Hello 💜
They say time flies, but on what winds? All I know is I'm definitely feeling windswept lately. But despite any inclement weather, I am here, taking a moment to write this letter to you and share some of my art.
Two of my poems got published by Mulberry Literary. Head over to this link to read some of my thoughts on physical intimacy as well as the relationship between words, body and identity.
These poems were awarded the Fresh Voices Award in poetry which... I guess it means I can call myself an award-winning poet now?
I mean, technically I could have called myself that before, because I am a poet and I have won a previous award for my master's thesis on queer representation in fantasy. But this time the award is for my poetry, so it feels less like cheating if I adopt the moniker.
Meeni Levi, award-winning poet. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?
Rest assured, I'm keeping my ego well in check. But I can't deny that this nomination has meant a lot to me. I was actually thinking of giving up on trying to get my poems published by other people, because it takes a lot of work for very meager rewards. This award, however, has been a reminded that people out there want to read my poetry and support me writing more of it. People like you, who are reading this newsletter. That still feels a little surreal.
So yeah. I'm going to keep trying, at least a little longer. Hopefully someone gets something out of the words I keep throwing at the world.
Speaking of throwing words at the world... Here is a picture of me in the middle of doing that during the Créa'Queer festival which happened in Lille two weeks ago.
I gave a talk about relationship anarchism, what is is and some practical tools for people who want to try and apply it to their lives. It was the first time I spoke about this topic publicly, and I was very surprised by the positive response I received. Not only did the talk go well, but some people told me it meant a lot to them to hear it. Turns out a lot of folks who are re-thinking the space that romantic relationships and friendships hold within their lives feel very alone with those reflections. People are still being told that they're acting weird or unreasonable if they request for their friendship not to be treated as second-best to romance.
I'm glad I could be there to make those people feel less alone. I'm glad I could offer some tools that they can use to find the respect they deserve in their relationships. I'm hopeful that I might have planted some seeds for realization in the mind of people who had never thought much about the topic.
This was a truly lovely experience, and the whole festival was amazing. I hope I can participate in next editions, and I hope I can do more work in the future about relationship anarchism. (I'm already talking with a friend of mine about potentially oganising a workshop in Brussels. And I also think it might be nice to put some of my thoughts on the topic in writing? Probably in a zine, or maybe in another issue of this newsletter if any of you are interested?)
I hope you're taking care of yourself and the people around you. I hope you are resting enough and spending a lot of time engaging in play. I hope this e-mail finds you well.
Until next time 💜
Meeni
Inspiring news! Keep on doing what you do!