IDKE.8 - Body Pathways

I spent this past weekend in Austin, TX attending the 8th annual International Drag KingCommunity Extravaganza (IDKE), Unchartered Territory: Gender Exploration Down South.

(Lots to say about the weekend, the conference especially, but later when I have more time...)

Right now, I wanted to post about the Saturday morning workshop that I attended, Body Pathways: A Writing Workshop presented by Laura Smith. According to the program description, in this workshop we were to:

Document your body's journey, transform genders on paper, carve new maps to groove inside of. Imagination, language and creative writing come together in this workshop led by an experienced writing teacher. Where in gender do you live, what was your gendered childhood, what seams do you stitch or unstitch on the streets? Exciting, safe, stimulating writing exercises for people of any level of experience.

This description, however, was not Smith's, who was filling in for the original presenter. Still, she did a good job making the workshop her own and leading us to interesting places. I have to give much thanks to Reggie, too, who not only housed me for the weekend, but also recommended this workshop to me. I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't gone, but I would have definitely missed out.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this workshop was that it was a good creative release. Friday's conference schedule was full of exciting discussions (again, more on this later), and so it was nice to start off Saturday morning with a creative exercise. I hadn't realized until I was in the middle of the workshop that I really needed time away from discussion (important as though they might be), and instead needed time flexing my creative muscle. I also loved the intimacy I felt being part of this small-sized workshop (I think there were a dozen or so of us), a definite contrast to the other workshops I attended during the two days which averaged at least 60 people per session.

It's been a long time since I was part of a (creative) writing group, and I definitely forget how much I like it--although I'm now finally getting back into the open mic/poetry/slam scene here in DC, so maybe there's change brewing in the horizon...

In any case, during this hour-long workshop (which was slightly shorter since we decided to start a few minutes late), Smith gave us three writing prompts. I'm sharing them hear because I found them so stimulating, I thought others might, too.

The first exercise was a quick one. We were to list nouns and verbs that we associated with gender (thinking outside the usual "box" to consider things like what kitchen appliance best suits our gender).

I came up with:

Nouns:
turtle
glasses
recliner
lined paper

Verbs:
Tying
Relax
Traveling
Spooning
Gazing

For the second exercise we were asked to think of a body part that knows our gender and to write about what that body part knows. Here's what I came up with (Warning, this is totally unrevised from that morning's quick free write. I definitely want to revisit this piece, but I also thought that for 5-10 minutes of writing, it was a great start as is, and wanted to share it in its "original" form.)

My hands know the feeling of my hair
shaved, soft, on the top of my head
long, wiry, on my legs
thicker, kinkier, under my arms and
between my legs

My hands know the weight of women's breasts
hers, yours, my own

My hands know the grip on the wheel
as I speed down the road, feel
the ball of the stick shift securely in hand

My hands know the motions--cross over,
go behind, pull through, and again--
(just like dad showed me all those years ago)
of tying
a full Windsor knot

My hands know the fists they make
when jerks throw thoughtless taunts
because they're afraid of my
hands and what they know
about me, about them, and about the world

My hands know the sweat they feel
when beautiful girls and boys
and all the rest of you
walk by and smile and make
eyes at me

My hands know the strength they
share when I meet others
like me and
we connect
eye to eye,
hand to hand,
our selves

The third and last exercise Smith had us do was to write about our gender journey (thinking of the journey in a literal way, describing the landscape and the markers we passed along the way), and if possible, to incorporate the nouns and verbs that we had conjured in the first exercise.

Getting on the plane to go across the country
yet again

Relaxing when I finally make it from the
cab to the ticket counter and
of course
through the security gate

I remembered this time
(not like last time)
to forego the support of an underwire bra
to try and make it through the metal detectors
without being detected
without being detected

Although the time before last it didn't
stop the wand from finding the
ring that runs through my nipple

(Thank goodness
thank goodness
that wand didn't fine the three that
run through the lips between my legs!)

I've made it to the gate, and now to
the plane
Where I fold myself into my preferred
window seat
You see, here at the window there might
not be an easy aisle escape
but here at the window it's just me

The comfort of the wall next to me
who holds me up when I lean into it
and who offers me a friendly face
my own
reflected in the window
Traveling in/with myself
Gazing into my own eyes
Spooning with myself