@mmcgovern | ask | sounds + stories | trntbl | ex.fm
note: i respond privately to comments/questions left in the "ask" box within a few days. email often takes longer: mauramcgovern at gmail
quiet by filippo minelli. good night.
face to face
in february life stood still.
the birds refused to fly and the soul
grated against the landscape as a boat
chafes against the jetty where it’s moored.
the trees were turned away. the snow’s depth
measure by the stubble poking through.
the footprints grew old out on the ice-crust.
under a tarpaulin, language was being broken down.
suddenly, something approaches the window.
i stop working and look up
the colours blaze. everything turns around.
the earth and i spring at each other.
revisiting a post from a few months ago. it continues to linger + hover.
[my voice] writers are archaeologists of their own souls. we dig until we hit bottom only to find there is another bottom underneath and another after that. we are capable of great harm and great sacrifice, but the point of this struggle must have something to do with not giving up. for a long time i couldn’t imagine my life amounting to anything anyone else would view with respect and affection. i didn’t know there was something wrong or different about how my brain processed information and language; i believed there was something wrong with me. i still, on occasion, believe this. perhaps i always will. but even when the entire world seemed to be ganging up on me, some persisting sense of myself argued on my behalf. i can’t say why exactly, though i’ve always believed what st. augustine said to be true: “everything that is, in so far as it is, is good.” and what is good is worthwhile and prevailing. no matter how rich or powerful or intelligent or wise we are, we are also small and inconsequential and of no worth at all. everyone knows this. but we endure.
- philip schultz, poetry & dyslexia
a note from me to you on the reasons for recent readings: to practice reading in public because i’ve always been terrified of the sound of my reading voice. in particular, enunciation is important. especially when sharing ideas, intentions. the words selected resonate in some way - big or small. it’s easier and harder than i imagined. keep moving.
last night i mentioned wander
some searching revealed a tumblr post by co-founder keenan cummings
without permission (hi keenan!), i abbreviated his post below:
—-
i’ve spent the last four months wandering…
all was well…
several months ago i decided to make a pretty drastic career change.
suddenly everything changed…
then opportunities began to present themselves.
in october of last year, i joined jeremy fisher to build wander
which will be a wonderfully beautiful and human way to experience and explore the world around you (and far beyond).
(above is a screenshot of the leaderboard, a nice little diversion we created to to keep you busy while you anxiously await wander’s launch.)
i’ve struggled to hold back details of what i have been doing, but the payoff for the product and the users will all be worth the effort.
i still can’t say much more than that about what wander will be, but know that it is coming soon and it will be worth watching and waiting for.
i‘ve poured myself into this over these few months and we have an amazing road map that i will happily continue to pour myself into as we launch and build a community of wanderers.
- keenan cummings aka fieldstudy on tumblr | read more about keenan’s process
have you signed up and reserved your user name? get after it. get wander..ing.
kat is - thatkindofwoman. she is one of my first tumblr friends. you know, from way back when. three years might not seem like a long time but in the land of tumblr - it feels like forever in the very best way. in the kind of way that begs for more. because there’s an understanding. connections made that wouldn’t happen otherwise. or would they? three years has afforded me the understanding of the importance of kindred spirits. i should create a list as thoughtful as kat’s. a reminder of generosity. kat is a unique and i love her for consistantly seeking, chasing limits and then pushing beyond them. gracefully determined.
.. i came away thinking that meetup provides the tools for people to form communities. but first you have to gain these people. individuals must see a value for themselves, before committing to a meetup. that’s the importance of groups, they provide a premise and a common interests for strangers to meet. although people come for a specific interest, they end up staying for the relationships formed.
- speckledwords | via cacioppo
the desire to be understood. the need to learn about difference. a fine balance. community.
