Be brave enough to burn, and you’ll be brave enough to fly

As I sit here typing this, the voices of Catherynne M. Valente and S.J. Tucker fill the room.

I have spent a good chunk of the weekend watching the live feed from Strowlercon.  Which has been amazing and inspiring and incredible.  I wish that I could have been there so, so much.  I am so thankful for whoever decided to set up the live feed, which has allowed people around the world to take part in this amazing event.

I always knew that it would be a great thing.  I make no effort to hide how much of a fan I am of Cat and Sooj’s work.  The other artists involved were just as incredible.  I have a feeling that I’m going to be watching the archived videos as long as they’re available, and probably purchasing music from all of the other musicians.  And probably buying some of the video from the con if it’s made available.

A special shout out to Shira‘s daughter Elayna, who sang in the last section of the con and was just radiant and amazing and luminous.  She’s inherited every scrap of her mother’s presence, and I can only begin to imagine the kind of energy that fills a room when they’re both present.

The whole thing got me thinking about why I admire this group of people so much.  Yes, they’re all incredibly talented.  But they’re also firebirds.  They live their truth.  They don’t hide themselves, they create and fly and burn and burn and live again.

Thank you, to all of you, for sharing your fire.  Maybe next year I can find a way to be there and burn and fly with you.

Mirrored from Stephanie Gunn.