On August 29th, I participated in the 2021 Utah Arts Festival as a Literary Artist. I read about twenty minutes of poetry, a blend of works in progress, poems written in workshops, and a few pieces that I dredged up from documents I’d long forgotten.
I attempt to crack jokes during my poetry readings to lighten the mood. That’s why you’ll notice these photos of me are a little silly. I usually find that sometimes people can get quickly bored at poetry events, especially if they’re hearing one poet after another reading pretty heavy stuff. This has led me to attempt to “wake up” my audience. I’m still working on how to perfect this process.
Alina Happy Hansen Poetry Reading at the 2021 UAFAlina Happy Hansen Poetry Reading at the 2021 UAF
The UAF was a packed event on a hot summer’s day in Salt Lake City. The air was hazy from the wildfire smoke trapped in the valley by the mountains, leaving a slight aftertaste in the mouth and an underlying scent everywhere. Besides the smoke, the ongoing Pandemic appeared to be an afterthought for most people in SLC. I saw very few people downtown and at the UAF wearing masks or social distancing. Masks have been recommended for people outdoors because the air quality is so poor.
Alina Happy Hansen at the 2021 UAF
I want to say thank you to UAF, those in charge of the Literary performances, and everyone that attended my reading. I had a wonderful time sharing a selection of my poems and engaging with my audience.
The last two months have been wild. I have been caught up in moving to San Francisco and exploring the city. Going from a slightly greener and very dry Salt Lake City to humid city life by the sea has been an enormous change. But I love every minute of it.
Living in the city has its pros and cons. I love the convenience of being downtown; we’re close to everything important. It’s easy to run errands, pick up groceries, find new shops, and take in amazing views of the city at every step. A con: it’s necessary to watch where you step and keep an eye out in some neighborhoods, but this comes with living in every big city.
A short walk, and I can see the Transamerica Pyramid and the Bay Bridge. I can wander north into Chinatown and then even further to Fisherman’s Wharf. The gradual visible changes between neighborhoods create a beautiful blend of living that melds together. The neighborhood’s various styles and layouts differ so drastically; it’s like walking through different cities sometimes. But I find it comforting and refreshing; there’s more life here, more choices, more.
(Transamerica Pyramid photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021)
Walking downtown among the skyscrapers, I’ve managed to get lost a couple of times. It’s easy to get caught up in the beautiful architecture, the modern mixed in among the old Victorians. The sheer height of these buildings and the contrast in designs among them are captivating.
(the Bay Bridge photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021)
I love how dense the city is, with almost more than 4x the population as SLC jammed into approximately 49 square miles, every inch of space is utilized. Instead of being spread out for miles like SLC, it’s meticulously stacked and organized to fit as many people in as possible. I love hearing so many different languages being spoken when I walk around. I love being a part of this multi-cultural microcosm. It’s like living in a kaleidoscope, mesmerizing and beautiful at the same time.
(Coit Tower and the Bay Bridge photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021)
I’m still settling in, getting familiar with the city’s layout, and trying to memorize the patterns. I’ve managed to compile a list of places I already go regularly and an even more extensive list of places I want to visit.
While I’m exploring and learning about life in SF, I’ve been getting back into my daily writing routine (writing 2k words a day), writing poems here and there, and of course, I’ll be pulling out my novel that I’ve been working on for years now. I have a few ideas for a handful of short stories I’m still contemplating about, but I can feel I’m about to go into an extensive streak of writing in every spare moment I have.
The Pandemic & More
While I’ve been going through this enormous change, it’s been a balancing act between staying positive and aware of the Delta Variant. I feel safer living in SF compared to SLC, the response here to COVID-19 and now Delta is proactive. They take it seriously here.
I wear a mask when I go out because I don’t want to get sick. Even though I’m fully vaccinated and if I get COVID-19, there is a better chance that my symptoms will be less severe and an even lower chance I’d have to go to the hospital; I’m not interested in taking the risk.
The long-term effects of COVID on people’s health are concerning, and the risk of spreading COVID to an unvaccinated person who has a higher chance of dying is reason enough to keep my distance.
I appreciate that SF has reinstated a mask mandate that applies to everyone regardless of their vaccination status. I’m just waiting to see what happens in the fall. With the number of cases in the U.S. rising already and children getting COVID, I feel like there is a good chance of soft closures in some cities.
In no way do I feel like things are “back to normal” I am getting the impression it could be another year of uncertainty, deaths, and a consistent rate of cases until the U.S. and daily life starts to resemble pre-COVID times.
Besides the Pandemic, I’ve been keeping an eye on politics, the insane weather resulting from global warming, and the details coming out about the January 6th Insurrection. There is so much going on, the world has been shaken up, and I don’t think things will settle down any time soon.
But I’ll take my slice of success and paradise living in SF with my boyfriend; I’ll take this welcomed change and keep going. I’m not going to blindly pretend things are “back to normal” or will go back to the way it was. That’s just not the case. It’s the time to plan for the future, stay aware, be active, and stay safe.
I’m excited to announce that I will be reading some of my poetry as a Literary Artist at the Utah Arts Festival! Click HERE to find out more.
Initially, I was supposed to read poetry at the UAF in 2020, but the pandemic stopped that, and I’m glad. Staying home and staying safe helped to save lives. While staying home, I wrote, read, changed jobs, started freelancing, and prepared to move out of state. Over a year later, I’m living in San Francisco, advancing my career and brainstorming ideas for a new novel. I’m thrilled to be reading some of my poems at the UAF once again, and I can’t wait!
Check out my post about my first poetry reading at the 2018 UAF here.
I’ve been taking a break from posting regularly, from writing and reading, to take in what’s happening. Until today, I even forgot this month is National Poetry Month. It seems so trivial compared to the events that are propelling us into another tumultuous year.
When the trial of Derek Chauvin began, tensions were starting to build. Then, on Sunday, Daunte Wright was shot and killed by a police officer less than a year since George Floyd’s killing and only miles away. Protests broke out the same day in multiple cities.
Dealing with the frustration and the sadness of this event while processing the trial’s updates is nerve-wracking. Hoping for true justice for George Floyd’s killing, and then only to have another Black man killed. These events are the kindling for a raging fire primed to spread across the nation.
To me, it feels like this is the start of another summer of protests. The same emotions and tensions are there, but now a compound interest of the events of the past year have the ability to birth events that will make last year appear tame in comparison (—add the growing frustration about the hate crimes directed toward the AAPI community. The nation will continue to ride these waves of unrest until real change happens. We cannot step back into the past; we have to move forward.
I feel a gnawing sadness mixed with irritation. This country is on the cusp of change, but it’s not safe to say if the change will be for the good of the people or reinforce the plague of systemic racism and economic oppression that have killed people for generations.
The poor are getting poorer while the rich are benefiting from the pandemic. The gaps are growing among social classes, which adds to the tension from the murdering of Black people by police, hate crimes, and the pandemic.
The pandemic is an infectious thread weaving it all together. With many places opening up, loosening restrictions, and ending mask mandates without the recommended minimum of 70-90% of the population fully vaccinated for herd immunity to work, there could very likely be another deadly wave like what we saw during winter.
We’ve already lost approximately 562,000 people. How many more will die? I think it is very likely with the low percentages of people either partially or fully vaccinated, this premature reopening could result in states shutting down again this year.
How will it be six months from now? Three months? Who knows, but this year isn’t going to be a quiet one from what I’ve observed.
I wrote this at the beginning of the week. Yesterday, there was another mass shooting, this time in Indianapolis. A 19-year-old man killed eight people, injured seven, and then killed himself. I wonder how many people have to die before we take responsibility for these killings, enact stricter gun laws, and provide more resources for those in need of help. We need to seriously consider why men are capable of these horrific acts of mass murder. How do these acts reflect on the condition of our society? Our country?
What do these killings say about us? It’s not just the actions of one person that resulted in the murder of innocent people, it’s our inability to take action to prevent this that resulted in their deaths. These deaths, from racism, hatred, pain, from the pandemic, these are on us. We have to take responsibility for what we’ve done.
I’ve been m.i.a. for a while and I thought I’d share why: I’m participating in Inktober this year, putting my own spooky spin on it. Plus I’ve been reading like crazy.
Keeping my mind busy outside of work has helped me process a lot of the ups and downs of this week and last when it comes to politics, events, and COVID-19. Plus Election day is getting closer and I find myself increasingly anxious, I think a lot of people are.
So here we go, my first ten ink/pencil drawings for this year’s Inktober plus what I’m currently reading Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff (it’s amazing!)
I’d love to know if anyone is participating in Inktober or if you’re currently reading anything wonderfully spooky. Let me know! Leave a comment below or contact me directly.
