issue no. 784

I’M CRYING . . .

I literally just started to write this and the tears began flowing. It’s a testament to the raw power of being in deep relationship with Dorothy.

I can pinpoint the visceral excitement coursing through my veins the first time Dorothy and I had one-on-one time together. The connection was electric, in the most obsessive way that a platonic crush can be. I remember thinking: I love this human. This tender, beautiful soul. This person who can ‘go there’ from the get-go.

I didn’t know her as shy at the time. I didn’t imagine she could have introverted ways, because when we took that twenty minute car ride from Dryden to Ithaca we got right into the gnarly bits. We immediately explored the peaks and valleys of life: the gripping sadness and the ecstatic joy. We could cry and we could laugh - louder than a pair of honking geese, mind you (we always get lots of stares in restaurants where people surely wonder, ‘What could possibly be that funny?’ The stares make me think that they crave to part of something so full of life).

The one thing that I knew about Dorothy from that first time together was that she is a Writer. Not in a way that a profession defines you, but more in a ‘this is just entwined with the purpose of her soul’ kind of way. It is who she is.

I can imagine her in the fields of her mother’s farm in Kentucky, reading piles of books on lazy summer days. Now I get jealous every time she tips her 100+ books a year reading goal. She’s always got a handful of books she’s reading at any given time, devouring them - nourishment as essential as food.

And when her kiddo went to kindergarten back in the Fall of 2018, I saw her commit to her writing practice in a way that can make an onlooker jealous. The passion. The purpose. It is contagious. Inspiring. Delectable.

Yes, we write for the Good Food Jobs newsletter each week, but Dorothy writes. Volumes. Stories. Poetry. Prose. Memoir. The words - so much more than just words - pour out of her. They are magic. And she is the magician in relationship with the great mystery, inviting us all in to the show. What a treat for us. What a gift.

I know that writing made it possible for her to connect to me on that fated day. Writing (and the ability to read other people’s writing) taught her about being in healthy relationship. Words were her building blocks, her teachers, her friends. They illuminated her interior world in a way that helped her find herself - and share that self with others, like she did with me that day. Art in motion.

That seed of a relationship we planted that day has turned into this beautiful project we share with you, the one that continues to proliferate over the years as we continue to learn and grow. Last weekend at the seedling social I hosted, two new coworkers-turned-friends (who reminded me an awful lot of Dorothy and me many moons ago) introduced themselves to me. They’d found out about the seedling social via the GFJ newsletter, and had both found their current farming position on Good Food Jobs. They collected seedlings to plant and then sat for a few hours, conversing over a few beers. It makes me wonder what magic they will weave together - what art it will inspire 20 years from now. These energetic ripples feel like mini revolutions.

So I owe a great debt of gratitude to Dorothy’s art - the ways that reading and writing opened her up, allowing her to connect with herself and others. The ways that her practice opened up a portal of connection between us, and has spawned connection with so many of you.

That is why it is with overwhelming pride and pleasure that I encourage you to pre-order Dorothy’s first published book of poetry: Imagine a Woman, which comes out June 9th.

I know that writing is just what she does, and she’d do it no matter what - but I also like to think of all of the people that may just be moved by her work . . . that may feel a little more seen, a little more understood, and a little less alone. And that feels like a powerful prospect in this world. The words of others shaped her life and I have a feeling that her words may just shape yours.

To love and connection,

Tay (+ Dor)

tidbits...

resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we’re reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . .

Do One Small Thing . . . spend time with a piece of writing this week. It could be a book, a magazine article, a newspaper, anything that you have nearby and have been meaning to take the time to read. Make it distraction-free and savor the moment. If you feel inspired to share, tell us what you read and how it moved you.

Dor’s first book, Imagine a Woman, is now available for pre-order. See a preview of the Table of Contents, and read a brand new poem from the book in the latest issue of What the Wolf Wore.

Do you love poetry? Have a book club where you already read poetry collections, or would like to? Interested in having Dor drop in - virtually or in-person depending on locale - for a book club discussion? Reach out and let us know.

Priya Parker once again providing the inspiration that we need to ensure that gathering does not become a luxury good.

Feast your eyes on the lilacs in this month’s Seasonal Slice illustration and recipe (psst: it’s lilac and rhubarb panna cotta!), and pre-order the calendar so you can savor all the artwork.

“Transforming the lethal concentrations of cyanide present in yuca brava begins and ends with the sacred act of weaving.” - Alejandra Bautista for Offshoot.

This re-cap of David Byrne’s concert from John Pavlovitz was the best medicine this week.

Speaking of David Byrne, the Poetry Society of New York is offering a virtual, generative writing workshop on May 21 - sign up here.

Ever grateful to Sara Sadek and the worlds she weaves with her words. She gives such rich dimension to the nuances of community, livelihood and motherhood.

Adam Wilson’s work often gives us both food and food for thought. This week’s musings on Retiring Possessive Pronouns continues in this important work.

View and share this free guide to How to Write a More Equitable Job Post, and stay tuned for new resources to deepen this work.

got a tidbit? drop it here for us and we’ll share it in next week’s newsletter.