Dispatches from Today’s Office Hours

I love a lot of things about Office Hours, but among them are the ways our conversations course into and out of our lived experiences and the art that moves and challenges us. Discussing different types of labor that populated today’s was generative—so much to unpack in the seemingly mundane and so much to praise owed to those who carry out the acts that bring order to the world. How might our worlds look without dishwashing, ushering, farming, letter writing, imagining? Today’s prompt was inspired by Aracelis Girmay’s “Consider the Hands That Write This Letter,” which is always a prismatic experience! We marveled at the manifold ways that hands can affirm, create, transform, and the potentiality they carry.

I enjoyed hearing and writing poems about labors—playing the piano; a mother’s typewriting, and hairstyling. I created a prompt that I myself am still working through and invite you to join in! Thank you to David and Ben for your brilliant, honest, and engaging conversation and your willingness to dig in and create. See you all at the next office hours 8/20–10 AM-2 AM. Come for a little or stay for a while!