“You have to eat and keep going. Eating is a small, good thing in a time like this.” (Raymond Carver, A Small, Good Thing) Maybe reading is also a small, good thing? I am finally back in the swing of reading for pleasure and, as a treat to myself, I re-read for the umpteenth time Raymond Carver’s short story, “A Small, Good Thing.” The story appears to be about a couple as they try to deal with the aftermath of their son being hit by a car. But I think the story is really about the human … [Read more...]
Visiting other worlds
On July 14, the prominent feminist philosopher María Lugones died. Lugones was one of the first feminist thinkers that I ever read. Her co-authored paper with Elizabeth Spelman, "'Have We Got a Theory for You!' Feminist Theory, Cultural Imperialism, and the Demand for the 'Woman's Voice," inspired my Master's thesis. Some of the questions that paper raises about coalition across cultural difference still press on me. In fact, Janet and I have a project about building solidarity within … [Read more...]
Losing public spaces, losing oneself
In early March, I had the privilege of speaking at the Wanner Mennonite Church in Cambridge, ON. I was invited to speak about my research – how the public’s perception of addiction affects the ability of people with addiction to recover. It was the first time I had been invited to speak at a church! A call to action The pastor and I spoke a few weeks before my visit. He asked me what kind of presentation I had in mind. It seemed like a peculiar question at the time; I told him that I was … [Read more...]
On physical distancing and community
"We don't call it 'social distancing,' because what we offer here is not only food, it's human connection, even when we must stay physically further apart." This statement was made by the Rev. Dr. Anna Pearson. She is the rector at the Church of the Holy Apostles, which runs New York City's largest soup kitchen. Because of I work with my local Food Not Bombs chapter (which I have discussed previously), I read with interest the New Yorker's April 6 spotlight on how the kitchen, which has not … [Read more...]
Addiction, isolation, and the fate of one city
The city of Cambridge, ON Cambridge, ON is a small city. I have mistakenly referred to it as a town, only to be reprimanded by those who were born and raised here (I have only lived in Cambridge a few years). In fact, the city of Cambridge is Waterloo Region’s second largest community and home to just under 130,000 people. Despite the unanimous belief that Cambridge is indeed a city and not a town, however, Cambridge is internally quite divided. There are three distinct neighbourhoods: … [Read more...]