Celebrate endings
and you will manage the uncertainties.
Efrat Cybulkiewicz
2020 was a tough year for everyone. And, 2021 has started out barely better for many of us. But the difficulties and hardships did not keep us from hoping, turning our hands to something new, and continuing to dream of a better, different world.
The lockdown has brought opportunity. Because of the lockdown and increased Zoom-ing, I have met some amazing people in all parts of the world and have been able to spend quality time with them. This aspect of the lockdown has been a boon for us bona fide introverts. And, I am looking forward to the lifting of quarantines to travel so I can meet face-to-face, and spend time hugging time many of these humans getting my oxytocin fix. Or as one of my friends puts it, “hugging some necks.” They are folks who have taught me, nurtured me, supported me, listened to me, and have shared their lives with me.
I will talk about all of these things more in the coming months, but, in addition to a slew of readings (thanks to everyone who has invited or endured these), here is a short list of what I have been up to:
I birthed a poetry book, “i am the rage.” The book is available “everywhere,” including your local bookseller. Click here for information or purchase.
I would like to announce the launch of Peggy Robles-Alvarado‘s new online literary magazine, La Libreta. Check it out. It is filled with great poetry, audio, and visual content. And, yes, I have a couple of pieces inside. Peggy also teaches and facilitates generative writing classes.
I have also been working with The Elevation Review magazine as a Poetry Editor. Thank you, Thomas Kneeland, editor for this opportunity. Check out all the good things Thomas is up to. Writing is just a part…
This has been a very different kind of year for me, as I am sure it has been for you. Lots of terrible things came to our doorsteps- fear, hoarding, disease, death, and violence have all come into our homes. I have watched more people being shot this year than when I worked in an inner-city ER in Houston. It continues to be heart-wrenching. And, when I cannot view it any longer, I take a break from social media and the news.
It has been months of sacrificing and bracing for whatever is next. A year of isolation, loneliness, and lack of human touch, from which we are just beginning to recover. And, don’t get me wrong. I am not an everything-is-positive Pollyanna. We should never lie to ourselves. But, we do need to keep working, trying to make things better for people beyond ourselves, serving the greater good, and, yes, hoping.
What challenges, revelations, successes, and celebrations can we share with you, or help spread the word?
Or, what can we try to help you with?
Let us know in the chat.
Going forward, my plan is to spotlight more people I have met along this long life’s journey, like Peggy, Thomas, and you, highlighting the lives and work of others.
My ultimate goal is to publish others in the future.
We rise together!!
Let’s talk…
Martina
Photo by David Rubin on Scopio
