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Weekly newsletter 1.5.2021
Updates
I’m very excited to announce that registration is open for Symposia in 2021!
What’s a symposium, you ask? Well, in my world, it’s a virtual gathering that brings a group of people together to explore ideas, to cultivate reflection, and to build community, even if just for a little while. Symposium topics and dates are below, and more details are on my website, but since you’re on my mailing list and, therefore, in my inner circle, here’s the real skinny:
I sense a deficiency in our world: a dearth of meaningful conversation. There are more deficiencies, to be sure, but I’m not qualified to address most of those. We rarely have space to explore ideas without needing to achieve something, to prove someone wrong (or right), or to develop or apply expertise. We also navigate a culture of contention, and, with every Tweet, every cancel and faceless bullying, every hashtag, every “like,” every roll-of-the-eyes at the other’s conviction, we risk devolving into tribes that demand conformity. An antidote (not the, the only, or the best antidote) is relishing in and exploring the different ways we intersect the world, but where do we get the practice at identifying those differences, making some meaning from them, and communicating them to the people in our worlds?
My hope is that each symposium will provide a virtual space where people from different places and with different perspectives can connect and have meaningful conversations. I also hope that it can be a safe space for folks to try out ideas, to cultivate their own skills in reflection, and to expand their comfort in being present to others. To anchor symposia, I’ve identified a range of topics that I’m particularly piqued by and about which I have some degree of experience (or obsession). My objective isn’t to demonstrate or to develop expertise - it to make meaning. The only prerequisites to participate are a stable internet connection, a desire to engage, and an open mind.
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, I hope you’ll participate, and if you have a friend or colleague who might enjoy or benefit from this experience, please point them to the full descriptions on my website. Symposia are limited to 10 participants and need 4 to run. For more details and to register, click here!.
And it’s a classic because…?: exploring the relevance of old movies January 19, 26, February 2, 9 (Tuesdays)
Religious literacy: how to talk about religion without pissing anyone off February 18, 25, March 4, 11, 18, 25 (Thursdays)
Good habits: understanding nuns through film April 6, 13, 20, 27 (Tuesdays)
Religion in film: a case study in religion & pop culture May 4, 11, 18, 25 (Tuesdays)
Rituals, ceremonies, traditions: starting points for understanding, engaging, and constructing ritual life July 15, 22, 29, August 5 (Thursdays)
Madonna: a case study in religion & pop culture August 12, 19, 26, September 2 (Thursdays)
Miss Jean Brodie is past her prime: teachers in film September 9, 16, 23, 30 (Thursdays)
Good stuff: talking about listening, seeing, feeling, and other ings
Good Stuff I: January 18, 25, February 1, 8 (Mondays)
Good Stuff II: March 1, 8, 15, 22 (Mondays)
Good Stuff III: April 5, 12, 19, 26 (Mondays)
Good Stuff IV: May 3, 10, 17, 24 (Mondays)
Good Stuff V: June 2, 9, 16, 23 (Wednesdays)
Good Stuff VI: July 14, 21, 28, August 4 (Wednesdays)
Good Stuff VII: August 11, 18, 25, September 1 (Wednesdays)
Good Stuff VIII: September 8, 15, 22, 29 (Wednesdays)
Last week, I shared about “Watching The Golden Girls for the 749th Time,” a series I’m posting on Medium. I’m only five episodes in, and already I’m a) reminded of why I love The Golden Girls, b) aware of how much changes over the course of the show, and c) developing a near-daily craving for cheesecake. Just a few more, and we get to “Blanche and the Younger Man,” where (I think) the show hits its stride. You’ll have to wait until episode 24 til we meet Big Daddy for the first time. It’s worth the wait.
Guided meditations via Zoom continue! Mondays at 4:00pm PST. The aim is to practice being present - to ourselves, to others, and to the world. If you or someone you know could use a 20-30 minute dose of peace and quiet on Mondays, visit the meditation page on my site to sign up.
Good Stuff
Listen
As the calendars changed to 2021, many folks are sighing with various layers of relief, but optimism needs nurturing. That’s what good stuff is for. Few things nurture my own optimism more than the great divas of song. In 1963, baby Barbra Streisand appeared on The Judy Garland Show. It wasn’t quite a passing of the baton, but it was a moment - in particular, a moment of intersection. Performers from two different generations and two very different backgrounds intersected in an arrangement that blended their signature numbers (Judy’s “Get Happy” had been her staple since Summer Stock in 1950, and Barbra recorded the old standard “Happy Days Are Here Again” on her debut album) and highlighted the best of their voices. It’s charming, it’s melodramatic, and it’s mesmerizing. Listening to “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again” is enough to inspire ambitions to be a lounge singer, but watching it induces goose bumps. They start with a little shtick of friendly teasing, start singing all ballady and breathy, and then build into heart-pouring belts. This was the day of the single-camera variety show - there were no dancers or graphics or camera changes to distract from the awkward physicality of singing. You think Zoom is unflattering and awkward? Try dueting with the other great belter of the 60s on camera for all of America to see and to hear.
If you stream music on Spotify, I’ve started a playlist called “Bill’s Good Stuff,” including music I’ve loved for a long time as well as things I’ve come across more recently. Feel free to add the playlist to your favorites! Bill’s Good Stuff Spotify Playlist
Read
In this week’s meditation, I used cin salach’s “welcome.”
“welcome”
cin salachYellow. And you walking through the yellow.
This house. And you humming in this house.
Grey. And lights that shine through gray to guide me.Ground, cold. And my feet on the cold ground, warm.
Now. The deep breath of now.
The urge to kiss what’s coming.May I create this space with abandon and acceptance.
Small and brief, if those are the materials available.
Fields and infinite, if those are the gifts arriving.
