4 years of Flower World + Care Day
This week!
Believe it or not, Flower World has existed for four years this month. As was the case this time last year, it feels strange to be celebrating anything. Earlier in the summer I found myself having an emotional moment while listing upcoming guest artists, marveling at the talent and incredible personhood represented among our residents and visitors.
Flower World has no website. It has no central Instagram, no phone number, no website, no listed address. It is truly an unhinged way to run a business. But the thing I love about this strange approach is that the people who find their way to us feel like part of a very special web. Knowing that someone had to recommend us firsthand, and that there is a degree or more of separation from the people who reach out, is both a huge compliment and an accountability mechanism. I love the idea that the relationships come before any advertising— the “let me tell you about something treasured” model of outreach. I am so grateful to how this has shaped our work and for the support and participation community offers, and can’t wait to open our doors to mark this growth with you all. Thank you to everyone who has visited, recommended us, gotten tattooed, donated to fundraising initiatives, and more.
Our friends Ag and Dre will be cooking food, there will be a cute photo backdrop, music, perhaps some tattoos. To raise funds for my time off for top surgery this November (!!) I’ll be vending ceramics, chapbooks, and some of my clothes and jewelry (because I am no longer that girl).
Flyer by our incredible resident artist Haitham Haddad
A few blocks away at Union Pool some friends have organized a fundraiser market and show for Release Aging People in Prison (RAPP) on the same day. We’ve timed things so that you can make a day out of it and do both!
And then a couple of days later we are offering some restorative care for friends and comrades in need of support (all of you, please come!)
Community Care Day ~~~ free herbal medicine, mini herbal consults, NADA 5-point ear acupuncture and ear seeds, and reiki from various practitioners and friends throughout the day
Tuesday, October 15th
2-8pm
RSVP at bit.ly/FWcareday
Reading this week:
Damien Kronfeld Possession, Transition, Heartbreak - reading transsexualism into Andrew Zulawski’s POSSESSION
The Eighth Moon: A Memoir of Belonging and Rebellion by Jennifer Kabat
Christina Sharpe The Shapes of Grief: Witnessing the Unbearable
Makhzin’s COUNTERLEXICONS issue