Welcome to Kristen’s Gentrification Defying Front Porch (KGDFP)! On Sunday afternoons/evenings, you’ll find this essay of the week, my art/fiberworks in progress, and some of my other favorite things, distinct from my Ask Kristen Anything reminders/recaps on Monday and podcast release announcements on Friday, but I’ll do a little bit of that at the bottom of this email to make sure you’re caught up. The idea is that we’re sitting on my front porch and I’m telling you a story, plus sharing my studio progress, similar to how we do at a craft/makers night.
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And now our story of the week:
This sweater that I’m delighted to wear above was about to get frogged. For those of you unfamiliar with the fibercraft terminology, frogging is taking apart your knitted, woven, or crocheted object. When you pull out the stitch, to some, it makes a rumbling noise, not unlike a frog’s ribbet/croaking sound.
As y’all know, I’ve been feeling especially croaky lately. The day I caught COVID, January 19, I learned a major, much-coveted contract was ending.
Now things were getting rough, as I realized what my strengths are and aren’t when it comes to writing and editing. But I’ve welcomed the increased financial stability. Without that stability, I would not be standing where I am above. Well, maybe we would have come down there to visit, but it certainly wouldn’t have been my front yard!
Nearly a year ago, after coming home from seeing our current apartment for the first time, I conceived of this sweater, the Dreamcoat.
Originally the Dreamcoat was supposed to be a long duster-style coat-cardigan. However, the green yarn, Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in the Bluegrass colorway, was momentarily discontinued. I pivoted to adding more of the black yarn, which is Lion Brand’s Hometown in their Black colorway which at the time was named after Oakland, but I’m happy to see they’ve shifted the names.
I would finish my coat, then stand exactly where I’m standing above in said Dreamcoat, defying gentrification and everything else that said that I couldn’t possibly be standing on that spot and that spot being my front yard.
The Washington Monument would poke out behind my head, as judgy as its namesake would be disgusted, by the idea that I would be far more than a slave wench. The waters would be cool and calm just to my left, the spirits of ancestors who couldn’t successfully make it to freedom on them, rising up and whispering congratulations to me on my little piece of liberation.
However, both of these yarns can be very difficult to crochet with, especially the Hometown. While I had the body of what you see above done, I was disappointed that there wasn’t enough green and enough length, along with having changed the shape of the coat too many times to count.
Not only was my Dreamcoat deferred, but my time thus far back in DC was also becoming a deferred dream. Yes, we got the apartment, but then the invoices fell. Getting paid to read the news couldn’t prevent me from absorbing how bad and challenging most of it was. My maker’s energy declined. Then my bodily energy.
A couple of trips here and there up to Baltimore and down to Greensboro and Durham would juice it up, but I was just down bad.
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I’ve been a fan of Regina Anaejionu’s work for years and had signed up for her thought leadership class in early 2023, but I didn’t attend live. Later on in the fall, I decided to dust off my book proposal idea for a book on my changing urbanist theories, and when her self-publishing class for thought leaders popped up in November, I quickly put money down for it.
What resulted was the realization that I needed to embrace the most searchable, most “explain like I’m five” part of my urbanism work — the concept of gentrification.
I’ve always wanted gentrification to not be true or be totally defyable, but that’s not the case whatsoever.
As I’ve prepared my workbook, then course, then podcast, it’s become even more clear that gentrification needs to be defied and eradicated.
In addition, I had so much idle time as I recovered from acute COVID through January and February, to really think about my next financial steps, while living in one of the largest examples of urban renewal(which often begets gentrification) in the United States.
And with the advent of this podcast, things have started to bloom out of the darkness.
Podcasting has always been a good medium for me, but needing to process writing the news every morning has kept me from dabbling the way I want to and caused me to pause a couple of attempts over the past few years.
Plus, the AI that’s going into podcasting is working in my favor so far, by helping me edit faster, and not lose audio or forget to post on a particular network.
Another turning point was a couple of Fridays ago when I met an old friend from NC for morning tea. I was able to be transparent to someone who thankfully is in another sector of this kind of work here in DC and one that doesn’t fear it or question my approaches to my work.
Then, I came home and changed clothes because it got suddenly sunny and warmer and I decided to try on the sweater again.
It fit. But, it could use a button closure.
So off me and Les go not just JoAnn on Saturday, but the arts center built on the grounds of the former Lorton prison, which we happened upon by accident after going to a trial mediation class.
All of that healing energy of the day gave me just enough spoons to attach the button on the same night I bought it! Then after taking this picture above, I went out the next day and got a taller ironing board after going to one Walmart and two Targets. I traced this pattern piece onto parchment after cutting most of the main tissue paper!:
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All of this, plus the eclipse and being in eyesight of it, has me reflecting on how I really was out suppressing my professional voice but now, this podcast is bringing it back in a very special way, along with getting back to not just fibercraft, but drawing my book characters from elementary school, and reaching out to others in the business of defying and eradicating gentrification boldly.
I’m thankful I yielded to my inner calling to lean into my art — all of it, accumulated over my nearly 38 years of crafting and shaping.
So, this week on the podcast, I’m talking about the pipeline from urban renewal to gentrification and highlighting an article from The Assembly on how the current lieutenant governor’s wife has given up her job and money and help to lots of needy families, to make herself look more Republican. I tie that into how Black women shouldn’t be giving up their dignity and lives for the will of a state that will never take care of them.
I also included in this episode Dr. Ruha Benjamin’s necessary remarks during the receipt of her honorary degree at her alma mater Spellman College, and ABC News story about the aftermath of Dr. Antonette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey’s suicide.
In the meantime, catch up on the podcast on your favorite apps.
Shop in my Bookshop to support the show and consider becoming a paid subscriber on Patreon or Substack!
And join me at noon eastern every Monday for Ask Kristen Anything About Gentrification, my live stream where I answer your questions. Feel free to reply back with your questions or register below at the StreamYard link so I can put the question right on the screen.
Register and ask a question on Stream Yard.
The live stream will be live on all of my social media accounts that allow me to stream and if you miss it live, don’t worry, I’ll email you on Monday afternoons with the stream recap.
Until next time,
Kristen