Reading, Writing, and Wrestling

From the Self-Centred Newsletter January 20, 2024 – what I’m reading, writing and wrestling with

Happy New Year to all those who celebrate.

Personally, my body prefers the Spring Equinox as a more natural new year.

Winter is for hibernating, resting, warm soups and slow yesses.

That’s all to say, I get to wish you Happy New Year again on Tuesday March 19 at 11:06 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Winter readies us for spring.

I like to think that I’m preparing the soil of my being for spring planting at the turn of the real new year.

As well as launching a business, but in a slow-yes kind of way that’s actually working. I can honestly say that cohosting and participating in this space is giving me joy.

So, even though the Gregorian calendar has rolled into a bigger number, and tax returns are a thing I should be thinking about, it’s still winter here at crone central, and while there’s shit to get done, I remain in a place of hibernation, trying to rest and replenish and integrate.

My dear friend and business partner, Trevia Woods, is very busy with her graduate studies in social work, and I am trying somewhat successfully to refrain from distracting her, so I thought I’d tell all of you about what’s been going on here. (Hi Trevia!)

So you get to hear about what I’m reading, what I’m writing, who I’m listening to (and who I’m not listening to)…

What I’m Reading:

I chose the wording with intention because I find that my attention span and focus for reading has diminished greatly over the years, likely due to an overdependence (I didn’t say addiction) to screens and devices.

So, I am in the middle of reading a lot of books. (Which sounds better than saying I can’t finish a book because I’m addicted to my devices. Indulge me.)

Here is a sampling of what I have on the go. The ones that are really lighting me up:

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver: from one of my all time favourite authors (I’ve read and reread Prodigal Summer and will inevitably read it again, to the end even. Curiously, most of my friends list the Poisonwood Bible as their all time fav, but after three times trying (so far because I am no quitter, except when I am) I can’t remain engaged. I just read something about the plotline recently that made me think I should give it a go again. This book was a 2023 Christmas gift; yes, it’s been more than a year, but the story is so memorable and vivid I know I can pick it up again without having forgotten a thing. (The Lacuna is right up there too; I may add it back to my read-again list)

The Overstory by Richard Powers: this one is an epic piece of ecofiction, brilliantly written and constructed. I’m almost done, I’m in the place where you put the brakes on the reading because you don’t want it to end, but you really want to know how it ends, if it ends. One of the characters is based on my grrl crush, Diana Beresford Kroeger who you may have heard me rave about before and likely will again.

Which brings me to book number three: To Speak for the Trees: also an unfinished read. Diana’s story is amazing and magical and you should listen to her interview with Jane Fonda here.

Next up is the five volume series called Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations (spoiler alert, they’re not all human relations) One of the editors is Robin Wall-Kimmerer, another grrl crush. I haven’t done more than unwrap the set and smell the pages, but I’m very excited about getting into it. I have listened to a couple of the Kinship Podcast episodes available on the website, and found them to be very compelling.

Speaking of podcasts, here’s what I’m listening to:

Everything Jessica Lanyadoo; podcasts she hosts, podcasts she’s a guest on, particularly Episode 802 of the Heal Squad Podcast with Maria Menuounos

I honestly know nothing about Maria M, but I go where Jessica goes. Listening to her here has given me more hope for being able to remain engaged in the world and contribute to changing it for the better when all the horrible things happening activate the natural instinct to turn away. 

Except that nothing will change if I turn away and I so desperately want the world to change.

What I heard Jessica Say was that, especially those of us who are empaths and sensitives need to increase our capacity to hold difficulty and grief and still remain functional in the world. That’s trauma healing.

And that makes a lot of sense to me. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

And the Upstream Podcast, particularly the 6 part series on Palestine, and most particularly Part 4: False Solutions and Paths of Resistance with Sumaya Awad.

I like to think of myself as a good socialist, or at least an aspiring socialist, and as such I have often adopted the stand of my socialist comrades, sometimes without passing it through the lens of critical thinking. Embarrassing as it is to admit.

One of the most popular and prevalent tenets of the socialists in my neck of the world is that the answer to the question of Israel’s existence relying on genocide in Palestine is a two-state solution.

Suffice it to say, after listening to Sumaya Awad in this podcast, I no longer believe that.

If you feel compelled to give these episodes a listen, or you’ve read these books, I’d love to know what you think.

Wrestling:

As far as what I’ve been wrestling with, it’s all in there – time changes, season changes, the refusal of the colonial capitalist patriarchy to recognize or honor that we are creatures of nature and should be able to follow those natural rhythms rather than be endlessly extracted from to keep the economy rolling, how to live in the world without contributing to its destruction, boundaries, grief, unlearning, creating kinships of all kinds, and finishing books.

I hope that you are finding ways of walking in the world without disconnecting from it, the ways of feeding your bodies, minds, and souls, so you can thrive.

Because my loves, the world needs you.

That’s why you’re here.

Hello!

I’m Janine. My pronouns are she/her.

I am an anti-capitalist crone, post-trauma growth coach, and consensual copywriter.

I strive daily to identify and unlearn the voices of white heteronormative patriarchy that are insidiously planted in our brains from an early age – voices that, without critical inquiry, we often confuse as our own.

I dream of a return to the Commons and a world where all living beings have equal access to the necessities of life, including laughter, rest, creativity, and joy.

Even though I didn’t always have the words, this dream has been the undercurrent of all of my pursuits from an early age. 

I host the Caucus of Crones and Self-Centred in the Kin Keepers’ Haven, co-held online with my dear friend Trevia Woods.

I am available for 1:1 coaching sessions.

Drop a reply or check out my website if you’re interested in connecting.

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