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The Optimistic Anthropologist Volume 38
Of Mubble-Fubbles and Appreciation!
DECEMBER 2021 | VOLUME 38
Dear ,
I'm a fan of language. I listen to
about it, and often will express appreciation for others when they use a word that I enjoy. This year, however, I've found it particularly difficult to write this newsletter. Partially because writing is hard for me to begin with (I'd much rather just talk) and part of it is that 2021 has been a much harder year for me to personally stay motivated and resilient (even harder than 2020 was).
I've lamented this often to my partner and friends and family this year. They have been patient and supportive and never once tried to "fix" the situation, for which I am very grateful.
A few weeks ago, my partner even sent me this delightful tweet from lexicographer
about a word that perfectly encapsulates how I've been feeling in 2021. I have had the mubble-fubbles!
And like so many words I've delighted in throughout my life, I found that 1)
, and 2) feeling the sounds of this wonderful onomatopoeia in my mouth made things feel a bit brighter.
While this year has been heavy on the mubble-fubbles, it also has had many lovely parts both personally and professionally! I was vaccinated in time to surprise my mom for her 75th birthday, spent the summer in Bosnia-Herzegovina
(working,
, and
for the first time) and hosted my family (and starting Friday, my partner) in my house in DC. There were some joyful things work-wise, too:
I developed and taught the course Multi-Sector Strategic Partnerships twice at the Presidio Graduate School. I'm just back from teaching in-person for the first time this year and was wowed by the energy of the amazing students in my class. Shout out also to the amazing guests who shared their time and insight with me and my students this semester!
In partnership with my brilliant colleague Derisa Grant, I began working with the amazing staff, teaching artists, and community at the Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, CA to situate their work of youth empowerment via arts and social justice in a systems lens while helping them develop a theory of change for their future.
I served as a strategic advisor at a leading Research-1 University to nine teams of faculty and staff who were developing transformational change initiatives on topics ranging from reimagining prison to Tribal Nation health sovereignty to new models of Refugee-Host community collaboration. I supported them to more deeply integrate deep equity and systems thinking; centering community voice and leadership; developing plausible theories of change, and strategic casemaking into their work.
And the cherry on top of all this is that I hosted two new lovely individuals at Optimism House - both of who relocated to DC to do work in service of a more just, equitable, and positive world!
So whether your year was one of mubble-fubbles, lovely things, or like me - both - I'm sending you wishes for a holiday season filled with love and light, joy and ease.
Be well, do good, and keep eachother safe,
P.S. Let's catch up in 2022! Click here to schedule a time to catch up or chat about a project in the works that I may be able to help you with!
LATEST
WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO SHAPE COMMUNITIES & NATIONS THAT SUPPORT ALL PEOPLE TO GRIEVE, HEAL, AND THRIVE?
The “great resignation” has increased professional people’s interest in taking a sabbatical. After revisiting her own experience and writings from after her sabbatical 5 years ago, our founder Alison Gold reflects on how we might shift the idea from the individualized “tool” of the sabbatical to a larger societal question and movement seeking to figure out “What will it take to shape communities and institutions, systems and nations that support all people to grieve, heal, and thrive?”
5 YEARS LATER: WHAT'S A LIFE SABBATICAL AND WHO IS "ALLOWED” TO TAKE ONE?
Five years ago this November, our founder Alison Gold set off on a 7 month sabbatical.
With renewed interest in sabbaticals coming up for people in light of the
pandemic, we thought we'd share her first post from the archives -
THE RIGHT PEOPLE ON THE BUS: JOBS, RFPS, AND FELLOWSHIPS FROM NOV & DEC 2021
Folks we know are recruiting for a lot of cool things! Each month, we share
, a monthly-ish round-up of job, consulting, and fully- funded fellowship and accelerator opportunities that people and organizations connected to Optimistic Anthropology are recruiting for.
(our list reaches ~1300 great people!)
COMING TO DC THIS SPRING OR SUMMER? BOOK A STAY AT OPTIMISM HOUSE!
is a colorful and quiet place for people who are visiting DC for a week or more to call home while they engage in activism, conferences, travel, work, or study.
and book your stay of 7 days to 3 months through
or by
!
GOOD LISTENS FROM FALL 2021
We love music, podcasts, and audiobooks! And we see connections between all kinds of culture and the work we do. Here's what we have been listening to during the last couple of months!
Criminal #173: Family Money. The story of when a wealthy grandmother lets two of her grandchildren manage her money. You know it didn't go well if the podcast its on is called "Criminal."
Ear Hustle #67: Tray, Tumbler, Spork. Earlier this year, some of the Ear Hustle team spent a month living under a specific set of constraints informed by the daily routines of their incarcerated colleagues, changing the way we ate, got dressed, and exercised. The goal wasn’t to replicate prison life, but to see how constraint shapes the way people experience the world. Come to hear how it went, stay for the thoughtful reflection on how incarcerated men viewed folks on the outside taking on this challenge.
Everything is Alive #36: Michael, Phone Booth. When I need something light and strange and surprising, Everything is Alive is what I turn to. This episode from the latest season finds host Ian Chillag interviewing a phone booth.
Heavyweight: #38 Justine & #39 Stephen. Justine reached out to this podcast to help figure out which (if any) of her father's fantastical stories were true. What she discovered and how it changed her brother Stephen's life is a twisty, turny story of family and belonging, loss and gain.
Monocle 24: Foreign Desk - Is Bosnia on the brink of breaking up? By now, you may know that I am on a personal mission to get more Americans to understand Bosnia-Herzegovina, it's history, and its politics. This short podcast is a great primer for those who struggle to understand the country, its current political climate, and the increasing threats to it (as well as Kosovo and Montenegro) by Serbia.
You Must Remember This: Sammy & Dino Series. I'm a big fan of Karina Longworth's podcast about "Hollywood's hidden and forgotten history" and how she brings a strong lens on feminism, race, and LGBTQ+ issues to her historian-ing. This latest series about Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin is a fascinating look at two men who - to paraphrase Longworth - started their lives not being white and how their paths and fortunes converged and diverged during the second half of the 20th century.
This Land Season 2. One of the most powerful and infuriating podcast series I listened to all year was season 2 of Cherokee journalist Rebecca Nagle's This Land where she explored "How a string of custody battles over Native children became a federal lawsuit that threatens everything from tribal sovereignty to civil rights."
White Saviors Another powerful and infuriating podcast series that explores how WE Charities - an international charity group claiming to be committed to ending child labor enacted profound harm and committed illegal acts while lining the founders' pockets.
For your holiday dance party: Harry Belafonte's Jump in the Line! I defy you to listen to this song and not "Shake, shake, shake, Senora, shake it all the time!"
ABOUT OPTIMISTIC ANTHROPOLOGY
helps organizations and cross-sector collaborations trying to solve some of the world's toughest problems "learn into" equitable, just, and positive institutional and systemic change.
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