Author: Reed Fowler

april 2017 caring deeply for someone with chronic mental illness means writing the phone numbers of inpatient wings on the back of dunkin' donuts receipts in a blue marker, with the feeling of a tightrope walker, and visiting hours hastily scribbled in.

#1: relentless staying = being relentlesscontinued existence = being relentlessholding space = being relentlessit's hailing in chicago, and i want to know what type of oil was mixed with these ashes. "make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice" psalm 51 #2: days ((duration until something / … Continue reading Lent 2017 →

11/20/2017reign of christ / trans day of remembrancest. luke's lutheran church of logan squareco-preached with pastoral intern erin coleman-branchaudreposted from pr. erin's blog - here erin – Just a few months ago, in Holy Week, we were hearing this same story: Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the last supper and betrayal, the torture and death. … Continue reading A Sermon on Transitions →

Given at St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Logan Square on 9/18/16 As a dog groomer, I hate puppies. For them, grooming is scary + new + confusing, and they don’t conform to my all-too-human expectations of perfection. They wiggle on and off the table, bite at the dryer, and cover arms and hands in scratches. … Continue reading Fauna Testimony 2016 →

durational performance poses the same challenge to its creators as to its audience: to sit and give space and let the performance breathe.

given at st. luke's lutheran church of logan square on 11/29/15 There’s a painting by Paul Klee called Angelus Novus. It’s a small painting, done in 1920, watercolor and ink, sepia toned. Walter Benjamin purchased it in 1921 and became obsessed with it. He wrote that it was the angel of history. This angel is … Continue reading Advent Testimony 2015 →

'being' by zach ellis "because that's what your body was built to do" 'queer on a bench' by mark lindberg "Thank you for my jesusfucking queer breath. Thank you for my genderfucking queer breath. Thank you for my human breath" 'glitterwolf, issue 8' compilation "I hand out poems like they're propaganda" 'holding still for as … Continue reading (queer) things I read that I loved this summer (2015) →

Because we are never still Because I don’t know how to mourn Because we need to witness together Because what does that mean Because I don’t want us to be alone Because Syrian theater breaks my spine Because I don’t understand Because Pina Baush breaks my heart Because we are missing a generation of elders … Continue reading Why Performance 2014 →

you can't leave your baggage because there is a sinew connected to your gut scrawling your place in cursive and as the wound heals the sinew contracts and drags the canvas through dust and dirt to your spine it's november and your ripped jean pockets make me want to hold on but the threads are … Continue reading 11.7.14 →

we’re broken and i’m scared and it’s trying to heal that. it is so hard to sit in vulnerability. it’s all an attempt. a fresh wound is tender but so is how you hold a baby – and isn’t that what forgiveness is? there is some wound/break/cut that happened between people and it is still … Continue reading 11.4.14 →