Witnessing the people of Minneapolis and beyond band together and rise up over the last few weeks is a testament of community and knowing—and even loving—your neighbors.
Our fifth episode of the Rosewood Sessions, with “Queens Kids” Tenzin Lama @tpl_loading and Kendra Danowski, speaks to themes of immigration, family, lineage, and longing. If you’ve ever wanted to fall (more in) love with NYC and its people, now is your chance.
Enjoy this beautiful conversation. And stay tuned for the release of our final live Rosewood Session recording of our inaugural 2025 season.
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The Rosewood Sessions are an intimate, curated event series which brings together two local NYC-based healers, organizers, activists, artists, and the like—who don’t already know one another—for an evening of meaningful exchange. Guests are paired on themes and because we sense a potential connection.
In this time of fracturing, polarization, state violence, we have found that we need the resonant vibrance of deep relational connections. Our power lies in resonance, not in the sharp spiked energy of fracture.
It felt important to us to not try to force collaboration, or a project, or a “deliverable” out of these gatherings, but rather to create the conditions that support authentic, mutual encounters.
Our first season was so incredibly beautiful. The connections between our guests continue to emerge and deepen.
July 20! 6-8pm! Join us for dialogue, practice, and storytelling on the themes of urban planning, landscape architecture, and the regenerative power of meaningful public space.
About the Speakers
Rae Ishee is a licensed landscape architect with over a decade of experience in Mew York and beyond. Her expertise lies in her versatility and breadth of experience. While at MNLA, she worked on Waterline Square Park, the Lowline Lab, and Newport Pier, among other works crossing scale, program, and phase. She delights in the landscape experience and believes in the regenerative power of meaningful public space. Rae holds a master’s of landscape architecture from UC Berkeley's College of Environmental Design, a master of plant and soil science from the University of Vermont, and a dual bachelor of arts in biology and studio art from Carleton College. Prior to landscape architecture, you could find Rae taking soil samples along riparian corridors in Vermont, working as a fisheries biologist in the Bering Sea, or in the lab studying algae to biofuels. She also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at CUNY City Tech for the past four years, teaching Site Planning, and has guest lectured at Pratt, UC Berkeley, and beyond.
Aurash Kharwazad (he/him) is a researcher and artist with a professional background in urban planning. His work uses a combination of technical analysis, creative practice, and multi-disciplinary collaboration, as a means of visioning communities. He has worked on community planning initiatives in New York City and beyond since 2009.
bout the Rosewood Sessions & Podcast Series
Relational disconnection is threatening our collective social fabric: worldwide we are witnessing trends of greater inequality, polarization, authoritarianism, and othering.
Our sessions are designed to pair organizers, activists, artists, healers, and community leaders for an evening of exchange through storytelling, reflection, and practice, in service of fostering meaningful and mutual connection.
Our hope is that these intimate sessions and community dinners will help us build relationships with other local, NYC-based kin.
Excited to share that our first podcast episode of The Rosewood Sessions, on the theme of "Witnessing" with Monika Son and Ryan Kautz, is now live!
Follow us on substack (link in bio) to listen, or find our podcast on spotify and apple podcasts.
And please join us live next Sunday, July 29th for our next session on play and collective dreaming with @deendeen87 and @alyssasmaldino . On July 20th, we're hosting Rae Ishee and @aurash.k on the regenerative and community-building power of well-designed public space.
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#community #conversation #podcast #witness #play #dreaming #urbandesign #regenerative
I put out music i’ve been working on for quite a while that’s dear to my heart with my band @soundslikeagirlyboy . Two versions of two songs, attempting to grab two very different feelings that both feel true. What better month to share than June to capture the queer gemini of it all. Link in bio.
I’ve got @jud_ette_bagu_ette on harmonies and as my primary co-conspirator that i bounce too many musical ideas off of. They have vocal control and surreal jazzy riffs i could never dream of. And the incomprable @w.illyd__ on bass. Whenever i put bass on a track to start then let Will have a go, he levels up the energy and flow of everything he touches immensely. Fingers buttery as you’ve ever heard. And then I sang, twiddled, tapped and mixed these tunes and took my sweet time doing it.
The rest of the photos were the last year. Moments with people i love. A scratch in the surface of what i’m thankful for. A reminder to let intuition lead, and come back to trees and water if you feel too confused to take a step. It is weird and incredibly overwhelming to be conscious in the modern world. Do your best. Take your time. Love you.
🌹The Rosewood Sessions are back!
Join us June 29th and July 20th for our next two community dinners and conversations. (And stay tuned for more dates!) Registration link in bio.
🌹June 29th: On Play & Collective Dreaming
Join us for dialogue, practice, and storytelling on the themes of joy, collective dreaming, and building alternative, liberatory futures with organizers, activists, and facilitators, Deena Ismail and Alyssa Smaldino.
🌹July 20th: On the Regenerative Power of Public Space
Join us for dinner and conversation with urban planners, landscape architects, and artists Rae Ishee and Aurash Khawarzad on the regenerative and community-building power of well-designed public space.
Sliding scale tickets; registration includes attendance at the conversation and a vegetarian dinner in our beautiful garden at The Wyckoff community house.
#community #joy #futures #dreaming #landscapearchitecture #publicspace #publicspacedesign #listening #podcast
Some places, people and habits make you feel damn beautiful. If you can carry that outward and learn to carry the heaviness of life with it, there is always intrinsic meaning and devotion to that way of being and acting. Being necessitates doing, doing requires sitting down. Action needs inaction, we aren’t useful animals when we are consumed by media and infinite tasking, scrolling, socializing. Listen to what is happening inside of your body. Can you hear what it is telling you? What helps you to hear it?
Don’t forget about your gut health, honeys.
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Photo credits: 1. Lonnie on @tesslarie ‘s camera. 2. and 6. Shot by the band photographer we all need: @foto.jo.1
Tattoos ; ) No shading, all line work, all love, baby. Flash or custom plants. DM your friend.
Also pictured, Nic, Nicolette, and one very game woman we never saw again in the moments preceding mosh. Thrilling.
