#spokenwordartist #poet #word #writeclubbin

#haiku #notmyfault #therapy #childish

Simple Soul Sessions (SSS) Right here right now, Ready or not. Shoutout to the crew @colinacarew @writeclubbin @mundomusicpage @miiike_arce and @purelovedragon on film + production Shoutout Love Nest Studios!!!

Join us Monday, 3/31 for Write Club! Click the link in the bio to RSVP. We hope to see you there! Our country’s current climate Has you feeling hot and cold You signal for the Heimlich And can’t swallow what you’re told Remember there’s a center In between the left and right Let the pen be your mentor As you poise and deftly write

The power of handwriting! A recent study by the Department of Psychology at Norwegian University of Science and Technology compared the brain’s response to handwriting vs. typing. The study revealed through EEG data that “Handwriting activated far more widespread and interconnected brain networks than typing, particularly in the theta […] and alpha […] frequency bands. These brain waves, particularly in the lower frequency range, are associated with memory formation, sensory processing, and attention.” The central and parietal brain regions, which process motor control, sensory input, and higher-order cognitive tasks, showed the most significant connectivity patterns. Researchers suggest the increased benefits from handwriting are thanks to the coordination of vision, motor commands, and sensory feedback as the brain perpetually adjusts finger and hand movements to shape each letter. All that is to say, bring your pen(cil)s and notebooks to next week’s Write Club! We’ll meet on Monday the 6th from 6-8 at Holsem Coffee in North Park. Check the link in my bio for more info! #writers #community #handwriting

Excerpt from “Language Personified.” Next Write Club is 12/9 from 6:00-8:00! Link in bio. Let’s get it! #spokenword #poetrylovers #writerscommunity

About a year ago, my friend reached out and said he’d be hosting a darkness retreat and wondered if I’d like to write some spoken word to perform in the dark. The pic attached is an excerpt from what I call “Dinner With Darkness.” It’s arguably true that everything we experience in the physical world is through our five senses (I’ll save spidey senses for another time). The most important of these is our site, with approximately 80% of our surroundings interpreted through the eyes. So what happens when our eyesight is taken away, even just for a few days? Well, I experienced exactly that in complete darkness for four days. And not just blindfolds, every window in the house was blacked out. One of the most interesting phenomenon was an effect of volitional eye closure, or choosing to open or close the eyes. Even with the congenitally blind, the act of opening or closing the eyes seems to correlate to intero- vs. exteroception. In other words, keeping my eyes open, even without physical sight, kept me more engaged with my surroundings. And closing them became more introspective. It reminded me how curious the brain is, how adaptable humans can be, and how grateful I am to have any sense at all. Join us next Monday, 11/11, from 6:00-8:00 at @holsemcoffee in North Park. And bring a blindfold! Click the link in the bio to RSVP. #spokenwordpoetry #poetry #shadow #darkness

I was speaking with a wise woman recently and she shared a poignant insight. Some of you will be like, “yeah, duh!” It more or less went like this: when our behavior doesn’t align with the image we have of ourselves, it can often be difficult to acknowledge the behavior, or to recognize it even happened in the first place. Said another way, if we identify with being loving and considerate, then we do something that hurts someone we care about, we may find it more challenging to notice it happen, and even if we do, we may be hard-pressed to take responsibility for it. The a-hole behavior doesn’t fit being self-identified as nice, so the subconscious ego will step in to protect its identity. Of course, if you already identify as an a-hole, shrugging off the hurtful behavior may come a lot easier; then it’s the nice things people catch you doing that may be harder for you to track. Next Write Club is 11/11 @holsemcoffee . Click the link in the bio to RSVP! #poetrylovers #haiku #travelling #loveyourself

Come get practiced at Write Club Monday, the 14th from 6-8 @holsemcoffee in North Park! Link to register in bio! #haiku #writeclub #poetrylovers

If your point of view about anything in life is solely (or at least mostly) based on things you’ve heard, read, or seen on TV and social media, perhaps consider experiencing the world for yourself, forming your own opinions, and adding a bit of wisdom to your point of view. And I’m completely aware I write this at the risk of sounding judgemental. Working hypothesis: judgment is harder when focused on unity. There’s another haiku in there somewhere. Our next Write Club is Monday (9/2) from 6:00 to 8:00 at Holsem Coffee in North Park. My friends have a beautiful cafe they’re letting us use after hours every two weeks. We’d love to see you! Doors close at 6:30. Bring a notebook and pen(cil). Please DM me with any questions. #holsemcoffee #haiku #writeclub

I took the past year off from posting anything on IG. My stories: “Everything’s been said. Ten likes aren’t worth my time. I have better things to do with my time. Does anyone truly connect with anything I share?! Social media is the bane of our existence. Blah blah blah.” Then a friend challenged me to start up Write Club again and to share my words. So here we are. Please join us @holsemcoffee in North Park August 19th from 6-8 PM. We’ll meet every two weeks! This is an open and supportive environment for all levels and writing styles. One evening will be dedicated to writing and sharing, with no pressure to participate in either. The other evening will be a poetry slam. And you’re always welcome to show up and just listen! Now for some new words. A friend hosted a retreat late last year where we spent four days in total darkness. He asked me to write something and share it during the retreat . . . in total darkness. Pretty cool! And like nothing I had ever done before. This was the result. Here are the first couple stanzas from “Dinner With Darkness.” If eating with our eyes Is a favorite pastime Then let’s consider this Batting lashes at a taste Of the senseless As we flirt with darkness While sitting on fences we’ve built Between shadow and light Pupils envision both sides Confiding in the balance Where outward insight Reveals the talents Of the iris Widening its aperture In an attempt to Seek and capture visual appetites To no avail Five senses once prevailed With the foresight To rule in threes See hear and speak no evil About the goodness A bit of shadow casts Like invisibly steadfast aromas Drifting through an olfactory passage Toward some adage about A fragrant memory So close we can taste it Ephemerally Through courses we dine In this morsel of time Together #spokenwordpoetry #poetrylovers #korcula #holsemcoffee

I can’t believe it’s been a year since the last Write Club! As much as I love North County, North Park is where my spoken word journey started _____ years ago. So, I’m headed back to my roots. Come join us every other Monday night from 6-8 at Holsem Coffee in North Park. One night will be prompts and shares, the other will be open mic. Starting August 19th. I hope to see you there! #spokenwordpoetry #poetrylovers #poetryisnotdead