Perennials Podcast

Episode 49: Wild Invocations with Ysabel Gonzalez, Part 2

Ysabel Gonzalez and I continue our conversation about the poems in her collection Wild Invocations, which traces her journey from girlhood to womanhood. With fire and tenderness, these poems explore relationships and identity, expectations and disappointments, vulnerability and strength. 

Ysabel shares how poems help her express different parts of herself and get in touch with "characters" within her that need release. We discuss why it sometimes feels easier to write about tumultuous relationships with unavailable people rather than healthy, loving relationships.

Ysabel expresses her desire to write not just from heartache, but also from peace and joy. And, she talks about the nuance she's finding in her relationship to her family's homeland of Puerto Rico. 

Episode 48: Wild Invocations with Ysabel Gonzalez, Part 1

Ysabel Gonzalez's full-length collection of poetry, Wild Invocations (published by Get Fresh Books in 2019), is a juicy, earthy, sparkly, raw, raucous, contemplative gem.

I'm lucky to call Ysabel my friend as well as my colleague at the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, where she is Assistant Director of the Poetry Program.

In Part 1, Ysabel and I talk about the seeds of Wild Invocations, some of the challenges that ultimately helped her learn how to use her voice, and how she grapples with writing and speaking about difficult topics like grief, mental illness and white fragility. Ysabel shares her poem “How to Unlearn Being a Princess,” and we begin talking about the transition from girlhood to womanhood.

If you want to hear us continue that conversation, and talk about relationships, embodiment, and celebrating love, return here tomorrow for Part 2 of our conversation.

You can find Ysabel online at ysabelgonzalez.com

Episode 47: Building a Life with Florence Hamer

Today's episode features a truly delightful guest: Florence Hamer, a woodworker who lives in her self-built tiny house, and spends her time carving spoons, turning bowls, enjoying nature and baking cakes.

In our conversation, Flo describes the path that led her to her beautiful tiny home, from growing up on her mother's woodland, to learning to carve spoons at university, to living in a van in Australia for six months.

We talked about Flo's relationship to living against the grain; how she adventures amidst and despite worry; the romance vs. reality of tiny-house living; and treading lightly on the earth.

Episode 46: Creativity in Quarantine with Marina Carreira

Multimedia artist (and previous Perennials guest!) Marina Carreira is here to talk about creativity during covid-19. We discuss who gets to claim the title "creative," the importance of carving out creative time and rest time, and the practice of finding beauty in the mundane. Marina reminds us that if all we have energy for right now is survival, that's okay. And, creativity might show up in surprising ways. 

 

We also speak about the opportunity for self-reflection during stay at home orders, especially reflecting on racial injustices and the importance of locating white supremacy within ourselves.

 

We talked about how, ultimately, it takes a creative mind to imagine new ways of being for ourselves and for the world.