HERE HEAR
HERE HEAR is a grassroots movement that operates as a silent protest group—or, more aptly, a solidarity and support presence. Our aim is to stand with and for marginalized communities by showing up en masse, not to speak over or for them, but to hold space. We offer a grounded, peaceful, and visible presence that asserts:
We are HERE for you. We HEAR you.
Sonder
I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “sonder.”
It’s that quiet realization that everyone around you is living a life just as layered and meaningful as your own, with their own routines, heartbreaks, small hopes, and quiet dreams. It’s humbling and tender, reminding me to slow down and notice, to let compassion soften the edges of my day.
Whitelash
The United States has never been a finished project. It's always been a nation pulled between its ideals and its realities—between the dream of liberty and the machinery of domination. That contradiction has shaped our national DNA from the start. And for me, growing up in Central Indiana, that contradiction felt invisible for a long time.
Man and Woman - Defined At Last!
This push to legislate gender identity into a neat, binary box reflects an ancient human impulse: the desire to simplify the complex. As a species, we love categories. They give us comfort, stability, a sense of order in a chaotic world. But the problem is: human identity is not neat. It is not binary. And it never has been.
Out of the Box. Like it? Or not?
It feels like we’re caught between two big forces. On one side, there’s rapid change—new ideas, new ways of thinking, a world that feels bigger and constantly pulls us into the unfamiliar. It’s exciting, but also overwhelming. On the other side, there’s pressure to stay inside familiar boxes—old ways of thinking that don’t really fit who we are anymore. This has always been the way at any point in our evolution.
ESAs | A Lesson in Fair Housing
He offered a helpful explanation: under federal Fair Housing guidelines, emotional support animals are not considered pets, but rather auxiliary aids akin to medication or medical equipment. In this context, he said, “This buyer really only has one dog—because the other two are her ‘medicine.’” That phrasing helped it all click for me.
BEYOND PRONOUNS
Today, I choose to use the pronouns He/They. This decision comes from deep reflection about how I move through the world—physically, spiritually, and energetically.
Less Charlotte, More Copenhagen
As a designer, realtor, and longtime Asheville resident, I’ve often found myself wondering what our city might look and feel like if we had taken a different path. One less shaped by the sprawling, car-dominated models of American cities like Charlotte—and more by the pedestrian-first, sustainability-minded approach of European cities like Copenhagen.
The Lost RAD
Since moving to Asheville in 2006, the River Arts District (RAD) has been a cornerstone of my creative journey and the community of friends I've built both personally and professionally. When Helene left, taking with them many works from my peers and my own, it left us all wondering how we could contribute and give back.
