Do you, too, dream of utter aliveness?

Welcome, friend.

I’m Devon Parish, and I’m made of longing. I’ve always had one foot in the door of this world, and one foot who-knows-where—but it’s a little brighter, softer, more connected. Dancing at this threshold is what life is all about, and I’d love for you to join me to shake loose a few morsels of beauty and truth. Or whatever we find, really.

I am a writer, yoga teacher, and former fundraiser living in Vermont. I am also the mother of a spirited young kid, the birth of whom blew up my life. In making me a mother, she caused me to question everything and brought an urgency to my seeking and creating that has manifested, in part, in this newsletter.

The name Toward Utter Aliveness comes from the poem Demand by Langston Hughes:

Listen!
Dear dream of utter aliveness-
Touching my body of utter death-
Tell me, O quickly! dream of aliveness,
The flaming source of your bright breath.
Tell me, O dream of utter aliveness-
Knowing so well the wind and the sun-
Where is this light
Your eyes see forever?
And what is the wind
You touch when you run?

So yes, longing. Movement. But also breath. You will see me use the word conspire often, because I’m obsessed with its Latin derivation: con (with) + spirare (to breathe) = to breathe together. I believe that in breathing together, we can transform the world. This is my vision of embodied community: assembling a people who know so well the wind and the sun and the source of their bright breath that when they come together, the dream is no longer a dream.

And I like that calling it creatively conspiring comes with a wink—one that acknowledges that a little good trouble along the way (thank you, John Lewis) doesn’t hurt, either.

Enough dreaming. Ready to subscribe to Utter Aliveness?!

I want to open the arms of this community as wide as possible, so all free subscribers will have access to:

• Weekly posts with alternating essays and early-draft poems

• Ideas and prompts for connecting and conspiring

• (For a limited time only) Commenting and conversing with the TUA community

In addition to this content, paid subscribers will have access to:

• Bonus seasonal posts and occasional audio recordings

• The full archive of past posts (everything is paywalled after 8 weeks)

• Early access and discounts to my events and special offerings

What does my subscription support?, you may wisely be asking. It makes possible:

• Art! The essays and poems you find here are tiny divine portals that, without your support, might not otherwise exist.

• Community! Anything that feeds the magical mycelium that is community connection (even the online kind) is priceless in my book.

• Space/exploration! No, I’m not going into orbit, as fascinating as that sounds. But space as in liminal space, as in in-betweens and unknowns, because that’s where and when creativity is born. Exploration as in opportunities to test among trusted friends what is raw, unpolished, and unfettered.

I would love to have you. Let’s dance.