Heart in Hand: From Playboy to Poetry

We'll be getting honest in isolation and looking at love and intimacy in a time of infection. This series will serve as an intellectual first aid kit for when the WIFI goes out, for when your loved ones are far away (or too close,) for when you feel lonely, or simply for when you need to stop and take stock; a moment of self and universal love, the macro reflected in the micro, and the obverse. In this old school “how to” we will focus on “depth, not breadth,” in our relationship with ourselves, each other, and institutions. We will get to know ourselves and one another with abandon and grace. The gift of communication and correspondence is one that can not only be used to set the world on fire but one we can use to keep one another warm. With the power of imagination and articulation, we will begin exploring themes of consent and intimacy, power and grace, love and family. With courage we will look to our histories, both personal and political, to see how they can help us in our current circumstances. What does it mean to be “removed” from society? How do we connect and sustain ourselves and each other through that removal? How do we bridge the gap? And, is phone sex really safe sex?  

A breakdown of the evening is as follows:

Origin (exploring the relationship with the self) – travel my roots as a feminist go-go dancer in 90’s NYC, modeling for artists and Playboy and going on to study comparative religion at Hunter College, before earning an MFA at City College, an MDiv at Union Theological Seminary and coming full circle to teach religion and social justice at Hunter College. What does it mean to be a naked academic? Do we judge ourselves more harshly than society judges us?

 Getting Used To It (relationship with the Other/Institution) – what does it mean when people say the world will never be the same after Covid? Is it a bad thing to learn to approach public space differently? Each other? What are we learning about our bodies? Consent? Giving it? Withholding it? What does it mean to keep yourself “safe,” not only physically but emotionally and spiritually?  

Imagination and Articulation (applying new models of relational understanding) In the final part of the series we will look at intimate correspondence, ways to articulate our imaginations and deepen our understanding of ourselves and each other in relationship. Bring a pen (or clay, or a paintbrush, or at least your imagination….) 

Rest assured we will be talking about books, and boobs. And all sorts of other “political,” “titillating” and engaging things. There will be a reference list for further reading, there will be lecture, there will be discussion, there will be time for questions. If you feel like it, you might even write something or paint a mural between sessions. You might feel uncomfortable at some point, me too. That’s going to be just fine, bring a cup of tea; we’re going to learn lots together.  

*Loungewear not only recommended but highly encouraged.