Issue 7: “A joy to read and feels incredibly alive”
Moving words about my chapbook (I’m verklempt!), a game-changing Native soccer player, and…wait for it…a cat video so you can party like it’s 2012.
Strawberries!
My, aren’t you looking fresher and sweeter than ever today! And what’s this? You’re…spinning like a dreidel?? Magic!
Let’s jump in.
1. Poetry: My chapbook is selling…and I’m verklempt!
As someone who’s famously sheepish/anxious/reluctant about any kind of self-promotional marketeering, I’ve been truly humbled and blown away by ~all~ the enthusiasm and support for my newly-released chapbook.
I am deeply grateful for all the calls & texts & emails & social media posts, and it’s been amazing seeing the momentum build: Folks are showing love on social! My sister Mallory invited me to write a guest post for her fantastic #MalCrushMonday newsletter! Aaaand this just in: a bookstore ordered 20 copies! Plus, check this out:
As we all know, validation from anyone – literally anyone – goes a long way, but the most gratifying affirmation comes from peers, the people who do the thing you do.
Andrés Cerpa is an incredible poet whose latest book, The Vault, was longlisted for a National Book Award. He provided profoundly valuable feedback when I was writing The Funny Thing About A Panic Attack and generously shared the beautiful blurb above. Andrés’s words and support mean the world to me – and yours do, too.
2. Impact Work: “Katishtya Girl – Madison Hammond, the NWSL’s First Native Player, Is Ready to “Do The Damn Thing” (Mini Documentary)
I worked on marketing and promo for this powerful, fascinating short, produced by my client, IllumiNative.
“I am here because of what I can do,” says Madison Hammond, a defender and midfielder for Los Angeles’ Angel City FC. “I am good enough to leave more of an imprint than just being the first Native American to play in the NWSL.”
The 25-year-old, who is Navajo, San Felipe Pueblo and Black, has already broken barriers for Native athletes everywhere. But achieving her potential on the field, maximizing her impact off of it and becoming the truest version of herself is an ongoing journey.
In “Katishtya Girl,” a mini documentary directed by Kyle Bell (Thlopthlocco Creek Tribal Town) and produced by IllumiNative and Reno Productions, viewers follow Madison from the bright lights of Los Angeles back to her “capital ‘H’ Home,” Katishtya, also known as the San Felipe Pueblo outside of Albuquerque, NM.
The film is about sports and so much more: mental health, identity, family and overcoming self-doubt. From her grandmother, her mother and her sister, to Diné golfer (and Madison’s uncle) Notah Begay III, you’ll meet the tight-knit community that has shaped who Madison is, and will guide her toward who she’s meant to become.
3. Recommendation: “Cat Crime” (Cat Video)
Welp! When I say this newsletter offers “miscellaneous delights,” sometimes that means books or podcasts or TED Talks. Other times that means a cat video I watched approximately one thousand times yesterday. Watch the cat video. Love the cat video. Party like it’s 2012 and the internet is run by BuzzFeed and its cat videos.
Aaaand that’s all!
With love and thanks and strawberries and cats and CAT CRIMES and dreidels,
Ben