Hello lovelies!

I hope this post finds you well – and if not, I hope you have access to the resources you need to get to wellness. It’s been a pretty slow couple of weeks here at The Lonely Tribalist for three reasons:

1. I’m approaching the end of my next to next to last quarter of college (yes, we do quarters/trimesters rather than semesters – yes, I’ve been told it’s weird).

2. I’ve been adjusting to a new retail job, a new paid freelance gig, and a position at a new indie Portland-based online magazine. I’ve also been undergoing some advocacy training (a 7 week program) to volunteer at a local crisis line.

3. I’m a lazy fuck.

In other news, I’m so, so happy people have actually been interested in guest posting here. We’ve already been able to publish 3 guest articles and have a couple more potential posts from guest authors in the pipeline. (Go ahead and check them out if you haven’t already.) I’d love to collaborate with more of you and start creating some semblance of a community – dare I say a “tribe”??? – here at TLT, so if you’re interested in whipping up a poem, story, opinion piece, etc. (with a blurb and a couple links back to your own blog, of course) please e-mail us your ideas at mooseandmichelle@gmail.com. We’re excited about this new development and want it to continue as an on-going feature.

Also, just to share something that really moved me this past week:

I didn’t watch the Oscars – I’ve only seen maybe three of the movies nominated this year and I only ever watch the highlights of these award shows anyway – but I did watch a bit of Chris Rock and Leo’s long-awaited Oscar acceptance speech. What truly captivated me was Lady Gaga’s performance of her nominated song “‘Til It Happens to You.”

Wow. Up until recently, I had mixed feelings about her as a musician. Her aesthetic is hit and miss with me and while she seems sincere, I don’t think she’s always as deep as she thinks she is. I do heartily adore “Applause” – especially her VMA performance 3(!) years ago – and this might be an unpopular opinion, but I actually enjoyed her as The Countess on American Horror Story. But this – this recent performance of hers at the Oscars has firmly shifted my opinion of her into significantly higher echelons as an artist.

I had watched the “‘Til It Happens to You” music video when it was first released several months ago. It impressed me then, specifically it’s tackling of such tough subject material, but her live performance freaking blew me away. That raw emotion – that painful catharsis in her voice. Apparently, she had never told her family that she was a survivor and her family came out to support her afterward. Powerful. I’ve watched it half a dozen times already. I’ve shared it with Moose, who cried with me. And I’m going to watch it a dozen more times.

That’s some inspiration to get me through the week – and maybe it can serve as such for you, too.

And finally, I’d like to round out this update post with a Thank You. Thank you to readers who check in almost every post. Thank you to readers who drop in from time to time. Thank you all. TLT is nothing without its readers.

Cheers,
Michelle (& Moose)

[Header image source: Pixabay]