I've got stuff for you
dead chickens, how to be a good human, a quilt project, and a hot playlist to name a few
Hellloooooooo Friends!
Well, it’s third winter here in Chicago which immediately followed spring of deception. It’s a wild ride.
I decided I couldn’t take it anymore, so I went to Puerto Rico. Boy did I miss the sun! I hiked in the rainforest, kayaked the bioluminescent bay and went in the ocean. Big wins.
But I have to tell you about a chicken (you heard me). I stayed at an AirBnB on a working farm. Lots of animals. This is what it sounded like:
I was enjoying some breakfast when I saw a chicken in the pool. I exclaimed, “Oh shit! I think there’s a chicken in the pool.” We all went over to the pool and yes indeedy there was a chicken swimming in the pool. She seemed real chill, her little legs were paddling her along. But, she didn’t look great. There were a lot of flies around her.
She approached the edge and tried to get out but was struggling. Rebekah grabbed the pool strainer and helped scoop the chicken out of the pool. Our courageous little swimmer immediately keeled over and died. Poor chicken! I was going to gather some flowers from around the farm to honor her (picture when Rue died in The Hunger Games). Before I could, the farmer came and unceremoniously took her away.
It didn’t feel right to do nothing when we literally witnessed her last few moments. I gathered yard waste from around the farm and wove a little memorial in honor of our girl. The farm had a chapel, so I left it in there as tribute. RIP chicken.
…and that is what it’s like to go on vacation with me. lol.
Now, let’s dive into all the exciting goodies I have for you this month.
HOW TO BE A GOOD HUMAN - ABORTION DOULA TRAINING!
Big, exciting news! I’m adding a new training to the Good Human Series. You can become a trained volunteer abortion doula! The Colorado Doula Project offers an online abortion doula training, and we are partnering up to bring it to you!
What is an abortion doula you ask?
An abortion doula can be the light that guides a friend, loved one, or stranger through their abortion journey. An abortion doula can be the driver during a silent car ride to a clinic, who comforts with their presence alone, or the person at the other end of the phone as they describe exactly what will happen during your procedure tomorrow--all the while managing to make it somehow less scary.
In the most basic sense, an abortion doula can be anybody who provides non-medical support for someone going through an abortion. They are a friendly face, a hand to hold, a shoulder to cry on, a source of information, and an advocate for their client’s care in a medical setting.
A trained volunteer abortion doula, however, is someone who is equipped to provide nonjudgmental, knowledge-based care for someone experiencing a medical, surgical, or self-managed abortion.
Who would make a great abortion doula?
Someone who envisions a world where all people have the information, resources, and power to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives.
Someone who believes every single person has the right to dictate when, how, and if they become parents.
Someone who is motivated to provide on-the-ground support and compassionate care to members of your community throughout their abortion experience.
What does it entail?
Colorado Doula Project’s Abortion Doula Training is a transformative online course that teaches you how to be an abortion doula in your own community. This self-directed training can be taken at your own pace, on your own time, and is applicable for anyone anywhere who wants to gain knowledge about reproductive justice and abortion, bolster their own personal development, or to gain the skills and expertise to go out into the world as an Abortion Doula, either on their own or with a local organization.
Created and delivered by experienced abortion doulas, our Abortion Doula Training features guest speakers who are experts in abortion care, reproductive justice, and gender and sexuality. You will learn:
The medical basics of abortion procedures
How to check your biases and clarify your personal values
How to care for people having abortions
How to care for yourself as an abortion doula
Physical support techniques for people having surgical or medical abortions
The disparities in abortion care for people of color and queer and trans people, and how to combat reproductive injustice
Further Details
The training takes (on average) 12 hours to complete.
The Colorado Doula Project does not want money to be a barrier to anyone becoming a certified Abortion Doula. The training is pay-what-you-can. That said, the suggested donation for this course is $275. They arrived at this number by taking into account the time and resources spent creating and managing the course, the years of expertise of the creators, and the value of the information provided.
Racial and gender justice are cornerstone values at Colorado Doula Project. The training was created with an anti-racist lens and is explicitly queer- and trans-affirming. They use gender neutral terms for body parts, pregnancy, and parenting experiences. If you’re unfamiliar with or unpracticed in speaking about pregnancy and bodies in this way, don’t worry!
Timeline
Apply now: https://www.coloradodoulaproject.org/abortion-doula-training
It takes about 2 weeks to get approved and registered (longer if you don't have a social media presence, for security reasons).
Get started and work at your own pace.
On July 9th we will hold a Zoom-based Q+A with the team at Colorado Doula Project for everyone who has participated in the training. If you are someone who thrives on deadlines, think of July 9th as your graduation day. ;)
Are you ready to get your Abortion Doula badge?
Apply Now! https://www.coloradodoulaproject.org/abortion-doula-training
QUILTING FOR A CAUSE
I was going to tell you about this opportunity and try to recruit you BUT once we posted it on Instagram, we filled all 84 spots in a day! That is how awesome y’all are!!!! Instead, I will tell you about it so you can follow along online and then enter the raffle to win it.
I reached out to Quilt Scouts – a digi quilting guild with a focus on inclusivity, diversity, and political engagement - and asked them if they wanted to make a quilt that could be raffled off at my Chicago book launch event to raise funds for the Chicago Freedom School. They were enthusiastically onboard and immediately got to work building the plan.
Now 80+ individuals from across the country are making quilt squares. The amazing Heather Kinion (remember her from Rita’s Quilt?!) is going to piece it. And the duo of Mindy + Todd will be long-arming it. I made a few embroidery patterns related to the book for the quilters to use.
Follow along on Instagram #LetsMoveTheNeedle and watch the progress. More on the raffle in the coming months.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tonight in the Patreon (yes, there’s still time to get on board just join the Patreon right now).
Map Quilting with Rachel Wallis // 6:30pm - 8:30pm CT
Make a textile map of your neighborhood, or make a personal gift for a loved one using a wide variety of textile techniques. This workshop will touch on identifying a map for your project; strategies and techniques for transferring your map to your fabric, including carbon transfer paper, wash away stabilizer, and projection; hand and machine applique techniques; and more! No experience necessary. This workshop will be recorded and available in my Patreon if you can’t make it to the live event.
Honestly, my Patreon is where it’s at. Even if you can’t make a live event, you can feel like you did via the videos. The plus is that you can fast forward when I start rambling and rewind when you need to see a step a few times before you get it! And then you have access to alllllllllll the content for as long as you are a Patreon supporter. All this for as little as $1/month. I mean…right?!
Sunday, March 24th - Michigan City Indiana - Intro to Queer Craftivism
I’m heading to Indiana on Sunday for back to back workshops at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. First you should know that the new exhibit, Stitched, Woven, and Hooked is off the charts! What a stunning and huge collection of fiber art. I’m honored to have debuted a new piece in the show. You need to check it out. It’s up through mid-June.
I’ll be leading a morning and an afternoon Intro to Queer Craftivism workshop at the center and you should come! It’s free, materials are supplied, and we are going to get real gay with it. I’ll teach you about craftivism, some of the ways we have queered it up, and then how to embroidery where you are invited to make a very gay piece of art. Open to all but the haters. <3
Intro to Embroidery Workshops
March 30th // 2-3:30pm CT // Zoom // Pay-what-you-can // Register Here
April 13th // 2-3:30pm CT // Zoom // Pay-what-you-can // Register Here
Meditative Mantras with Artist Chai Wolfman
April 14th // 2-3:30pm CT // Zoom
This is another Patreon exclusive (I mean you really should join).
Have you ever met a person whose mere presence makes you feel calmer and more centered? That is Chai Wolfman.
Chai Wolfman will lead us through a meditative process where we’ll create a watercolor atmosphere for a stitched mantra of your choice.
Maybe this is a good time to revisit your word of the year. Maybe you have a daily intention practice. Or maybe you have no idea what word to use, but the group will inspire you.
We will use a few simple watercolor techniques to create different blends and marks as a background. Then with needle and thread we’ll stitch our words into the painting. No experience needed! This is a calming activity that ends with a beautiful and meaningful piece of art.
BOOK UPDATE
The next email you get from me is going to be the pre-order for my book!!!!!!!!! I can’t even express how excited I am. Five years of work will soon be available to the world. What an incubation period!
In the meantime, if you want to help a gal out, head to my latest instagram post and give it a like and a comment. I’ve got a hail mary going on over there as I attempt to make contact with Patrick Stewart to see if he will blurb my book. Long shot? Yes. Worth asking? Always.
In closing, I made a spotify playlist for a friend who apparently only listens to sad songs. It’s called, “It’s just not that serious” and it’s full of silly, joyful, and pump you up songs. I thought you might need it too.
As always, reach out with any questions or ideas.
Shannon