Mid-Week Libation: Can't Get Enough of Your Love

Wisdom from bell hooks, poetry from William Carlos Williams, music from OKAN, art from Tenzing Rigdol, a recipe for Tulumba (Turkish churros) and remembering Chicago trans icon Chilli Pepper!

Ryan Elston

and

Ryan Wildstar

Sep 25, 2024

Mid-Week Libation is our weekly curated splash of inspiration and culture!

Concert of the Week: OKAN (via NPR Tiny Desk)

This week we’re starting with a joyous concert of Afro-Cuban music from OKAN, a five-piece band led by Elizabeth Rodriguez and Magdelys Savigne. Have a listen and see if you can resist the urge to get up and dance! We couldn’t!

Official Site of OKAN / Instagram / Bandcamp

Recipe of the Week: Tulumba aka Turkish Churros! (via Eat and Shine)

A few days ago we were discussing the fact that so many of the places we’ve lived in the last few years were once part of the Ottoman Empire (Greece, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc.), and the prevalence of Turkish cuisine, including countless local variants, throughout these countries. Which is why we’ve decided to share a favorite dessert that we’re enjoying right now here in Skopje . . . Tulumba aka Turkish churros!

Tulumba [Mohammad Ali Huzam, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons]

Artist Spotlight: Tibetan-American Mandala Artist Tenzing Rigdol

Have a look at the lovely Youtube video below, introducing a gorgeous new installation at the Met Museum by Tibetan-American artist Tenzing Rigdol, who specializes in mandalas inspired by traditional Buddhist art. And if you have a chance to stop by the Met in New York City between now and January 12, 2025, you can relax on a cushion and reflect upon Tenzing Rigdol’s beautiful work in what looks to be a deeply wondrous and profoundly enlightening space.

tenzingrigdol

A post shared by @tenzingrigdol

metmuseum

A post shared by @metmuseum

Tenzing Rigdol at Rossi & Rossi / Instagram
Check out Tenzing Rigdol’s installation, Biography of a Thought, part of the current exhibition, Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet, at the Met Museum in New York City (on view until January 12, 2025!)

Poem of the Week: “Peace on Earth” by William Carlos Williams

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Peace on Earth
by William Carlos Williams

The Archer is wake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Bears are abroad!
The Eagle is screaming!
Gold against blue
Their eyes are gleaming!
Sleep!
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

The Sisters lie
With their arms intertwining;
Gold against blue
Their hair is shining!
The Serpent writhes!
Orion is listening!
Gold against blue
His sword is glistening!
Sleep!
There is hunting in heaven—
Sleep safe till tomorrow.

1917

In Memoriam: Chicago Trans Icon & Champion for LGBTQ+ Rights — Performance Artist Chilli Pepper!

We just saw the sad news that earlier this month we lost trailblazing artist and activist, Chilli Pepper, an incredible entertainer and a tireless advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. Check out the tributes below, as well as a video of her final performance — a fundraising benefit for the Howard Brown Health Center (where you can see she was still raising money for good causes up until the very end, as she flawlessly lip-syncs to “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me” and “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” by Taylor Dayne).