Read @christinaberke.bsky.social ‘s “Rich” in the latest issue of KHORA.

I have a short essay in KHÔRA‘s Issue 41 about bodies and pain and control (uplifting!). Thank you @leighherenow.bsky.social for the opportunity. www.corporealkhora.com/issue/41/dee...

Been doing the minis since 2021 and always love Jami’s posts. Let’s go!

Over the holidays my niece knitted a capelet but she couldn’t decide who to give it to. My sister-in-law was immediately like “oh, that’s definitely for Auntie Leigh.” I didn’t know it was so obvious! but I’m more than happy to fulfill my reputation as a woman who can rock a capelet.

Hey writers! We want you. Oh, and artists? We want you, too. #callforsubmissions open.substack.com/pub/khora/p/...

ONE YEAR. 🎂✨I’ve learned more about myself in the past year than in all the 55 before. Older parents, daaaaaaang, ain’t this something? I gave up on the idea of becoming a parent when I was 34, so I missed out on so many conversations with friends who were parenting because I was throwing myself

Today, 12/1, is World AIDS Day. When I was on tour for The Great Believers I was shocked by how often people blithely said "Isn't it great we have it all under control now?" While great things have happened, 630,000 people died of AIDS last year...And we have 1.2 million Americans living with HIV.🧵

The thing about being a writer w a baby is you still wake up at 4am & think “ooh! time to write!” but then you realize you’re awake bc the baby is teething & the next 3 hours are a tornado of pain management diapers feeding laundry where are my glasses meanwhile the shape of an essay is still there

My wife, baby, and I are getting our holiday portrait done today—so wholesome!—and we just learned that the location is in the belly of Tr*mp country. 15-minute outdoor sessions with families lined up, waiting their turn. Not gonna lie, my BP just went up. Gonna smile my best lesbian smile.

You know the rules: I see this one, I have to share it.

We left X and joined Bluesky because those against our parks said, “If you don’t like it, leave.” So we did. And now they’re saying, “No, come back so we can say mean things to you—it makes us feel important.”

Dear friends, please take this with you on your commute; listen while walking your dog; find minutes in the blur of our busyness to hear Lena and Fady talk to Diana Buttu about the genocide that the US Congress refused to stop arming today. I beg you to listen.

We received this anonymous submission the day after the election. Caption: Anonymous, Untitled, IVF placenta print with acrylic paint, 2024. Courtesy of the artist. Art in the face of autocracy. We want yours. Links ⬇️

A lot of folks are giving up in advance. Capitulating before a single skirmish. Well, not this old warrior. I’ve seen much worse from the U.S. government in my day. I’m concerned for our country, but not a bit scared of these miscreants. I’m ready to do my part. Who’s with me?

Life update! The last time I posted on that other place was before becoming a parent a year ago. Raising this tiny mammal is the messiest, best thing I’ve done. Being a queer 🏳️‍🌈 parent in these times feels especially tender, so if you’re feeling that, too, let’s connect. Other things I post about:

Bluesky now has over 20M people!! 🎉 We've been adding over a million users per day for the last few days. To celebrate, here are 20 fun facts about Bluesky:

Imma need some of you to think about thriving out of spite. I had big plans for 2025 and I’m definitely not gonna pre-derail them for likes of Elin and Tromp. I’m getting more involved. Loving harder. Writing hornier. Having more fun. I’m gonna be so kind to my neighbors, bitch.

Okay, y’all… I have finally decided that retreat is the better part of valor. Bringing some rainbow energy over to these blue skies. #bydhttmwdi

Have you met @nagle.bsky.social? I invited this brilliant human (styled as a 😻😉) to join KHORA’s current curated writing team. He’s written 3 beautiful pieces about a year of facing his mortality. You should follow him.

I'm still giddy that these two pieces of my art have found their way. My watercolor, "Womb" & my little narrative, "How to Eat a Spider." Thank you, Corporeal Writing & editor/curator, @leighherenow.bsky.social for seeing me, for holding space for artists. Link in comments.

I’m new here, left the bad place. Good to see you again.

remember: you are a literary it girl.

my latest, “shame boy,” is a beautiful song about growing up with a shaming, mentally ill parent in a world hostile to you & resisting & overcoming because sometimes that’s the only thing you can do. 😩💦👄🐔😈💗 www.corporealkhora.com/issue/29/sha...

Not going to lie, deleting Twitter (again!) and then immediately buying a bunch of books directly from indie presses feels like a good advance rebalancing of my future brain.

Now is not the time to abandon our creative projects about ideas and people that make the world richer and more truthful and more reflective of our communities. They want us to do that, that is their goal. We will not do it.