![]() The book represents a poetic slice of her life, hinting at the residual optimism she may have inherited from her mother. The audience listened intently as Saymoukda and her publisher read from the book on stage and shared vivid imagery of everything from bowl haircuts to hand-me-down jeans, worn while working in cucumber fields. But she has a wit of her own, and there is a childlike lightness in her beautifully illustrated book, When Everything Was Everything. With her no-nonsense wit, Brandi shared one of her strategies for managing time, stress and her attention-deficit disorder: “Say no saying no saves a lot of lives.” She also highly recommended therapy, and not just because it’s “a free workshop for jokes.”Īward-winning writer, community leader and activist Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay grew up in St. Paul-Minneapolis rivalry to being Minnesotan on the East Coast. ![]() Carl Atiya-Swanson, outgoing Dissonance board member, then took the stage as emcee to start the conversation with panelists about their art, the dissonance they experience in their lives and how they stay well (#howdoyoustaywell).Ĭomedian Brandi Brown-co-host of the podcast, “Bill Corbett’s Funhouse ” frequent blogger and much more-covered topics from blackness, therapy and the St. The lilt of the ukulele hinted at happy, with grief and loss woven between, capturing the Dissonance vibe to a T.ĭissonance co-founder Sarah Souder Johnson welcomed everyone and walked through a breathing exercise to bring us into the present. The song is about missing loved ones during the holidays and was inspired by Katy’s work with Dissonance and reflections on the first Christmas her 12 year-old self spent without her mom, who had passed. The evening kicked off with “Christmas Wish,” a song created and performed by Katy Vernon, Dissonance board member and ukulele songbird, a singer of sad songs on a happy instrument. It came when a pause was needed.ĭissonance’s alternative holiday gathering once again brought people together without alcohol, other substances or any of the season’s typical expectations. It came at time when anticipation, anxiety and maybe even depressive thoughts were on the rise. It came at a time when people were facing lengthy to-do lists and last-minute deadlines before the holiday break. 20 seemed to perfectly coincide with the very necessary need to hit the holiday-stress pause button. Dissonance’s third annual Unhappy Holidays event on Dec.
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