Up On the Watershed

Recently I had the good fortune to go see the Indigo Girls for about the fourth or fifth time in my life.  Their music is so timeless, so moving, so...everything.  The poetry of their music just inspires me to want to writewritewrite and singsingsing.

One of my favorite songs of theirs, Watershed, talks about "standing at the fork in the road" and the narrator quips: "every five years or so I look back on my life and I have a good laugh."  Indeed.

Well, as it turns out, this time, I have as good a chance as any to mark time in such a fashion.

The weekend before I started working
at ROOTS, having just gotten a new haircut.

I came to work for Alternate ROOTS in May 2009 at the age of not-quite-thirty-four.  I had learned about the organization in grad school as my master teacher, Bob Leonard, was a founding member.  I did papers on it; interned there in the summertime.  I realized I was positioning myself to work for ROOTS when I set my sights on Atlanta even before I graduated, and I was so grateful when an opportunity opened up.

It's been some of the greatest and hardest work of my life.  So much opportunity to work and study alongside leaders in the field of arts, activism, and social justice.  I've dug deep into my understanding of white privilege and racism, only to see how much more work there is to do, both within myself and for the rest of the world. This last year has borne that out on a global scale for sure.

I've traveled ~ to Baltimore, Berea, and Brazil; shared food with some of the most amazing and creative people, food prepared by world-renowned chefs and over open campfires that was just as amazing; I've heard stories that would make you laugh and make your skin crawl.

And that's why it is with a mix of both the pleasure of excitement, and a pang of sadness that I share with you that I'm moving on.  Sort of.

These days.

February 13, 2015 will be my last day at Alternate ROOTS.  I'm going to take a couple weeks of down time ~ I'm calling it savasana. And then, on March 2, I will start my new position as Managing Director at CORE, the organization that is home to CORE Performance Company, located both here in Decatur and in Houston, TX.

The reason I say sort of moving on, and this is the best part, is that CORE is actually a part of ROOTS' network.  They use ROOTS' cultural practices in their daily work.  I will be able to take so much of what I've done and learned with me to my new position.  It's a great growth opportunity for me, and it's a great time for ROOTS as well.

Like always, I genuinely appreciate your time, your friendship, your support, and all the rest.  Please let me hear from you about how you're doing out there in your respective corners of the globe.

Cheers,
Shannon

North Avenue Lounge: Peach State Storytelling Festival 2015

Happy New Year!  I hope this year brings all you hope for, that the challenges you find yourself facing turn into the learning moments you're meant to have, and that you bravely dance with each new day.

Today, I'm excited to bring you a great episode of the North Avenue Lounge, especially because it contains an interview with one of our nation's treasures, storyteller Donald Davis.  Just listening to his voice's resonance alone will make your brain vibrate at a different frequency, but you should definitely listen to the part where he talks about the importance of slowing down and living life at a different pace.

Not to mention the other two fascinating women who proceed him in the interview as they talk about their lives and being brave in reality storytelling.

Check it out!