. Fig. Cherry. But, more often than not, the fruit falls and rots on the concrete in the sun. This happens unless the person who lives in the home near the tree...
“I’m always writing about the same thing, which is the human condition.” — Terry Brooks, fantasy author, WorldCon 2025 Hello friends, I’m writing this from WorldCon—the World Science Fiction and Fantasy convention—in Seattle Washington. I’ve listened to some interesting panels and talks so far: on Indigenous futures, on Afrofuturism, on the unsung heroes of the space program and magical systems in fantasy, plus some indie publishing business panels. I’ve talked with writers and readers both,...
Hello friends, On a walk the other day, I encountered a big metal sign covered in layers of peeling stickers. One read “Don’t look back! You are not going that way!” I snapped a photo and headed forward. But, as intended, the old sticker got me thinking. First, it reminded me of an old card I kept in my office for years. A Mary Engelbreit print, it wasn’t my usual style, but the message was clear. It was a person at a crossroads and the street sign read “Your life,” in one direction and “No...