The Nap Ministry

09/30/2026

From the archives: While in graduate school I studied somatics and took ballet classes. I created a project that ultimately morphed into the Nap Ministry. It was called The Movement Ministry. We danced/flowed to lots of Alice Coltrane as we experimented with creating connections with our bodies. Grateful for the journey of guiding the Nap Ministry for almost 10 years now.

Somatics practices we discovered:
-Body mapping
-Breathing
-Ideokinesis

Movement Ministry Cypher: Somatics and Body Mind Connection for Self Care. Emory University, 2015.

09/28/2026

Chicago! I am a proud board member of the historic and radical Free Street Theater Please support the brilliant community work done here since 1968.

Our monthly classes are back at The Storefront! Every first Monday of the month we will curating a free art class. We will kick it off with an Intro to Storytelling workshop on October 5th. If you attended our Southside Stories event and wanted to learn more this workshop is for you!

About Free Street:
Free Street was founded in the wake of the 1968 riots, in the hopes that theater might invite a divided city to come together. Since then, we have consistently adapted our programming to speak to the current needs of the city: We were one of the first in*******al theater companies in the city, and one of the first to commit to performing in public spaces across Chicago. For a long time, we were one of the only places a Black actor could earn an Equity card, and one of the first companies to start a youth ensemble.

09/27/2026

“Hersey’s prose is exquisitely beautiful, dripping with lyrical grace and wisdom that make her background as a poet and scholar obvious… Rest Is Resistance is a book to read and reread with a pen in hand and pad beside you; one that you will find yourself wanting to give to friends, co-workers and strangers.” -Booklist

09/25/2026

Chicago! Another one for you. My city! What a honor to offer the keynote for this powerful summit. A free 1 day citywide gathering celebrating the intersections of arts, health and wellness.

09/25/2026

Tonight in Atlanta!

Dive into The Pink Robe Chronicles and chat all things beyond the first page—let’s talk books IRL!

09/24/2026

You know I love a library event. Join me October 9th at the Oak Park Library. A sweet suburb of Chicago.
I will be reading from Rest Is Resistance and We Will Rest! Come get cozy and support the radical community care that is a library.

Link to register:

https://oakpark.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-nap-ministry-program-143934

09/23/2026

Maine and NYC owes me nothing. My time in Maine at Bowdoin College with SWAG Center at Bowdoin College and
Indigo Arts Alliance felt like the deepest whimsy and anointed care. What a gift to lecture and install a Collective Daydreaming Activation on the quad of the campus. There was a moment when the wind was lightly blowing while I read Octavia Butler that I felt like we were all flying. Our bodies the site of liberation.
I’m also still floating from my visit to Indigo Arts Alliance and the studio of Daniel Minter. His work and vision with my his wife Marcia Minter feels like family and home to me. I feel changed after spending time there.

I bopped to NYC next and was gifted the opportunity to sit in on a rehearsal of thee Martha Graham Dance Company. No words to explain the experience. I’m mind blown and in awe to witness the beauty and language up close. Wow! 🥹 Thank you to the brilliant Leslie Andrea Williams for the invitation and connection. I can’t wait to go back. I’m just full and so grateful.

09/22/2026

Beware of the copy cats talking about rest but never once speaking about or analyzing white supremacy, capitalism, patriarchy and ableism. Systematic oppression is the problem. It has has created our sleep deprivation.

We will never move a rest movement forward without illuminating and calling this out.

Rest is Resistance. We Will Rest!

From one of my many convos on For The Wild podcast

09/18/2026

I really love Dr. Bianca Williams work so much. What a gift to be in conversation with her for a fireside chat on Rest is Resistance. Thank you to SWAG Center at Bowdoin College for the radical hospitality. I’m loving Maine.

09/09/2026

Back again begging you to hold this question/meditation close to you as fascism, late stage capitalism and the tech age of AI continues. Card is from my Rest Deck and a quote from my dear friend and comrade Brontë Velez
Card Art by the brilliant paula ch*****ne 💕
Custom Painting on wall by: Black Girl Absolute, Art

Rest is Resistance!