Please note that the names of the people mentioned in this article have been changed. Please note, also, that NoVA is shorthand for Northern Virginia — a region which borders Washington, DC and stewards much of the city’s international diversity. “I was going to go back to Chicago after finishing my ophthalmology training, but I… Continue reading Out of Washington – A Portrait

Amateur: 1) a person who engages in a pursuit on an unpaid basis. 2) a person considered contemptibly inept at a particular activity: that bunch of stumbling amateurs. What an ungenerous pair of definitions. You know, it really describes me quite well. It probably describes you pretty well, too. “Engaging in a pursuit on an unpaid basis” is the defining life-way for us Millennials. Let’s put it this way: Neither the economy… Continue reading Amateur Art

The Old Post Office Pavilion is one of the most historic and beautiful buildings in Washington, DC. Its architecture is at once elegant and grand- though many might disagree, I believe that it is not easy to be both at once. I have walked by the Post Office countless times, but did not see it until this evening.… Continue reading T**** Hotel

It’s in the New York Times: Donkeys are underrated and under-respected in our society. In ancient Egypt and the Bible alike, donkeys were regarded as wise beings with lessons to teach and every right to a dignified burial. Not so today, however: Donkeys are all too often the butt (the ass?) of snide jokes, and… Continue reading Donkeys

On Saturdays, Viejo San Juan brims over with life. Viejo San Juan is the historic district of Puerto Rico’s capital city. It’s name—“Viejo,” the Spanish word for “old”—implies that this space has been preserved from an earlier time, and is a place where visitor and local alike can imbibe the charm of a bygone era.… Continue reading Consumption, connection & dance

The following is an excerpt from a presentation given at the Decolonizing Music conference which was held Oct 8-10 at the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico in San Juan, PR. Good morning. Thank you for being here. It is truly an honor to be presenting alongside you all in this conference. I am learning… Continue reading Decolonizing Music- Presentation

In Oxford, the moon shines with a particular intensity. At least, it certainly seemed that way to me. Every evening, once darkness had stretched fully across the night sky, like a blanket of fresh ink, the moon would appear and compel my gaze. Its cosmic, cyclical transformations provided a mysterious sort of reassurance and stability as I sought to… Continue reading Men Who Doubt Infinity

Though it is rarely invoked in popular debates about environmental justice and sustainability, the concept of “decolonial environmentalism” is powerfully reflected in what is happening, and could happen, in artistic and activist circles all over the world. My intention in this article is to share what I understand by decolonial environmentalism, in the hopes that it might at… Continue reading Decolonial environmentalism

There is a world lounge band, based here in DC called Thievery Corporation. I used to think that their name was tongue-in-cheek. Their music combines influences from all over the world, and in this age of Euro-American colonialism, the line between ‘influence’ and ‘piracy’ can be a fine one. I used to think it was… Continue reading On world lounge

What is so powerful about music, anyway? Can it build schools? ensure that bridges do not collapse under our weight? substantiate breakthrough discoveries in math or science? provide alternatives to the policies that govern our world? Can the power of music be touched, eaten, at least used as the foundation for new ideas? Is music… Continue reading Music and Power