(Image from my self-compassion and compassion lectures - please add the YouTube videos to your watch later or liked video lists, and add your comments after you've had a chance to watch - thanks!!)

A busy April-July surrendered to a quiescent and contemplative August, from which synapses were convened to begin a lecture series, which continues through the end of October. I've had an intimate audience of about 8-10 people on average, and am definitely working on my teaching game :) progressing from reading notes to having a conversation with my audience. Since conversation is what I'm most used to, it's starting to feel natural to do this in front of an audience :) My remaining lectures are on internet addiction, cyberbullying and relating online, and on narcissism and relatedness in the American psyche. Please come out if you can - it would be great to see you IRL (In Real Life), though I'm gradually uploading the digital fingerprint of all the lectures. Attendees to future lectures will receive a copy of my small book on gun identity, while supplies last.

The first two lectures are up on YouTube. The rest will be up by early November, after I get a faster internet installed! I spent most of the early part of this week feeling like a polar bear looking for a patch of ice to stand on, as I scoured the city for fast public wi-fi. But soon, I will get MonkeyBrains installed (it sounds strange to say that...), but not the complete Temple of Doom lol. (Indiana Jones reference ftw.)

Poetry (each about 3-5 minutes)

Christina: Separation of Church and Date, Union on Holier Ground
part of the Civil Liberties United reading last month at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center
about how ideology and religion can divide us and take us away from love

Red Thread
part of the South Asian Literature and Art Festival at Villa Montalvo in Saratoga last weekend
about our psychological and spiritual connections and entanglements, one of my 36 Views of San Francisco 2018 set

Blogposts

Homelessness in the American Psyche

Memoirs of a Superfan Volume 14.11: Justin Chon on the Making of Ms. Purple

The complete interview with Justin Chon and Tiffany Chu will be available soon. Don't miss this really great film!

Events around town:

LitQuake - so much great stuff, including LitCrawl, Word/Jazz with Cave Canem (a seminal African American poetry collective), and 'family trauma and literary catharsis". Oct 10-20, various Bay Area locations. I still have an extra ticket for Julia Flynn Siler's Chinatown walk and talk about her new book on women in Chinatown history - reply to this email if you are free 3-6 pm Saturday October 12th.

Facine 2019 - If you haven't discovered Filipinx film, this is a great way to start! I was a juror for this year's festival, and the narratives are great! I especially enjoyed the raw JINO TO MARI,  GUSTO NO KITA WITH ALL MY HYPOTHALAMUS (I love you with all my hypothalamus) and BALANGIGA. Oct 18-20.

APAture 2019: Declare! - Asian American Arts Festival by Kearny Street Workshop. Events through Oct 27.

Lenora Lee Dance Company "In the Skin of Her Hands" - bringing the stories of breast cancer survivors to the dance stage. With post performance panels. November 1-3, Dance Mission.

Doc Stories by SFFILM - including new documentaries about the late great Oliver Sacks (!), Imelda Marcos, and the sociology of women's identities. November 1-4, Vogue Theater.

Thanks for staying connected!

Ravi