XOXOX Art Studio

Last week, I wrote about hope, or rather, I wrote about dreaming hope into the world. It’s been a wild week and I’ve been fortunate to find myself in many deep, raw conversations about hope and change.

I’ve been writing since the pandemic sequestered us all at home in March, that for many of us there’s a sense that a “normal” life is no longer possible. The time of quarantine has in some sense been a “blessing” in that we are thinking about life, how we live, and why we do the things we do in a new way.

Witnessing the people the past couple weeks – you and I and millions of others – take to the streets and demand changes to the systemic violence and racism of policing is an example of this. The pandemic still calls for social distancing and isolation, but we are willing to come out of our homes – and we are willing to make a stand. We are willing to take action. It’s our hope that when there is a vaccine – and when we come together again in community – that we will enter a new world where we can systematically dismantle the racist systems that harm all of us.

In my conversations the past couple weeks with friends, I hear many people saying “where do we go from here?” As we are still scattered, sequestered at home and in isolation, many are turning to social media, webinars, and other arenas on social media to engage in conversation.

I’m really encouraged that people are talking to each other, and I also want to create space as well for aiding and helping people connect on issues that really matter to all of us. So…to do so…through XOXOX Art Studio, I’m creating:

VIRTUAL BOOK CLUBS

The goal of the book clubs are to cultivate collaborative friendships to aid us in real conversations on topics that matter to people the most right now.

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Anti-racism book club: Starting Tuesday, June 16 at 7 pm EST – we will start out the book club reading two books “What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Blacker” by Damon Young, and “I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness” by Austin Channing Brown.

Braving the Wilderness book club: Starting Wednesday, June 17 at 7 pm EST – we will read the book “Braving the Wilderness” by Brené Brown. We will use the work of Brené Brown to talk about courage and vulnerability in our lives, relationships, and in our leadership in creating a new world.

Building Community book club will begin on Sunday, June 21 at 4 pm EST. We will look at the book “Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World,” by Vivek H. Murthy, MD – 19th Surgeon General of the U.S. – a fascinating read about the healing power of connection and community.

Please join me in one or all of these book clubs. We’ll meet weekly through the end of July. Please feel free to contact me for more information: sistersunni@gmail.com. We will use Google Meet to join each other in conversation.

As always!
XOXOX

~~Friends, Isolation can take it’s toll on all of us. We’re still social distancing and I still hold y’all in my prayers. As always, stay strong, stay connected and if you need prayers, drop me a line.

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