A reading to celebrate Mike Albo's new YA novel, Another Dimension of Us, with guest Sebene Selassie, presented in partnership with Yaddo

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P&T Knitwear, in conjunction with Yaddo, is pleased to welcome Mike Albo to celebrate his new novel, Another Dimension of Us, with a talk, audience Q&A, and book signing. Another Dimension of Us is a thrilling science fiction story about teens from the past and the future who travel across the astral plane save the ones they love. Mike will be in conversation with Sebene Selassie, author of You Belong: A Call for Connection. After the talk, Mike will sign copies of his books.

This event is presented in partnership with Yaddo, as part of their event programming.

In 1986, Tommy Gaye is in love with his best friend, budding teen poet Renaldo Calabasas. But at the height of the AIDS crisis and amidst the homophobia running rampant across America, Tommy can never share his feelings. Then, one terrible night, Renaldo is struck by lightning. And he emerges from the storm a very different boy.

In 2044, Herron High student Pris Devrees jolts awake after having a strange nightmare about a boy named Tommy and a house in the neighborhood the locals affectionally call “The Murder House.” When she ventures to the house to better understand her vivid dreams, she happens upon an old self-help book that she soon realizes is a guide to trans-dimensional travel.

As bodies and minds merge across the astral plane, Pris, Tommy, and their friends race to save Renaldo from a dangerous demon, while uncovering potent realities about love, sexuality, and friendship.

PRAISE FOR ANOTHER DIMENSION OF US

“The narrative’s myriad alternating perspectives and well-plotted timeline smartly propel intense action, and references to the AIDS crisis and an unnamed 2044 virus grounds this imaginative telling in contemporary reality.” — Publishers Weekly

• This is a free in-store event with limited amphitheater-style seating

• We encourage all guests to wear masks.

• The talk will be followed by a book signing. Books signed at P&T Knitwear events must be purchased from P&T Knitwear. If you would like a signed copy and cannot attend the event, we're happy to take your pre-order. We ship most places!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Albo (he/him/his) is the author of the novels Hornito and The Underminer: The Best Friend Who Casually Destroys Your Life (co-written with Virginia Heffernan), as well as the novella The Junket and memoir Spermhood: Diary of a Donor. His articles and essays have appeared in The New York Times, New Yorker, Town and Country and many others. He also performs.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Sebene Selassie is a teacher & writer who guides people to remember and trust the mystery and power of belonging. She offers courses, workshops and retreats online and in person. She is trained as a meditation teacher, an integral coach, and as a practitioner of Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy as well as being a devoted student of esoteric traditions including astrology. Sebene is a four-time survivor of Stage III and IV metastatic breast cancer. Her first book, "You Belong: A Call for Connection" is published by HarperOne.

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Uncoupling from Couple-Dom: Returning to Sacred Love of Self & World

"ALL AWAKENING TO LOVE IS SPIRTUAL AWAKENING." — bell hooks, All About Love

Many of us have been conditioned by the dominant culture to consider romantic coupledom as the key to love. We can feel deficient or even damaged if we are uncoupling, not-coupled, uncoupled or questioning our coupling.

I know. It me.

Since I was a girl, I desperately longed for a romantic partner and I idealized coupledom. I had no mature models of marriage around me (literally not one) and no innate understanding of what makes a healthy couple. Yet, I decided (with the help of overdoses of mass media) that being coupled was the primary way to happiness. Finding a mate became a constant fixation. I projected most of my relational trauma and conditioning onto lovers and boyfriends. My abandonment patterns led me to fear being alone, even at the expense of abandoning parts of myself (or asking others to do the same).

I was devoted to the dominance of coupledom.

Couple-Dom (get it? 😛) – the imbalanced power we give to romantic relationships – can lead to abandonment of self & world.

These patterns do not stop on their own.

Consciously, I know that being coupled is not necessary for my joy and well-being (often, it was a detriment). Unconsciously, I believed that staying coupled is more important than honesty or authenticity or freedom – that being uncoupled is and is to be undesirable.

At one time, I would have classified uncoupling as an unwanted outcome of realtionship – as if the point of coupling is to stay together. Now, I am devoted to loving fully – STARTING with myself and then extending outwards – even and especially when that means uncoupling.

Although the hetero-normative hierarchy of one man/one woman oppresses us all, this is not necessarily about monogamy vs polyamory (also, because poly can be just as obsessed with privileging romantic relationships). This is also not about dismissing or denigrating romantic love – our longing for love is sacred.

This IS about how we start to examine these oppressive patterns within ourselves and how we begin to make our way back to love of self & world.

I am we.

Please note, although I will be providing information and context (including a brief history of how we came to be programmed with this human-centric and colonized version of love), I will not be "teaching" per se.

This workshop is process oriented and will include meditation, reflection, journaling, more reflection, more journaling, music/movement, discussion... Come prepared to create, not consume.

My hope is that this time together seeds and begins to water a beautiful practice that moves us from sorrow to sensitivity, from shame to sacredness, from striving to synchronicity...

Towards our very own hearts.

May we all know love beyond domination. 💗

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Consumers have been promised a simple, carefree digital future for years. In The Future is Analog: How to Create a More Human World, David Sax explores work, school, leisure, and more, and argues that nothing about the future has to be digital. But embracing the human experience doesn’t mean resisting change – it’s about choosing community over convenience and humanity over technology. In Sebene Selassie‘s first book, You Belong: A Call for Connection, the meditation expert calls for an exploration of our tangled relationship with belonging, connection, and each other. We are not separate from each other but we don’t always believe it – and we certainly don’t always practice it. In Pamela Paul‘s 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet, her musings turn to modern life and its absolute entrenchment in the digital space. The internet has put an entire world at our fingertips, but it has also taken away many of the fundamental human experiences that sustain us. Moderating is Jessi Hempel, author of The Family Outing: A Memoir.

Join us as we celebrate the release of "Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom."

About this Event

Center of the Heart, Shambhala Publications, Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, The Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School, New York Insight Meditation Center, Upaya Institute and Zen Center, Dharma Relief, Common Ground Meditation Center, and Clouds in Water Zen Center invite you to a book release party for Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom (Shambhala Publications) on Wednesday, December 9th at 7 p.m. EST. 

Black and Buddhist is a collection of essays from leaders in all the major Buddhist traditions. The resulting explorations display not only the promise of Buddhist teachings to empower those facing racial discrimination, but also the way that Black Buddhist voices are enriching the Dharma for all practitioners.

Join co-editors Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles and authors Gaylon Ferguson, Gyozan Royce Andrew Johnson, Ruth King, Kamilah Majied, Lama Rod Owens, Lama Dawa Tarchin Phillips, and Sebene Selassie as they discuss the importance of being Black Buddhist leaders, writing, collective creativity, and spiritual communal care for the African-American community and beyond. 

Date: Wednesday, December 9, 7 p.m. EST. on Zoom

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Please register by Tuesday, December 8th.

Click here to read the first pages of the book. 

Click here to read the Publishers Weekly book review. 

Even during a pandemic, we are all connected. Mindfulness expert Sebene Selassie offers techniques supporting our path back to belonging.

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with Lin Gordon and Jon Aaron
 
For the October Sacred Earth Sangha meeting, join us in Central Park to immerse in nature practices to connect with the outdoor environment and your senses. From focusing on a single leaf to the expansive sky, our sense of separateness falls away when we turn our attention toward our experiences intimately.

We will practice from 10am-12pm, then share lunch together as a community.

For planning purposes, please register in advance so we know to expect you. The event will meet rain or shine. However, in case of cancellation due to particular weather conditions, we will send an email notification at least 24 hours in advance.

We look forward to exploring our inner and outer world together with you in nature.

Location:

Central Park (100th St. and Central Park West)
We will remain 6 feet apart in gathering and will wear masks. Please cancel and request a refund if you have any symptoms listed by the CDC as Covid symptoms. You will be requested to sign a health declaration form and a waiver.

Maximum participants: 20 people

Please bring:
-Mask
-Water
-A brown bag lunch
-Sitting prop if needed (bench, yoga mat, etc.)

Fee by donation: Suggested starting donation is $15.

Join Dharma Vote for a special Volunteer Hour with Ethan and Sebene. We’ll have time for practice, conversation, and to write letters to encourage Americans to vote in this crucial November election.

REGISTER HERE

Online: Living the Dharma in a Challenging Time
with Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and Sebene Selassie interviewed by Dan Harris of 10 Percent Happier

Join us for an evening discussion with three renowned teachers on how Buddhism has shaped their lives, how they are seeing our world through the lens of dharma, and how dharma can lead us through this moment.

This special evening is a benefit event for New York Insight Meditation Center and Cambridge Insight Meditation Center.

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NYI Sacred Earth Sangha Presents: An Online Evening with Environmentalist Charles Eisenstein
 
Monday, September 14th, 7–9pm ET
 
Join us for an online evening with one of the most important voices on climate today, renowned author and environmentalist, Charles Eisenstein.

As the culmination to the online book club hosted by New York Insight’s Sacred Earth Sangha, we will be hosting Eisenstein, author of our summer read Climate: A New Story. Charles will join us for an online talk and discussion as he helps us comprehend the climate crisis as part of a more complex and broader story than cutting carbon emissions. It is about healing our relationship with the planet and shifting our utilitarian worldview to one that is rooted in love, which in the process, may ultimately heal ourselves.

The evening will include a short meditation, a conversation with Eisenstein about the themes of his book, and time for Q&A with attendees.

How to Join Us Online: Click HERE to register to join the online sangha meeting and receive the online access information.