The world is dark. Yesterday I cried in my car running errands, utterly heartbroken.
Despite my daily life supposedly continuing on as usual, I can’t seem to get through a day without talking about the darkness. So sorry to ruin the mood, but men are raping our children, bombing schools, and burning our entire civilization to the ground. Our whole society is built on a foundation of the most vile aspects of humanity, and even with this information out in the open, most of the perpetrators continue to hold power and continue to terrorize the rest of humanity.
How am I supposed to know these things and not bubble over with rage and grief every minute?
The only thing that makes me feel any better is when other people are talking about it too. I need people who have something to say about the horrors happening in front of our eyes. I need people who know evil when they see it and aren’t afraid to call it by its name. I need people with whom I feel safe because I know where they stand; because they stand for something.
I need people who talk about this shit, even in rooms where they don’t know how it will be received.
Because here’s a question I can’t fathom an answer to - if you are in a room where you aren’t sure people will agree when you say Trump and Netanyahu are committing crimes against humanity, if you are in a room where you aren’t sure people will agree when you say Palestinian and Iranian and Ukrainian people deserve to live, if you are in a room where you aren’t sure people will agree when you say men should not rape children…why the hell are you in that room? And why the hell do you care what those people think of you?
I don’t believe we are in rooms full of horrible people. I believe most of us are in rooms where everyone silently agrees with all those statements, but very few people are saying anything. Maybe it’s because we Canadians are so fucking polite.
I’m over polite. I’m going to find rooms with people who are talking.
If you’ve been keeping quiet and you need a safe place to try speaking up, replying to this email would be a great place to start. I’ll be the only person who sees your message, and your voice might be the thing that keeps me from crying in my car tomorrow.
xo
Shannon
Upcoming Shows - in the darkness, we keep making light
March 29: Siren Songs (more than 50% sold out)
Featuring Kerri Ough and Rayleigh
6pm and 8pm shows, doors 30 minutes in advance
Black Cat Cobourg
Tickets on sale here
An intimate evening of songs and stories by your favourite (or soon-to-be favourite) female artists.
April 2: Where We Go From Here (with Meghan Sheffield)
Free Admission - 7pm
Art Gallery of Northumberland
Meghan has created a crankie show to accompany my new song It All Depends. Incorporating themes of belonging and interconnection, the crankie invites viewers to meander along a river’s winding route, meeting characters of many species along the journey. Join us for a live performance and artist talk.
And speaking of that new song, It All Depends is out March 20th everywhere you find music online. It’s a song about community taking care of one another, because we are the only ones coming to save us.
My colleague and friend John Kraus will be playing the song on Maestro’s Picks on CKLU 96.7 in Sudbury on March 20th around 3:35pm and on Northumberland 89.7 in Cobourg on March 22nd around 9:35am.
Tune in and let me know what you think!