Last night was probably one of the best Thanksgivings in recent memory. I've been so lucky to share it with these great people year after year--and there are always a few new friends, which makes it even better. Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for a long time, and in recent years being able to spend it with a chosen family made up of good friends and fellow artists/performers has changed my outlook a great deal, which I am so very grateful for.
One of our annual traditions (pictured far right) is writing anonymous notes of gratitude and tossing them into a paper bag. After we've all eaten, we settle down with our coffee or wine and pass around the bag, randomly pulling out cards and reading them aloud to the group. Naturally, there are tons of jokes and jabs of inside humor, but there are also truly sincere, kind ones. Someone wrote that they're thankful for a safe, warm space to be for the holiday, someone else wrote that they're grateful for the opportunity to fail at art (a favorite), and many cards expressed heartfelt thanks for friends.
This year was especially good, though I'd be hard pressed to tell exactly how or why. Just the right mix of people at the right time in our lives, I'm guessing. I am so lucky.
I've been remiss in updates:
Wonderfully talented friend Alisa Rosenthal got booked as musical guest opener for the Neo-Futurists' New Years show--and she and I will be teaming up to do duets for the performance. We've already had a lot of fun picking songs, hope you'll come out to hear what we've put together!
In December I'll be performing at Forks & Hope's fundraiser! I'll also be returning to the mic at Tomefoolery with Cody Melcher, where we'll record a special episode centered on a certain religious text that my entire young life once revolved around--and lemme tell ya it has been really strange to read it as an adult in preparation for this recording.
January 20th Johnny Szymanski and I join the crew of Collector's Edition for their Grammy-themed show, and February 6th I will be performing at City Winery with Jill Howe's awesome Story Sessions.
What I failed to tell you about:
Psychotic Break invited me to tell a story at their November show. They do a good job of curating compelling writers and storytellers--all of whom address mental health in a personal way--some stories are hilarious, some heartbreaking, it was a good show!
I also got to pinch-hit for The Paper Machete earlier this month with about 2 hours' notice--which didn't stress me out as much as I expected it to, so I feel like I've got another good tool in my belt now. Normally I post my PM stuff over on the Live Lit page, but this one turned out to be an interactive character piece, so there isn't much to post. The character was "Your High School French Teacher" and the bit was entirely in French (a great workout for my not-nearly-as-fluent-as-I-used-to-be brain).
I hope you spent Thanksgiving with people you totally dig.
Gwynn
Currently Reading:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Love & Math by Edward Frenkel
One of our annual traditions (pictured far right) is writing anonymous notes of gratitude and tossing them into a paper bag. After we've all eaten, we settle down with our coffee or wine and pass around the bag, randomly pulling out cards and reading them aloud to the group. Naturally, there are tons of jokes and jabs of inside humor, but there are also truly sincere, kind ones. Someone wrote that they're thankful for a safe, warm space to be for the holiday, someone else wrote that they're grateful for the opportunity to fail at art (a favorite), and many cards expressed heartfelt thanks for friends.
This year was especially good, though I'd be hard pressed to tell exactly how or why. Just the right mix of people at the right time in our lives, I'm guessing. I am so lucky.
I've been remiss in updates:
Wonderfully talented friend Alisa Rosenthal got booked as musical guest opener for the Neo-Futurists' New Years show--and she and I will be teaming up to do duets for the performance. We've already had a lot of fun picking songs, hope you'll come out to hear what we've put together!
In December I'll be performing at Forks & Hope's fundraiser! I'll also be returning to the mic at Tomefoolery with Cody Melcher, where we'll record a special episode centered on a certain religious text that my entire young life once revolved around--and lemme tell ya it has been really strange to read it as an adult in preparation for this recording.
January 20th Johnny Szymanski and I join the crew of Collector's Edition for their Grammy-themed show, and February 6th I will be performing at City Winery with Jill Howe's awesome Story Sessions.
What I failed to tell you about:
Psychotic Break invited me to tell a story at their November show. They do a good job of curating compelling writers and storytellers--all of whom address mental health in a personal way--some stories are hilarious, some heartbreaking, it was a good show!
I also got to pinch-hit for The Paper Machete earlier this month with about 2 hours' notice--which didn't stress me out as much as I expected it to, so I feel like I've got another good tool in my belt now. Normally I post my PM stuff over on the Live Lit page, but this one turned out to be an interactive character piece, so there isn't much to post. The character was "Your High School French Teacher" and the bit was entirely in French (a great workout for my not-nearly-as-fluent-as-I-used-to-be brain).
I hope you spent Thanksgiving with people you totally dig.
Gwynn
Currently Reading:
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Love & Math by Edward Frenkel
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