Poet Jen Harris

www.patreon.com/poetjenharris     all poetry works are © Poet Jen Harris

[poetjenharris]

Hi Jen, I'm the editor of the media company Product Peel. I love seeing your post with Beats by Dre. We want to do a spotlight on you and your experiences with wearing Beats by Dre Headphones. You can go to our website to see how we've spotlighted other people and their experiences with products. Are you available for a 20 minute phone call interview tomorrow? If email works better, we can send the questions through email. Thanks!

Hi! 

You can email me at [email protected]!

[poetjenharris]

Are you still in love with her?

Who?

[animatedtext]

[poetjenharris]

The Reasons I Moved to Oregon

Nine Reasons Why….

1.    Weed is legal.

a.    Ghost Train Haze was named the most potent sativa strain in the world. In West Eugene, one could, say, if they so choose, buy a “pre-roll” joint of aforementioned champion strain for $6 at a dispensary that opens at 8 a.m. and shares a parking lot with a perfect espresso shot pulling walk up coffee shop. Perhaps, if we’re speculating, one could then mosey the 3 blocks back home, face to the perfect wind, salty sea air braided with whispers of conifers and evergreens, running one’s fingers along rows of bamboo so tall and wide they make the aspens quake. You can then, hypothetically, sit on your porch in your soft sandals with your hips stretched from the brief jaunt and you could sip your coffee and smoke just an teensy weensy little bit and of ol’ Ghosty and about 15 minutes later, you would perhaps, probably, likely find yourself lunging toward your computer, desperate to write (allegedly).

b.    For me and my mind, body and spirit, there is no antidepressant in existence that takes place of the healing powers of CBD & THC and for perhaps the first time ever, it’s possible to enjoy marijuana for recreational purposes (as one enjoys a cold beer or two) rather than solely as a coping mechanism for last-night anxiety.

2.    The state offers expanded Medicaid a.k.a. health insurance for everyone pretty much no matter what your income. I first experienced healthcare through expanded Medicaid in Denver, and I’ve never received such remarkable treatment in my life. Healthcare is a human right, so I moved somewhere which reflects that value of mine by actively putting that value into practice.

3.    Oregon’s weird. There’s a lot of weird fucking people here. I don’t stick out in the slightest and it’s nice. Eugene in particular is like all the characters in my imagination got together and decided to build their own sort of Roger Rabbit Toontown / Exchange City in my honor and then lured me here under the guise of you only live once.

4.    I get the chance to start fresh in a community. I love getting to know those people whom you’re not quite friends but sort of like, regulars, in one another’s life. The cashier, the budtender, the trash man, that guy on the corner, the barista, that one particular booth at farmer’s market, the venue owner, the community organizers…I like knowing where the obscure spices can be found, and who sells the most beautiful dishware, and which artists are currently underdogs but are going to skyrocket in the next few years, I just know it. I long for a future for more residencies. I have applied for jobs to work with homeless youth so I might meet more likeminded people in ways that help me grow and fulfill my desire to serve those in need.

5.    Look. I haven’t posted pictures because there’s too many people suffering – this is not the time to brag – BUT THE WEATHER IS GOD DAMN PERFECT HERE AND I’LL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES. Lol I walk, EVERYWHERE. I work in the park at least 3 days a week, a small cooler, a picnic blanket, there are always more trees than people, the moisture from the river cooling the wind. I’ve not bothered to Google WHY and I can’t remember anything from college or high school Science, but the humidity here isn’t a Midwestern wet blanket. It’s an agent of peace. It keeps the air cool and we are in love and probably gonna get married, me and the wind.

6.    Jaden wanted to be here. She has always dreamed of living in Oregon, in Eugene. She gave up a lot to make this happen. She took a lot of risks. She put a lot of faith and trust in me. After all, I fled to the West Coast (alone) at her age (27) and I was scared shitless basically the entire year I lived in San Francisco but I fucking did it! and if there’s a tour guide you want, it’s the one crazy enough to have taken on the mountain alone a time or two.

Jaden and I, we banded together and made a lot of really intense, intimidating promises to one another and there’s really no way to get out of them. We have to see them through, because my success here is dependent on her success here and vice versa. We can both expand our mutual and individual dreams here. We’ve made investments and commitments and our cats are in love. We read the brochures about training to be whale watchers and how to volunteer with the organization that you call (instead of the cops) to help people who are dealing with substance use or mental health crises. Yeah, you read that right. You don’t have to call the cops here. You can call an organization that knows what they’re doing because they’ve been trained in these fields and people get the actual help they need and the cops can do they’re real and only job, which is to maintain the peace and protect citizens.

ANYWAY… Jaden could go back to school here. So, could I. We could also open a competing thrift store – animal adoption center BECAUSE THERE’S ALREADY ONE HERE AND HOLY FUCK WHAT A GREAT IDEA! I don’t know how we’d give them a run for their money, but I’d be down to figure it out. There’s a lot to see and do here. Everything is green and stimulating and easy on the eyes. There are no laws in West Eugene, just explosions of fruit trees and vines of fresh grapes. There are too many apples here. No one could eat them all if they tried. There are brambles of blackberries in every direction. We steal them by the fistful and eat them on our walks. The sky’s the limit here.

7.    The violence of Kansas City’s streets became too much to bear. I alone witnessed 2 murders and 1 drive by shooting in a month’s time. In Eugene, I’ve barely heard anyone raise their voice.

8.    I always wanted to come back to the West Coast. This time I treated it more like a gift I could give Jaden. We were living so meagerly before that when PUA and grant money rolled in, it became possible to repair or replace nearly everything in our own personal junkyards. And when all the adulting was done, I looked toward the future. I had a feeling that students wouldn’t be returning to campus and housing would be more widely available. I had a feeling we could have a grand adventure camping all the way across the country until we got here. I wanted to challenge myself to do something I’d never really done – enjoy the great outdoors, make the most of this chance to exhale from the 24/7 grind of entrepreneurship. I had a feeling this place in particular would feel like home for me, for her, for us. And it does. And it did. We got the first apartment we looked at, the one that’s like all our apartment dreams come true. AND FOR THE RECORD, can EVERYONE collectively PLEASE stop discouraging other people from moving someplace magical with the phrase, “But it’s so much more expensive to live there.” Please, just shut up! You know what’s expensive? Dying young and slowly of a heart condition because you spent your life stressed out in a place you didn’t like all that much because your job was there or your family was there or it is where you’re from or what the fuck ever. Please, be happy where you are. I do not begrudge anyone their conscious choice. But keeping other people from pursuing their dreams by provoking financial anxiety as an insurmountable obstacle that no one should dare broach – is bullshit. I will ALWAYS be a small-town farm kid who listened to every god damn country song about a girl escaping to California as if it were a promise. I set my watch by that promise. I waited round the sundial rather impatiently for the day I could make a break for it – and I would’ve gone a whole lot sooner if everyone who’d attempted to dampen my dreams with their insecurities and microaggressions, had given me $20. The statistical odds I’ve defied as a poor, queer, woman, a multi-tiered violence survivor, substance abuser… the number of times I should have been dead or incarcerated it a bit too much to think about for too long – but I know the truth. I’m lucky to be alive and if I have figured out how to survive THIS LONG through THIS MUCH, I’m sure I can figure out how to pay a rent increase of $300.

9.    I just wanted a fresh start someplace I could imagine buying a house where wildflowers grew recklessly across the modest landscape and I could raise a child or two who went to school with kids whose families looked just like ours and there would be art and music and dancing, laughter and sunshine and that impossibly cold, vengeful ocean just an hour away so that I might be reminded of my miniscule place in it all when my fragile ego gets my heart broken, as its been prone to do on a regular basis since the dawn of time. It really is a gift, a relief, even, to stand on the edge of something mighty and know that no matter how hard you strive, you will never be as powerful or influential as the ocean and that’s ok, because it’s not another ocean we need; it’s you, it’s me, just as we are.

  © 2020 Poet Jen Harris

[thesesummersonspoet]

Do NOT Support ‘Adam’ When The Film Comes Out

I’ve talked about this before on this blog but this is the most disgustingly transphobic and lesbophobic narrative I’ve ever come across. 

CWs: transphobia, homophobia, lesbophobia, corrective rape, voyeurism

The book Adam by Ariel Schrag is being turned into a movie which has been named as one of the most exciting LGBTQ films of the year. You should know before watching that the book is about a cis boy who pretends to be a trans man in order to persuade lesbians to sleep with him.

Yeah… you read that right.

Book plot summary: 

boy spies on his lesbian sister having sex

boy decides to pretend to be a trans man (gross)

i.e. pretends to have a vagina because he thinks lesbians will want him then (he literally wants to fuck lesbians because he watched his lesbian sister have sex wtf)

he does get a lesbian to sleep with him, he straps his penis down using ace bandages and uses a strap on.

all the actual trans dudes we meet identify as lesbians this basically implies that trans men are not real men (lesbians i.e. women)  

another time they have sex again only he uses his actual penis but tells her its a strap on. that’s literally rape, she didn’t consent to an actual penis.

he confesses that he’s been lying to her this whole time but she doesn’t break up with him. she even says its okay cause she fantasised about him being “a real boy"

that’s a direct quote. massive transphobia. huge. not to mention this is now the “lesbian is cured by dick trope” which is disgusting and that trope leads to real lesbians and bi women being raped to “fix” them. 

he leaves new york, they’re long distance. they get in an argument and he calls her a slut and a whore among other things and then she dumps him

eventually they get back in touch and she has a new cis boyfriend so yep, she’s been “cured” woo she’s actually straight and he helped her realise that yay (massive sarcasm)

It is deeply deeply transphobic. To imply that our identities are just costumes for other people to put on erases who we are as people. More than that, to imply it is done to trick people into sex is a dangerous lie that literally gets us killed.

It is also deeply lesbophobic. To fuel this narrative that lesbians can be “fixed” by having sex with a man leads to real corrective rapes happening. 

Here is a review of the book by a trans man. I have yet to find one by a lesbian but will edit this if I do.

This book gives out incredibly harmful notions about trans men and lesbians that are used to hurt them in real life. It’s so entrenched in the narrative that I don’t see how the film can possibly be any better.

I do not say any of this lightly. it’s very very rare for me to call out a piece of fiction or for me to decide that a story is unfixable. But this… there’s no excuse for the bigotry in this. 

I’d like to tell people to boycott it but I can’t tell you what to do. So instead I’m going to ask that you share this because it being named as an exciting new LGBTQ film is going to make LGBTQ teens want to see it. And they should know beforehand how hurtful it could be. They should be able to arm themselves with that knowledge.

Don’t make queer kids see this film believing it will represent them only to be exposed to this hatred of their identities. 

Please reblog.

[poetjenharris]

Sunflower Poetry Slam & Open Mic

Join us on Third Thursdays for an evening of creative wordplay at our Sunflower Poetry Slams and open mic nights, hosted by Poet Jen Harris at the Lenexa Community Forum at City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Pkwy. Monthly events will be held July through December 2019. Admission for the slam and open mic are free.

Open Mic begins at 6 p.m. (open mic is limited to 5 minutes on stage per person. May be reduced to 3 minutes depending on the number of people who sign up.) Poetry Slam begins at 6:30 p.m. (Sign-up list drops at 5:45 p.m. 10 slots available first come, first served. Order chosen by random drawing. Participants should have three items prepared. Time penalties are incurred after 3:10 minutes. Poets are disqualified after 4 minutes; no warning is given at the 3-minute mark. 10 slots in round 1; 5 back in round 2; 3 back in round 3. One winner will receive a $50 prize. Judges will be selected randomly from the audience.) Audience participation is encouraged. Poets should be prepared as audience interruptions will not contribute to the poet's time. (This will be at the slam master's discretion. Fairness is the goal.)

[poetjenharris]

Maker's Faire w/ Empowered by Design

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) movement. For Makers, and those who are learning from this movement, the process is as important as the product, and experimentation and participation are the principal motivators. This broad-based community encompasses scientists, engineers, students, welders, software developers, hackers, circuit benders, musicians and crafters of all stripes: individuals and communities of people drawn together by a common delight in the magic of tinkering, hacking, creating and reusing materials and technology. With an international reach and a deliberately local feel, Maker Faires celebrate the best of human imagination and creativity, where Makers share their process and product, including arts, crafts, electronics, artisanal and traditional foods, urban farming, woodworking and music.

[poetjenharris]

Personalizing Pride & Prejudice

SocialScope Productions Professional Development Diversity & Inclusion 2019 Series: Personalizing Pride & Prejudice

Intergenerational Conversations, Celebrations, and Critiques on the History of our LGTBTQ Movement, Organizing & Mentoring Communities

Facilitators: Merrique Jenson & Poet Jen Harris Friday, June 21 10am-4:30pm $35 Registration

[poetjenharris]

Show Me Poetry Slam

Featuring Poet Jen Harris!

This will be our regular poetry slam! Cover only $5 anytime after doors. Doors & poet sign up at 7:00 pm list may be pulled at 7:20 at hosts discretion. $50 1st place prize Hang out time 15 minutes after the slam at Civil Kitchen. Join us for food and drink and the love of poetry.

[poetjenharris]

Shelf Life presents Failure

Shelf Life presents Failure! Featuring: Jessica Ayala Beth Barden Israel Alejandro Garcia Garcia Jen Harris Randi Marie & David Wayne Reed Thursday, June 6, 2019 at the Brick. Show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15. Available at the door and in advance at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2566948 Shelf Life is a live themed show and telling event featuring an array of unique objects from the region and the people and stories behind them. Hosted by David Wayne Reed. Have a storied object you'd like to share? Send a picture and 100 word synopsis to [email protected]. "Shelf Life tears down walls one story at a time." "We hope this Shelf stays fully stocked." --Pitch, Best of KC, 2017

[poetjenharris]

West 18th Street Fashion Show

Poet Jen Harris to emcee the night!

TICKETS

The 2019 West 18th Street Fashion Show summer runway event will take place on Saturday, June 8 at 7:30pm.

The West 18th Street Fashion Show has provided a platform for talented designers to present forward-thinking fashion to our community and beyond and plans to continue this initiative for years to come.

This season’s theme is Summer Adorned. “Adornment and self decoration are timeless acts of human ritual. We paint, pierce, tattoo and dress our bodies in honor and recognition of our life cycle. From our first pair of earrings to our last pair of dancing shoes, we curate the story of our lives.” – Peregrine Honig, Senior Artistic Director of West 18th Street Fashion Show

[poetjenharris]

Wednesday Midday Medley 150th Show Celebration!

Tune into 90.1 KKFI for the 150th Wednesday Midday Medley featuring Mark Manning & special guests!

[poetjenharris]

DSKC Spring Open Studios

FB invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/338765930177619/

SATURDAY, MAY 11TH, 2019 — Drugstore Kansas City (DSKC) will hold our final Open Studios in the Katz Building at 3948 Main Street. The Drugstore was purchased via auction in 2012 by Redeemer Fellowship. Since then, The Drugstore has served as a creative stronghold in the community by providing affordable studio space for artists to develop their skills, make and exhibit work, experiment with ideas, and be part of a vibrant community. In addition to the studio spaces, the gallery space has housed numerous fundraisers, exhibitions, performances, readings, concerts, music shows, and art lessons. Past events include Front/Space’s Annual HOT HANDS, Rocket Grants, Informality and Cut Your Hair in the Socialist Style, KC Urban Potter’s Midwest Pottery Fest, Talk Shop, and KC Zine Con to name a few. Residents represent and are affiliated with various arts organizations across town including Kansas City Art Institute, Charlotte Street Foundation, Artists of Color Alliance, Open House, Front/Space, Alter, Informality, Art in the Loop, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Imagine That! And more. Through this involvement, The Drugstore has become an integral part of the Kansas City arts community. Sadly, the Katz Building will be sold this summer thus marking the end of DSKC in its current location. In addition to our final Open Studio at this location, DSKC artists have numerous events planned throughout the summer and residents are actively collaborating to find another space. With recent artist space closures, we are interested in cultivating a city-wide conversation on how spaces like DSKC can provide a model of self-perpetuating artistic community that merges city and artist needs. Please join our twenty-six artists to celebrate the DSKC evolution and seven years of Open Studios at the Katz building! For this final event we are pleased to also host a recital by members of the UMKC Conservatory. Open Studios is generously supported by Stockyards Brewing Co., a craft brewery located historic Stockyards District of the West Bottoms. Yerba Mate will provide beverages as well. OPEN STUDIOS EVENTS IN GALLERY & MULTIMEDIA ROOM — Kota Hayton with the UMKC Conservatory has curated sound sculptures, installations, and a screening in the multimedia room located on the eastside of the DSKC building and in the front gallery space with a recital at 7pm in the gallery. The multimedia room will house the Community Synthesizer sound sculpture, as well as video art by Colin Mosley. The Community Synthesizer is a box with 4 stations of controls, and 4 spots for participants to lay their hands. Playing the sculpture without the full amount of people will leave the participants with a distorted sound; it takes all 4 people to come lay their hands on the sculpture together for the tone to turn pure and be playable. There will be 4 speakers in each corner of the room, so that all participants can hear the sculpture equally. The video art will be projected onto the white space on the wall. We are hoping for the projections to be influenced by the sounds made by the sound sculpture. In the main gallery will be 3 Trash Chimes: Wheels, Strips, and Fans and Bikes. These sound sculptures are chime-like structures made from found materials in a junkyard, amplified by contact microphones through two speakers at the front of the room. Paintings and prints by Jacob Wold will be hanging in the gallery, with the recital performed at 7pm. The recital will include acoustic and electronic music, poetry reading, and dance. The sculptures will be turned off for the duration of the recital (approx. 45 minutes to an hour long). DSKC RESIDENTS — Alex Savage Amy Hixson Andrew Erdrich Andrew Ordonez Boi Boy Brandon Forrest Frederick Carmen Moreno Damon and Kari Heybrock Don Wilkison Dylan Mortimer Emily Cramer Francisco Gabuardi Montealegre Fredy Gabuardy Freed Glyneisha Johnson Kate Horvat Max Wagner Megan Pobywajlo Melaney Mitchell Patricia Bordallo Dibildox Patricia Graham Poet Jen Harris Whitney Manney William Plummer William Toney Yulie Urano

[poetjenharris]

Poetry Writing Workshop

Learn to express yourself through various forms of poetry in this series of five two-hour workshops, led by Poet Jen Harris.

Develop your voice, gain confidence and sharpen your writing and performance skills.

Then, practice your skills by participating in the free monthly poetry slams and open mic events on the third Thursday of each month.

Sign up today for Poetry Workshop - 502208 : CLICK HERE

PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

[poetjenharris]

Tuesday Writing Workshop

WRITING WORKSHOP for all genres & experience levels! Most appropriate for ages 16+ Every Tuesday beginning May 14, 2019 7-9p (1) hour dedicated to active writing practice through prompts (1) hour dedicated to sharing & exchanging work, refining works in progress and developing performance skills Hosted by Poet Jen Harris Located at Our Daily Nada 304 Delaware St KCMO 64105 $5 suggested donation, no one turned away! Weekly menu specials! Come develop your writing craft and build community!

Facebook invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/595848684224937/

[poetjenharris]

The truth shakes out of you- bones rattling - knees locked - shoulders tense. Full poems only available @ www.patreon.com/poetjenharris

[poetjenharris]

That’s me, living, speaking my truth, grateful for the opportunity to share messages of empowerment with women across the city and the country. 

"This is what a woman looks like, too. This is not an anomaly, you know. This is exactly who I am. This is exactly what I was meant to be and do."