Author: OSM
PhD Student in Theology
numbered brain
There are times I wish I'd had different lonelinesses than the ones I had. When I thought of myself as straight (only possible by seeing myself nearly entirely through the eyes of others), I thought a lot about the notion of falling in love repeatedly with the same person, in a different form, replicating an … Continue reading numbered brain
death of the artist
When I was a child, I drew on everything, including walls and bedding. Every child draws, but I don't know if everyone remembers becoming aware of conceptual milestones while drawing as a child? A mechanism made--still makes--me try something always in a different way. I remember the sudden awareness of a new ability--I was not … Continue reading death of the artist
What a deadline is for
Every phenomenon in the material world serves a dual spiritual function. One meets a deadline in order to respect a contract and a relationship, to secure payment, keep a job/ advance a career. However, there may be a more urgent spiritual need that harnesses the function of the deadline for other purposes. To meet a … Continue reading What a deadline is for
the Ideal Conditions for Writing/ Making Art
What I think are the ideal conditions for me to write/ make art: an environment I can control: a room with a door I can close uninterrupted time for at least 1 hour I am alone in the house (otherwise, I can feel people's vibes) not too much noise natural light, but not too bright … Continue reading the Ideal Conditions for Writing/ Making Art
affirmation
I have read books. Listening to books counts as reading books (NaturalReader is a godsend, as is any resource that turns books into PDFs I can feed into NaturalReader). I don't have to read everything that's been written on my topic. My experience is a valid source of knowledge. My body is is a valid … Continue reading affirmation
material girl
Spiritual materialism(s). New materialism(s). Feminist materialism(s). Queer materialism(s). Historical materialism(s). I am weary of categories, but I am excited by conversations about the possibilities of materialism as an ethical foundation. Materialism has a deservedly bad rap in the context of consumer culture, but the word, even the idea, has no inherent helpful or harming value. … Continue reading material girl
near term/ mid-term/ to term
We keep hearing -- and saying -- we don't have language for what is happening. We need new metaphors. Is "Advice to a Prophet" on every high school syllabus yet? Is "For a Coming Extinction?" Is "The Black Maria?" Meanwhile, I am thinking about the strangeness of words that circulate, ragged, limping, nearly stripped of … Continue reading near term/ mid-term/ to term
missing
A couple of weeks ago I attended a seminar about "missing voices" of women in Irish poetry. Between academics who held their subjects at an impassioned, scholarly distance, to writers who presented movingly on now dead friends, and, finally, others doing their best to fit within the shapes academia allows both for researchers and subjects, … Continue reading missing
feeling is mutual 