{"id":67644,"date":"2018-02-26T09:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T17:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mayagonzalez.com\/blog\/?p=67644"},"modified":"2018-02-26T17:15:55","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T01:15:55","slug":"keeps-strong-days-checking-blessings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mayagonzalez.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/keeps-strong-days-checking-blessings\/","title":{"rendered":"What Keeps Me Strong in These Days – Checking IN and Blessings OUT"},"content":{"rendered":"

These days, these days, these days. Everything changing. So much discomfort. Everywhere hope and courage. So much waking up as the children take to the streets speaking truth OUT loud.<\/p>\n

So much more waiting in the wings.<\/p>\n

These days, I close much of my correspondence with “take good care through these bumpy times.”<\/em> I can\u2019t not acknowledge the world shaking around us, within us, reality shift, shift, shifting about. I personally feel compelled, driven, but always looking to soften and slow down to stay strong for the long dance and the ever moving earth.<\/p>\n

Last year feels like a blur. It was a deep and challenging year and I\u2019m damn happy it\u2019s over, although there were some pretty fantastic times too. This year feels different. I feel strangely seasoned, knees bent, head up. Blowing in the wind like a tree.<\/p>\n

So, what keeps me strong as I continue on…<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Children’s Book Anthology Trilogy<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The last book of The Heart of It<\/em> trilogy<\/a> is complete.<\/p>\n

Unfurling, Voice Is a Revolution<\/u><\/strong><\/em><\/a>
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It\u2019s vital that our kids see adults creating books, investing in their own voice, expanding OUT into the world with their own stories, histories and truths.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\nIt was a phenomenal journey that began in 2015. As I look at the three books and the 58 artistauthors who shared their work over this time, I\u2019m humbled and perfectly blown away. They prove to me what I know in my heart. Everyone has a story. Everyone is an artist and it changes us when we express.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s vital that our kids see adults creating books, investing in their own voice, expanding OUT into the world with their own stories, histories and truths. I love indigenous, POC, LGBTQI2S+ narratives unbridled by limitation, valued from the heart, and not just included, but centered. I love creativity allowed to flow in service first to ourselves, and then overflowing out from there into our communities, changing the world.<\/p>\n

Voice Is a Revolution<\/em> mini-course<\/em> in School of the Free Mind<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\"The<\/a>This last year I dropped deeply again into the practice of children\u2019s books. I wanted to share through posting a few videos to the school, but much to my surprise it resulted in a mini course just added to School of the Free Mind<\/a> called, Voice is a Revolution: Writing Children’s Books from the Holistic Self<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It validates that it can be personally challenging to come more powerfully into voice, which leads to sharing what practices supported me most during this last year and finally a series of guided worksheets to support coming into a more holistic voice. This last piece is connected to a workshop I got to do during my Fresno residency. I\u2019m excited because this holistic piece resonates throughout my work and one of my goals is to make it as accessible as possible to folks. It expands who we are! Of course I\u2019ve got a picture book in mind.<\/p>\n

For me personally, a strong voice and a holistic self are fundamental to staying strong while having my own indie press.<\/strong> Everything I do in some way points to folks starting their own presses<\/a> and expanding beyond the traditional systems. It takes a hell of a lot of strength to turn the tides of our culture, but the time is clearly NOW. Make Books Now!<\/a>
\n\"They<\/a><\/p>\n

Books and Gender<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Fall 2017 saw me and Matthew\u2019s first book together, They, She, He, Me: Free to Be!<\/u><\/em><\/a>, which got an SLJ starred review<\/a> and The Gender Wheel, A Story about Bodies and Gender for Every Body<\/u><\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’ve got a number of more books in the makes this year. I don\u2019t want to say what, when, where, how–<\/em>too much until the time comes, but there are some fabulously marvelous bits!!!! And this Fall I\u2019ll be sharing something I\u2019ve never done before and it is moving me toward one of my secret dreams.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve also begun a partnership with two fabulous activists, Laurin Mayeno<\/a> and Mauro Sifuentes<\/a>. Already deep in the mix, we\u2019ll be doing a private presentation soon, and then present again this summer at Gender Odyssey<\/a> in Seattle. Aligning our work and standing together feels revolutionary and comforting. I am beyond excited to push beyond the binary with these two.
\n\"imagery<\/a><\/p>\n

Counteracting Bias with Action<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The unconscious, implicit bias in some of the LGBTQI children’s books by non-LGBTQI authors communicates on a much deeper level than the \u201cmain\u201d story and perpetuates systems and perspectives within our culture that are damaging to our LGBTQI youth.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div> I\u2019ve also begun sharing my new worksheet, Vetting LGBTQI Children\u2019s Books with Love<\/em> at the North Bay LGBTQ Family Symposium last month. After two rounds of plagiarism this last year and seeing firsthand the kind of distortion and damage that can be done by non-LGBTQI people speaking about our lives and realities, I felt I had to do something.<\/p>\n

I consolidated the framework I use to review LGBTQI children\u2019s books with a queer-centric perspective into a worksheet to open the conversation (you can see this in practice at our School of the Free Mind\/The Heart of It<\/a> LGBTQI book reviews). The unconscious, implicit bias in some of the LGBTQI books by non-LGBTQI authors I\u2019ve come into contact with communicates on a much deeper level than the \u201cmain\u201d story and perpetuates systems and perspectives within our culture that are damaging to our LGBTQI youth. I’ll be sharing this worksheet next month as part of my Gender Month (read more below)<\/em>.<\/p>\n

There are an abysmal amount of children\u2019s books for our community. We need MORE QUEER VOICES<\/strong> and stories rising from QUEER WISDOM<\/strong> and LIVED EXPERIENCE<\/strong>. WE<\/u> need to lead the narratives that are connected to our lives and families and LGBTQI2S kids.<\/p>\n

Book Festivals, Interviews and Reviews<\/strong><\/h5>\n

\"Maya<\/a>March I\u2019ll be at the Tuscon Book Festival<\/a>. Feel free to come make art with me at one of the workshops if you get a chance. I\u2019ll also be on a number of panels with other amazing artists and authors who have received the honor of a Pura Belpr\u00e9 Award. And I get to share the stage with Peter Reynolds in one panel, another favorite of mine.<\/p>\n

In April I\u2019ll be addressing gender again at ACL\u2019s annual Institute at the San Francisco Public Library, Beyond the Binary: Embracing Diverse Gender Identities<\/a>, with Lourdes Rivas, Alex Gino, Leslea Newman and more.<\/p>\n

Out in the world, I\u2019m ALWAYS grateful for those who play with me! Here are a number of folks who blessed me in different ways. Thank you, thank you! Every convo was a blast!<\/p>\n