need u Body! WITCH Anthology! Class + Videos!
Dream Baby Dream / Forever
Hi Ponies!
I had to take a couple weeks off from dancing and exercising and woof did it get weird in my brain-kitchen. Yikes! I’m back and took Malia’s Pony Sweat class yesterday morning and as soon as we did our first arrow to Nine Inch Nails I felt a powerful surge of mental clarity and sure-footedness and the return of my wiser self! I know how important movement is to my mental health, but I think I momentarily underestimated its significance, even though I know I preach about it here all the freaking time. I was having a hard time summoning the seed of willingness to move in whatever way was supportive and healthy for my body. I’d say to myself, “ooh i’m feeling pretty bad and anxious, I should probably just go walk outside” and then the day would end and I would not have walked, having ignored the urge in favor of some distraction or task. I share this because I know I’m not alone in this phenomena of not doing the very thing that would bring oneself relief! Our relationships with our bodies are very personal, but not entirely unique.
I was invited to speak to the writing program, Parakeet, about Writing and the Body, where I suggested that they employ a mindset of “How easy can this be?” to their movement practice. And when I say easy, I mean easeful. If walking seems like it might be nice, go outside and start walking before you get distracted by anything else! Walk for 10 minutes. If you love to bounce, get a trampoline to your house. If you love to be in water, find the nearest body of water and create a plan to be in it 1x/week and don’t let anything get in the way of that time. Ask for help if you need help. It’s important! You’re important!! I will not forget this in myself again any time soon. We need our wiser selves behind the wheel right now, and I won’t speak for yours, but mine only comes through when I’m connected to/utilizing/inside of my bod. If there is no movement practice available to you right now because of injury or illness or caretaking, you can practice Staying With Your body by breathing in nice smells and touching/petting something soft and drinking a lot of water. <3 Sending your bods so much love Ponies!
WITCH ANTHOLOGY
An excerpt from my Pony Sweat book (WIP) has been published in this rad anthology about witches, edited by Michelle Tea who is a truly powerful witch and a fucking hero of mine (and probably many of yours because we are Ponies and we share a lot of fandoms.) WHAT A DREAM! I am very proud to have words alongside so many witches and writers that I admire. Thank you Michelle and Beth and Dopamine Press who puts out these anthologies once a year. All the sales proceeds go to printing and distributing queer writers…like Brooke Palmieri who is a Pony and has a book coming out with them later this year! “Dopamine is a queer literary organization that aims to elevate LGBTQI+ writing and writers through publishing, readings series, and workshops. Dopamine is dedicated to stories of unvarnished queer existence.”
OK?! Who doesn’t want to support that!? This year’s theme is WITCH, and last year it was SLUTS. Buy ALL their books! <3
There will be a WITCH anthology reading in Yucca Valley at Quality Coin Gallery, the evening of Saturday 5/31. And that morning, WE WILL PONY SWEAT!!!!! If you are in the desert, I hope you will come through for one or both of these events. Would love to see you, meet you, dance with you! <3
We’ve got CLASS
TONIGHT! Thursday 5/22 7pm with Jaquita | In-Person
Saturday 5/24 1:45pm PT with Emilia | In-Person AND LIVESTREAM!!
Monday 5/25 7pm with Emilia | In-Person $10 Community Class!
Wednesday 5/27 10:15am with Malia | In-Person
Thursday 5/29 9:30am PT ONLINE Exercising + Listening 2 Records with Emilia (for Across Time + Space, and Pony Pass folks only <3)
AND
my May Mixtape Class Video is in the Across Time + Space library and available for rental. Big feels! So many songs! Lots of moves! Fuck em all!
"We Got That P.M.A."
Found a Cure - Ashford + Simpson
Hands - Lithics
The Things That Dreams Are Made Of - Human League
Nasha - Aurat
Out of Sight - Lia Braswell
Attitude - Bad Brains
French Disko - Stereolab
When Love Takes Over - David Guetta + Kelly Rowland
Holes (Olof Dreijer Remix) - Zhala
Little Bird - Annie Lennox
The Lack Of You - HVOB
Soft Shock - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Watching You Without Me - Kate Bush
Dream Baby Dream - Suicide
AND
For Across Time + Space subscriber Ponies, there is a fresh Exercising + Listening 2 Records session from this morning in the Just Added section of your library ! We listened to Agender and Sisters of Mercy, did mat pilates and some dumbbell exercises. Carolee let us know that it’s World Goth Day! Hope y'all make the most of it. 🖤
Thank you for reading + for staying connected Ponies!
<3,
Emilia