Threadings.

Can true, full, and nuanced love truly exist across parasocial relationships? Ismatu Gwendolyn reflects on the dehumanizing nature of fame (no matter how small the audience) and reflects on their own conceptions of love (or lack thereof) as they accidentally became an influencer. read the full newsletter and join the bookclub: ismatu.substack.com Jazz of the episode: Skylark x Wynton Marsalis Feel...

in which I read from The Annotated African American Folktales and she occasionally gives a heartfelt "mmm." listen to the full story at Ismatu.substack.com. The Twin Heroes: An African Myth adapted by Alphonso O. Stafford | from the section “Folktales from The Brownies’ Book ” out of The Annotated African American Folktales This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other...

Da’Shaun L. Harrison has penned one of my favorite texts in the past five years. I have read it three times in nine months and I have become more and more delighted with the person that I become absorbing these words. In Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness , Harrison presents theoretical frameworks that compel us to meaningful action. I will tell you now and I will t...

Instead of willing myself to love something that I simply do not, what if I was honest in my self-loathing? What might I be compelled to change if I did not feel morally bound to positivity? Read the full, pictured essay, sign up for the newsletter, and grab bonus materials at ismatu.substack.com Jazz Songs of the episode: Love, I’ve Found You by Wynton Kelly Warm Valley by Johnny Hodges Nancy (Wi...

what kindness do I owe terror? Is there a better relationship I can have with my own fear than kill it, ignore it, eradicate it? Ismatu Gwendolyn makes some apologies and benedictions over fear itself. read the full essay and see very cute pictures of Ismatu as a child at ismatu.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus epis...

How is self love entangled with parental love? I am blooming into adulthood realizing that so much of myself is directly sourced from the people that raised me. For all her flaws and despite all her fumbles, how do I love do I love this mother of mine? In the same way I love myself. Enjoy the full essay and poem at ismatu.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with o...

What sort of love can we have for ourselves that we keep our own promises? Do I love myself in way that spurs me to act in my own best interest? In the way man loves man, divine loves humanity, and human reaches for the divine— can we too reach for ourselves with a love that compels us to action? What does the love of keeping my own promises look and feel like? subscribe to the newsletter and read...

Is it possible to pursue Excellence unabashedly without it being capitalism's fault? Do we have work spaces that are not defined by or centered around the work of money? How do we have a loving relationship with ourselves as working beings while living in a society with exploitative practices? Ismatu Gwendolyn discusses the work they do in public to shine a light on the relationship they have...

Nobody knows how to critique anymore and it makes my ass itch. Beyoncé can be both in the oppressor class and one of the best artists alive; I promise I have the capacity to entertain both these thoughts. I am here to give libations to an artist that inspires me and to grieve when she is so utterly disappointing. How do you dawn Black radical tradition and be an open capitalist? What does that say...

Is the pursuit of Excellence always... bad? Is it possible to have a relationship with Excellence that is not rooted in performing capitalism? Also... what in the world does it mean to have sexual feelings for a metaphysical idea? Not clickbait (promise). Ismatu Gwendolyn gives a one-take reading of their essay "I kinda wanna f*ck Excellence" where they ponder their tumultuous relationship...

This episode serves as an introduction to Ismatu Gwendolyn, as a patron asked them to reflect on their personhood. They asked the following: Who are you exactly? What do you do? Are you in grad school? Employed? You talk a lot about your politic— how do you embody what you believe in real life? Sitting to define myself always results in a secondhand assessment. I can only approximate: where did I...

How does Grief show up in the Garden Space? What does she look like; where does she live? Most importantly, where do Grief and love coincide? Ismatu Gwendolyn performs a one-take reading of their essay, The Wisteria: a Love Letter to Grief, written about the passing of their Aunt Nadaline nine years ago. read the full essay at ismatu.substack.com . This is a public episode. If you’d like to discus...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit ismatu.substack.com Me and my friend + former roomie Lorren discuss my exes, male-related stress, and how perplexing it is that there are men who cannot differentiate between basic vegetables.

Welcome to The Garden Space, a newsletter and podcast where we consider connection. What could it mean to be in community with oneself, one's intra and external space, as well as with one another? Where do I find myself? Ismatu Gwendolyn does a one-take reading of their essay, "The Garden Space: an Introduction." When I reached inside myself one day and pulled out something to put on a...