We are water
We are water. We are water. We are water. Not exclusively, of course, yet essentially so. As Indigenous people continually remind us, water is life. Before anything else, I offer unceasing prayers of gratitude for the sustenance of water. While … Continue reading We are water
Warm Up Bones
“…the power in how you live. Even when doubt drags you under, you’re lifted up by all you can give. What can I say? To warm up bones that are frozen and blue? A new day will find you with … Continue reading Warm Up Bones
Keeping myself in the story
Everything I write is about me. My choices around what stories to study and share are informed by my connection to them. Yes, everything is interconnected. I embrace that truth, while exploring the specifics which expose my position in systems … Continue reading Keeping myself in the story
Get on the ground
The power of parties “Get on the ground,” my friend and neighbor Odell Irby often says, referring to the importance of in person encounters. And he means it. Frequently sitting on the corner in front of his house, Odell knows … Continue reading Get on the ground
Shakespeare and Stumptown
Embracing multiple truths is not easy in a culture that prefers binaries, that tends to simplify complex realities into good/bad, right/wrong, etc. Yet multiple truths exist. We find them woven throughout the story of the Montford Park Players and their … Continue reading Shakespeare and Stumptown
What happened to Hill Street?
Hill Street was a historically Black neighborhood in Asheville. Have you heard of it? Likely not. Its story, like the homes which once stood there, has been lost. It’s a story I’ve been studying deeply, wanting to fill in as … Continue reading What happened to Hill Street?
Clear cutting and change
My everything aches when I remember that, “by 1908, around 86 percent of forested acres in the Southern Appalachian Mountains was classified as recently harvested or in young regrowth stages of development” (Ecoforesters.org). The scope of this extraction astounds. And, … Continue reading Clear cutting and change
Numbers vs. narratives
The onset of the pandemic and quarantine in 2020 inspired a deeper awareness of my relationship with my neighborhood, leading me to extensively research its history. On the land of the Anigiduwagi (Cherokee) is Asheville’s census tracts 2 and 3, … Continue reading Numbers vs. narratives
Mooseman’s Records
A few years ago, our friend Damion “DJ Supaman” Smith called to see if my sweetie Jason Krekel could take some boxes of records that were his father’s, Cleo “Mooseman” Shivers. He did not have room in his apartment, and … Continue reading Mooseman’s Records
my own oppression
Recently I was returned to a felt sense of my own oppression. Through intentional choices and good fortune, I’ve finally been able to shape my life so the majority of my interactions are with people I trust. Connecting with an … Continue reading my own oppression
Ami Worthen 