River 瑩瑩Dandelion

in this empire, it is my imperative to be rooted deeply in who i am & in my medicine work in the world. for myself & my communities. this is my ancestral resistance. 🪷 some of you may know that i practice energy healing work. it is a practice that has profoundly shifted my life. in the last few years, i have intensively deep dived into studying reiki, shamanism, & herbalism to reconnect with ancestral healing in my lineages. 🌟 i am now in a space to offer this medicine publicly to folks who are aligned & looking for deeper, holistic healing in their lives. spread the word 🗣️🌟🌌 bookings for my healing practice are officially OPEN! 🍊 i’m available for virtual & in-person sessions in my studio in NYC / Lenapehoking. this ig, @rememberingourlight , is also my poetry & creative writing profile & @rivertransforms is for my healing work & practice. find us there 🍊 🌊 about me & my practice: ☀️ as a healing arts practitioner, i am certified & trained in usui reiki, shamanic healing, & earth ascension reiki to provide intuitive energy healing sessions that help my clients feel whole, seen, & loved. ☀️ i specialize in addressing anxiety, imposter syndrome, feelings of worthiness, & self-doubt to promote greater alignment with our whole & full selves. ☀️ as a trans practitioner of color, who has previously worked in grassroots organizing, i provide anti-oppressive, gender-affirming care to the best of my ability. ☀️ my work is rooted in connection to the earth & ancestors, with a lens towards intergenerational healing. i help cultivate alignment at the intersections of personal & societal transformation. 🌺 for folks who are looking to bring a healing arts practitioner to your workplace, school, or retreat, i also am in that line of work (& have been doing so for some time now). you can contact me at: rivertransforms[at]gmail[dot]com for more info. you are welcome to reach out for a 15-minute consultation to learn more & see how we can work together. it’s easiest for me to manage bookings via email or my website instead of dms 🪻 with love. 🌼

some big news 🌟: i won the 2024 Lambda Literary Award for Exceptional New LGBTQ Writers 🎉. committing to writing has changed my life in all ways. & it’s brought me to friendships & community of dreams. in this time of massive shifts & change personally & societally, i am also welcoming the good news that flows my way. last Spring, i shared an acceptance speech at the Lammy’s. to the largest crowd i’ve ever shared poetry to & spoken in front of. in it, i challenge the idea of “exceptionality” & name my communities who have raised me. queer, trans, BIPOC communities. including my writing lineages of Audre Lorde, Gloria Anzaldúa, & Grace Lee Boggs. in it, i share my commitment to a Free Falasteen, Sudan, Congo— & all countries still breaking free from U.S. imperialism. with this award, i’d also like to make clear anyone, any organization who supports my writing is uplifting my commitment to the liberation of all oppressed peoples, especially Pal-est-ian, Black, Indigenous sovereignty. globally. anyone supporting what i do is supporting my love & care for trans & intersex communities. & vision of the aboli-shun of pol-ice & prizons. with love to my circle of people who keep me committed to what really matters: a life i love outside of awards like these. & at the same time: we are now a Lambda award-winning writer. ❤️ though this award is open to all LGBTQ+ writers across the country, i feel pleased to hold this in a lineage of fierce trans writers whose work i heart in the world: including Ching-In Chen (@chinginchen ), Jeanne Thornton (@jeanneticallymodified ), Naseem Jamnia (@jamsternazzy ), Taylor Johnson (@hoodsnax ), & H. Melt (@hmeltchi ). to poetry. & dreams in action. 🔥 as a trans person, it’s becoming crystal clear every day i live in empire is a rebellion. AND i’ll continue to resist, organize, & take action against all imper-ee-al occu-pashun, from the belly of the beast. until true freedom comes. my speech is now live & you can watch it in the place where you find 🖇️’s. with love. & happy Lunar New Year 🌟🐉🧧 📸: @leydaluz 🍊

with so much love, i’m writing from portland to share that 1. i finally cut my hair 😌 2. my poetry book: remembering (y)our light is available for pre-orders!! 😍🌠💫❤️🪻 🌟 bit.ly/RiverPoems 🌟 these poems span five years of my writing— on honoring intergenerational stories, matriarchal grandmothers, creating home & safety in the in-between spaces of queerness & diaspora. pre-orders would support my work as an independent writer & educator immensely. you can do so here: 🌟 bit.ly/RiverPoems 🌟 i had the honor to collaborate with @singha.hon who so incredibly illustrated these poems (& designed this book!) these poems span NYC to Toisan, & have graced stages from @wowprojectnyc to @paoartscenter & Dodge Poetry Festival. share this with your friends who love memory work, food as remembrance, & personal transformation. AND i’m holding a pay-it-forward option where i’ll be sending FREE copies to TGNC BIPOC community. follow my newsletter to learn how to get free copies. all linked in bio. support your local Dandelion & also get these poems that i know will move you as much as they have me to write them. some of these works are published in Best New Poets, @blreview , Shade Journal, but a lot are unseen to the public eye until now. ❤️. been writing solo for a while now, buoyed by community with @kundimanforever , @aaww_nyc , @dream_yard , @lambdaliterary . moving into this (sun)light to shine. be on the look out for my book tour in the fall ❤️

started the year with some good news: got a fellowship from Brooklyn Poets to study poetry with luminous Rosebud Ben-Oni 🌷. thank you for helping me see writing & my work in a new light, @matarose . & for leading with love & heart at the center. shoutout to @rkay__ & the team at @brooklynpoets for making room for this work to grow, for this poet born & raised in Brooklyn 🌳✨. our showcase is tomorrow night, ONLINE! I’ll be sharing some heart work (Mon, 4/20) with fellow poets 🩵💚🩵! details in the 🖇️’s. here are some photos of me playing in the snow this winter at Brower Park :)

back with some medicine for the people 💛🧡💛. I’m hosting a writing & herbal tea blend w*rkshop with @chinatownartbrigade this coming Saturday, April 18th, for organizers, cultural workers, caretakers, healing practitioners, community. as part of the launch of “City in Resistance.” let us come together to resource ourselves & each other during these times. masks required 🌱 check 📃 for details. — About City in Resistance City in Resistance launches April 17, 2026 at 127 Walker Street in Chinatown, New York, opening a week-long space for gathering, exchange, and organizing during Earth Week, in parallel to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Building on the 2024 Borough Based Liberation Project, this convening brings together Indigenous land defenders, artists, and organizers from across territories and New York City. Through workshops, conversations, and shared space, participants will build connections across movements addressing land, housing, sovereignty, and collective survival. Rooted in Chinatown’s legacy of resistance, the project asks what futures we can build together beyond carceral systems. led by @chinatownartbrigade , @dandelionsnyc , @wowprojectnyc — beautiful design by October 🐋

hi friends, it’s time: I’m going public with my medicine work (again 🙂). some of you know in addition to writing & teaching, I’m also a healing arts practitioner (@rivertransforms ). for the past five years, I’ve been honing my studies in energy healing, the shamanic arts, body-based somatic work, & herbalism. in that time, I’ve held 1:1 sessions, group sessions, community clinics, workshops, & taught at retreats. 🐝. been reflecting on how to meet the needs I see in the current moment & I am excited to share on April 11th, I’ll be holding a shamanic drum journey workshop online in partnership with Shamanic Fire Reiki, my teacher Irma StarSpirit Turtle Woman’s practice. here are the details 🌟 — Journey to Ancestral Waters: Reclaim Your Inner Power Workshop Description: We live in perilous times. Every day, there are direct attacks on our communities that infringe on our own senses of freedom. It is time to reclaim our power. Sometimes what transpires in our lives can leave a psychic imprint on our spirits and need to be cleansed. We each deserve to live as our full authentic selves. Let us take this shamanic drum journey together to take back a piece of ourselves once lost. In this workshop, you will be guided on a shamanic drum journey to reconnect with your innermost self to reclaim your own power and fortitude. From the safety of your own space, you will travel to the unseen, ancestral realms to connect with a guide who can support you in your healing work. With the meditative rhythms of the heartbeat of the drum, you will be guided to bring greater healing to an aspect of your relationship to yourself, your waters, and claiming of your own inner power. This will support you to share your skills, talents, and gifts more deeply with the world. for 🎟️’s, check the 🖇️ in b[eye]o. would appreciate support sharing this out to reach our people as this is an independent offering 🌟 1st photo: me & my friend @takemikitamura drumming the park 2nd: the Hudson River / also known by their Lenape name, Muhheakantuck, “the river that flows both ways” 3rd: me holding passionflower 🙂 flyer design by Amber Dennis 🌟

some photos & a video excerpt (😮) from my reading with Lambda Literary in Baltimore this month for AWP 🍊. shared poems in honor of matriarchs, grief during pandemic, & visions for freer futures. thank you for having us @thecompoundbaltimore . here is me reading an excerpt of my piece, “Poem in Which We are Safe,” which I dedicated to the trans people in the room. 🐌 shoutout to @oh_chlo , @persimmonicecream , & Clara for organizing & emceeing the evening. to my friends for attending. joyous to share space with fellow poets @emdashsays , @treetop_proverb , & more :) photos by Chloe & Holly ✨ video by @philipeabiyouness 🧡

thank you for the love & affirmations for my writing in the world & who I do this for. lots of sweet reunions at AWP (a writer’s conference) this past week. big love to friends I got to see, & to community who told me they know me from my work in the world 💛. outside of institutions, I believe in us & our amplified power when we come together & remember we are not alone in each of the places where we do our work. on the page & off. thank you to everyone who came through for a book signing (thank you @kundimanforever , @vermontstudiocenter , & @bellingham_review for holding space!), for my reading with @lambdaliterary , for the good food & hugs. here are some (but not all) snapshots of us. until next time. 🧡

hi friends, I’m in Baltimore this week for AWP! here is where you can find me 🧡💛🧡 in my light blue mask 😷 with much covid-conscious love. 3/5, Thurs, Lambda Literary x Transvengence: Queer Performance Showcase & Reading at @thecompoundbaltimore , 7-10pm (I’ll be on in the second half 8:30-10pm, reading NEW POEMS 🗣️)! @lambdaliterary 3/6, Fri, remembering (y)our light book signing with @kundimanforever (Booth #1070) 2-3pm & @vermontstudiocenter (Booth #748) 4:30-5pm. 3/7, Sat, I’ll be tabling at the Kundiman (Booth #1070) 2:30-3:30pm 🍊 please come say hi 💛 you can also reserve a 📖 in advance in my 🖇️’s with love, River

this past year was one of going full in on my writing. this past year was one of joy, in seeing the wonders of this earth, alongside deep grief. this past year was one of abundance in the form of residencies that were nourishing & grounding, that introduced me to new friends & beloved community, & reminded me why I do this work. thank you to everyone who made pursuing the arts a lot more possible & worthwhile. here’s to a new year (that will begin again in february) 🐦‍🔥🐎🥰. & happy new year from Mamdani’s New York 🧡💛🧡 sharing photos in a trio from: @calderaarts , @ragdale_residency , & @ucrossfoundation 🌟. these waters & trees span central Oregon, outskirts of Chicago, & Wyoming. with love. 🧿

when I started out to write remembering (y)our light, I never quite imagined all the people my poems would reach. I just knew that I owed it to myself to put my work out there. at the top of this year, I learned remembering (y)our light was a finalist for the 2024 North Street Book Prize. 🥰. this means that among 1,900+ books sent in, we made it to the top 30. this book was proudly independently published. it was a dream to work with luminous illustrator @singha.hon to bring these poems to life. since its launch, i have held events & readings with independent bookstores, movement organizations, colleges in five different cities across the country. since its launch, inspired by the writers I’m in community with, I learned to turn readings into fundraisers for 🍉 & have raised hundreds in mutual aid from everyday audience members 💚🤍🖤❤️. I’d like to share a BIG THANK YOU to every single person who has ordered a copy, told a friend, gifted one, came to an event, read at one with me, told me you read it for inspiration to start your own writing process. big love to those who believed in me from day one 🩵💚🩵. to celebrate life, I’m offering free shipping on remaining signed author copies through the new year (till 1/5!). details are in my 🖇️’s. 🌟. happy New Year 🐋 may all oppressed peoples from the R i v e r to the S e a be free. 🧿

i got a writing fellowship from @ucrossfoundation for time & space to work on my poetry book 🧡💚🧡. my first time in Wyoming, near the Bighorn Mountains, on the lands of the Cheyenne, Crow, & Lakota. here are scenes from September: my daily walks to the writing studio, where i got to be with the waters, prairie dogs, deer, & magpies. & adventure with my fellow artists. thank you to everyone looking out for me, for speaking my name into rooms when i’m not there. for making room for my creativity, for the ancestral stories i am writing & telling for my bio & chosen families during these times. i got to be in a space where artists are respected, taken care of, cooked for, & supported to create what it is we dream & envision. we’re only going up from here 🌟 with love, River