By Sammy Ginsberg
Mates!! The week is here. The festival I have been dreaming and imagining since 2012 when I moved back to LA and helped a writer with his festival is here. August 23rd and 24th!!!!
I’ve been doing the Instagram and lots of things, in collab with my co-director Dawn! It’s been going well as any first time festival can go. I’ve been out of the administrating/marketing role for a hot minute so I’m learning.
Also dudes, I knew that I wasn’t naturally detail oriented, but now I know know! Like multiple posters have the wrong address because I was skimming it. Too trusting! Is that it? I am working on it.
I am trying to embrace the wabi-sabi approach, beauty in the imperfection. This ain’t made by robots and AI! This is made by humans for humans, and humans are not perfect.
That’s what I love so much about writing and writers – the best writers embrace their imperfections. They create realistic characters who have flaws and we LOVE THEM!! When a character is too perfect, it doesn’t feel real.
Nowadays, we’d be like – yo, I think that writer used AI. The intention of our festival is the opposite of that.
As I told one of my students, “I don’t care that you made a mistake. I care that you learn!” When he was very upset that he’d gotten a 1/4 on the same type of assignment three times. Read the rubric mate! Read my feedback. Come talk to me and ask me a question. I’m here to teach you the skills. That’s why they pay me. I’m on your team!
He seemed very relieved after that.
And yet, I can relate to him. My experience in classrooms was more like final elimination round. Whose gonna fuck up first so then I can be number one and get into INSERT BRAND NAME COLLEGE HERE.
While there may be a limited number of spaces to go to college and a limited amount of people who can pay to go there, in your neighborhood, you already got the limited space. You are living her! This is your space! This is your college! This is your learning place. This is your playground.
The only way to not get in is to be literally kidnapped or evicted or you choose to leave because you don’t feel safe/can’t afford to live here anymore, which is happening and does happen!! And is something else that we need to talk about.
But first we gotta meet each other. First we gotta celebrate each others voices. First we gotta have fun and build trust.
Then we can talk about some deep shit. Then we can be vulnerable, take risks, and build trust!!
It is only through conflict that we can build trust. But without joy, there is no love!
Excited to be in community with y’all this weekend!
Would love if you could come! As the saying goes, mi casa es tu casa! Even if you don’t live in Los Feliz, you are welcome to join. Even if you don’t know anyone going, you have me! Even if you’ve never met me, just tell me you read my blog, and you are welcome!
My anxiety is like a shaken up bottle of champagne!! That can be a good thing or a bad thing. Trying to focus on the excitement and not the worrying thought. Sometimes I can embrace the chaos, and sometimes I need to cry.
Was hoping to get a Fall newsletter out but since I’m not working as a teacher this year, it’ll come out in September which is when fall ACTUALLY Starts.
Thus this festival is still SUMMER!
So grateful to all the people and orgs collabing on this!
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