#Greggor Mattson

[richdadpoor]

Growing up Gay in the Age of Google Maps, Grindr and ChatGPT

From the time I knew what intersections were, I said my family lived at the crossing of Inwood Road and Preston Road in North Dallas. I asserted that fact certainly for the better part of a decade. Then I found out those two roads ran parallel to each other. Then we moved to a different house. I did eventually learn our new home’s location and nearest intersection. I did not, however, pass my…

[knife-em0ji]

A really illuminating short piece about gay bars and their role in queer community and formation of identity. I really loved it!

[littleragondin]

Current Tag Game

Tagged by @lurkingshan thank you ^^

Current time: 19:52

Current activity: answering this as I prepare myself to watch ep 5-7 of Shadow

Currently thinking about: that I'm gonna have to turn the heat on because it's 60F (15C) in there and that is. A little too cold.

Current favorite song: Picking just one is always heartbreaking. But I'll go with Anxiolytiques by Théa !

Like many around these parts I also really like the theme song of Kimi ni wa todokanai.

Currently reading: Been in a reading slump lately, so I am still working my way through "Flux" by Jinwoo Chong and "Queer Korea". Because I am not very reasonable I also started "Never Whistle at Night - an indigenous dark fiction anthology" and "Who Needs Gay Bar?"by Greggor Mattson.

Currently watching: Quite a few stuffs actually ... Thailand > I Feel You Linger in the Air (love it beyond words, i can't believe we're reaching the end tomorrow - like everyone I hope it holds up), Absolute Zero (that I wanted to like so much more than I actually do to the point I need to catch up on the last 2 episodes), My Universe (I watch the stories here and there so I am a little behind, a mixed bag but it's fun to see how each story works (or not)), started My Dear Gangster Oppa (sweet and fun so far). And OF COURSE Shadow!! 💜💜💜

Taiwan > Kiseki dear to me (I'm enjoying this one a lot because I adore the characters mostly), and I'm rewatching We Best Love.

Japan > Kimi ni wa todokanai (caught up late on this one but omg this is my fave trope (bff to lovers) and it's such. a. delight it fills me with joy), Kimi to nara koi wo shite mite mo (which is fantastic and has such lovely and lovable main characters), One Room Angel (which i really enjoy, and I am very curious to see where it's taking us). I am also just finishing Shigatsu no tokyo wa ... (liking this one a lot even if it's not as strong story wise than I might have hoped, and has an incredible young actor to play 15yo Kazuma)

US > catching up on season 2 of OFMD

Current favorite character: Koki from One Room Angel, Jom from IFYLA, Kakeru from Kimi ni wa todokanai, and uh .. I am being weirdly hung up on Anurak from Shadow. (I'd be hard pressed to find anything in common between all of these lol)

Current WIP: right about now, the forms to be allowed to make an appointment at the embassy ... otherwise trying to work on a little animation for a friend, and some birthdays + christmas planning.

If you feel so inclined, I'll tag @benkaaoi @petrichoraline @sparklyeyedhimbo @iguessitsjustme @heretherebedork @gillianthecat and @troubled-mind ⸜( *ˊᵕˋ* )⸝

[lgbtqreads]

May 2021 Deal Announcements

May 2021 Deal Announcements

Adult Fiction Author of YA novels WE USED TO BE FRIENDS and THE SUMMER OF JORDI PEREZ Amy Spalding’s OUTFOXED, a queer f/f romcom about chosen family, honoring your dreams, and falling for the person who sees you as you really are, in which a woman believes that she’s cursed to be alone forever, but when her talent agency job leads her to spend time with an up-and-coming actress and notorious…

[rpritchardjournal]

Research: One In, One Out: Queering Space with Lucy Hayhoe

(Lucy Hayhoe’s One in, One out Leeds Smallet Gay Bar, 2021, presented at Compass Festival) 

What makes a space queer? Lucy Hayhoe is a live artist who’s installation based experiences and performances explore queering space. I discover Hayhoe’s work while researching Depford X’s 2019 events program, and I came across her piece Depford’s Smallest Gay Bar, 2019.

Hayhoe has since restaged this piece, now exhibiting in Leeds as Leed’s Smallest Gay Bar, 2020. This piece considers what it means for a place to be gay- while also refelcting on the transitory nature of queer spaces in the uk.

Dealing with simliar themes to Hannah Quinlan and Rosie Hasting’s work, Hayho considers reflects on the loss of UK queer spaces. The UK has experienced a rapid loss to queer spaces in the last ten years. With 60% of London’s LGBTQI+ spaces estimated to have closed in the last decade, and huge losses in Manchester with venues such as KiKi’s closing in 2020, queer safe spaces which have served as a lifeline, a place to find and build community, and a place to feel free to many LGBTQI+ people, are being lost.

As people grapple with the reasons why these spaces are struggling to survive- Hayhoe considers what it is that makes these places uniquely queer.

“Are we queer in relation to other people, or can we be queer by ourselves and on our own?” These are questions i’ve been asking myself when thinking about my own work. I think queerness is something which stems from within- queer euphoria is something I feel with other people, but it is also something quite private and individual- something I find from within. In many ways I think Hayhoes space- giving people a space that exists for them to be alone and queer within proves this.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lucy Hayhoe (@lucyhayhoe)

Hayhoe embraced a camp aesthetic within the work with Compass Fest describing it’s ‘glitz, glamour and dodgy disco lighting’, it welcomes visitors in through it’s tinsley tassels to a space only a little larger than a telephone box, allowing one at a time to get a drink, check their coat, and have a dance.

Hayhoe describes her work as allowing for a sense of queer potential; something that is critical in my own work.

“It’s the sense of potential, the break from the heteronormative gaze, a rejection of the domestic.” 

She argues that this is what queer spaces provide queer people- a place where non-normative identities are given freedom from societal preasures, and given a space where they are placed at the centre. This is something I too have been trying to achieve within my work; centering queerness and queer people, giving us a space to feel seen and exist outside of the systems of oppression and pressures at work within society.

Another project of Hayhoe’s that I am drawn to is her Home Sweet Home collaboration with Abigail Conway. This piece is a spectator lead installation, driven from the desire for adult play. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by home sweet home (@hsh_liveart)

The work is a durational, cardboard flat pack town, in which participants can buy plots, build and decorate a house, contributing to the community that is constructed there. The participants take ownership of their community, making plans, naming streets, organising elections etc. The piece culminates in a ‘street party’ before each member is allowed to take their house away; “and so carry with them a trace of the community that was, and their role within it.”

I think this is a really interesting and engaging project, the audience becoming the creators, and mediating on collective identity, community building, and individual contribution. Particularly as we shift digitally in our socialisation and community location, this artwork highlights the power in community through creative play.

I find Hayhoes work very inspiring in that way, her use of ambitious installation to provide that sense of freedom and play within her work. While allowing for engaging and playful interactions between the art and its audience, the work also reflects critically on what we are lacking in society and provides creative solutions to engage the audience in ways of reflecting on these gaps.

https://deptfordx.org/event/lucy-hayhoe-one-in-one-out-deptfords-smallest-gay-bar/2019-10-25/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-33608000

https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/04/15/gay-bars-survive-coronavirus-crisis-lockdown-closure-lgbt-greggor-mattson-oberlin-college/ 

https://compassliveart.org.uk/  

https://www.instagram.com/hsh_liveart/?hl=en 

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/apr/03/queer-spaces-london-lost-gay-clubs-lgbt-nightlife-gentrification 

[artsoccupychi]

Happy Thanksgiving

The Centennial of Finland’s Independence Year is drawing to a close. December 6 is on the radar for all of us. Let’s take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents endured to give us this gift.

Sisu is thankful for all the support it has received during the Centennial Year. It has been such a blast to connect with all of you, share moments with you, and string together events you have organized all across the United States.

Our sponsors. Please let them know how much you appreciate their support. MetsaBoard RCP Software Forciot Rowing Performance Uponor Finnleo Neste BaseN Nokian Tyres Tosibox Juska Law Ice Cold Crime Providence Private Client Services Yetitablet

Suomi Finland 100 North American Sauna Society International Sauna Association Finnish American Heritage Center FinnFest USA Concordia Language Villages Salolampi Language Village Salolampi Foundation Finlandia Foundation National Our event hosts. You folks deserve all the kudos you can get! Thank you for letting Sisu to stop by and/or be part of your event!

Finnsource - Minna Hovinen, Honorary Consul Marianne Wargelin University of Arkansas - Peter MacKeith Finnish Language School in Dallas - Leila Jäämuru & staff Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Houston - Mari Emaus, Tuija Kalpala Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, MN - Valpuri Remling Phoenix Area Finn Club - Leena & Olli Tuomi, Joy Dorvinen Consulate of Finland in L.A. - Suvi Aherto Ridgecrest Flying Aces - Olli Leppälä Mr. Sauna Jukka Dudeson Albany Sauna & Hot Tubs - Frederika Adam & staff Nordic Innovation House - Thuong Tan Battle Ground, WA Finn Club - Bunny McElveny Tiny Digs Hotel - Pam Westra Nordic Heritage Museum - Eric Nelson Idaho Finns - Donald Heikkila, Tuula Ezzell Missoula Nordic Club - Jenni Rohrbach, Jenna McVey Mountain Hot Tub, Bozeman, MT - Ben Rainey Hjemkomst Center / Red River Finns - Ellen Liddle, Markus Krueger American Swedish Institute - Scott Pollock FinnSisu - Ahvo Taipale Chicago Area Finns - Tony Johannson City of Cedarburg - Mikko Hilvo Finland, MN Historical Society - Joretta Nikula Duluth Area Finns - Steve Leppala, Mimmu Salmela National Sauna Day, Embarrass, MN - John Kinnunen Virginia - Hibbing - Giants Ridge, MN - Honorary Consul Jimmy Johnson, Beth Pierce Concordia Language Villages / Salolampi - Iida Tervola Hultberg Menahga Finns - St. Urho Great American Think-off, New York Mills, MN - Betsy Rader St Anthony Village Sister Cities - Ruth Ann Marks, Karen Wiemeri Old World Wisconsin - Anna Hope Altschwager Milwaukee Area Finns - Linda Pensala Merrill, WI - Metsa Machines Houghton/Hancock/Bruce’s Crossing Midsummer - Honorary Consul Jim Kurtti Wixom Finn Camp - Carol Pelto Melancon Oberlin College / Nord Family Foundation - Greggor Mattson, Tim Scholl Buffalo, NY Area Finns - Christina Pasternak Saarinen Camp Pineshore - Jennifer Carrion Leominster FinnFun Week End - Stan Karro Cloucester, MA Area Finns - Mark Babson New England Spas - Norm Coburn NY Area Finns - Annemarie Hjorth, Eero Kilpi Hotbox Sauna - Jackie Aude, Paula Wegman Walters State Community College - Paul Lubotina & staff City of Spartanburg / Spartanburg Area Finns - Galia Rodriguez, Marko “päivää että pätkähti” Huttunen Valmet Atlanta - Jukka Virtanen Finnish American Chamber of Commerce Southeast (Atlanta) - Minna LeVine Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center - Mary Pyle, Stacy Howell City of Boynton Beach, FL - Jeanne Heavilin, Mayor Steve Grant Suomi-Talo, Lantana, FL - Sirpa Aho Capital Hot Tub, VA & MD - Patty Mahoney The Embassy of Finland in the United States - Ambassador Kirsti Kauppi & staf Whoa! What a list that is. Over 100 events in 1 year. Sisu’s been busy!

Kudos to all of you who we have met on the road, via social media, through our website, or this blog. You made this whole trip worth the while! THANK YOU for your support!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here. Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here. Like reading about Sisu’s travels? Please help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation. [Read More ...] https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MBEFO17ClDA/WKX_Wom1wbI/AAAAAAAAAEg/W0Gz_P-pcO8o8ulbSzS0hK2LJ8NIOXUEQCPcBGAYYCw/s72-c/Cokato.png http://travelingsauna.blogspot.com/2017/11/happy-thanksgiving.html

[artsoccupychi]

East Coast, here I come!

It is now less than 100 days to the big Birthday Party. Syntymäpäiväjuhla in Finnish. Say that fast 10 times! You folks on the East Coast are in luck. Sisu is finally coming your way! After visiting people and places around the western half of the United States, Wixom FinnCamp Annual Softball Tournament kicked off the 2nd half of the journey for Sisu. Sisu was invited to visit FinnCamp August 11-13.

Detroit Finnish Cooperative Summer Camp Association was founded in 1925 when a group of Finns working in the car factories in Detroit purchased 100 acres on Loon Lake in Wixom, to have a place for their families to spend time in the summer. What a smart move! Almost 100 years later the association still owns about 2/3 of the original acreage. They have 92 camps (Michigan talk for “cabin”) on the property, a main building, a sauna and a baseball field. The Camp is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Softball Tournament week end proved out to be exactly what it sounds like. 22 teams competing for the trophy, hundreds of campers and visitors enjoying a week end together. The event was magnificently organized with breakfast, lunch and dinner served from the kitchen, refreshments available from multiple locations on the property, and games and activities for kids and families. Sisu was very excited to hang out with the crowd and offer sauna to a number of guests.

Sisu definitely recommends a visit to the FinnCamp and their Annual Softball Tournament. FinnCamp offers a number of guest camps for visitors. Please check availability with FinnCamp.

Thank you, Carol Melancon & crew for inviting Sisu to take part in your wonderful week end! Monday, August 14 took Sisu to Oberlin College in Oberlin, OH. Oberlin is a liberal arts college, known for its music program, and for being the first college in the US to admit both students of all races, and female students.

The college football team was hard at practice but, as the fall semester hadn't started yet, it was a quiet day on the campus otherwise. Which was just perfect as Sisu had people and friends arriving from as far away as Cleveland, OH.

Greggor Mattson and Tim Scholl, our hosts, provided a supply of sausages, snacks and refreshments. What a splendid early afternoon and evening around the grill and in the sauna. Thank you Greggor, Tim and The Nord Family Foundation.

Next on the agenda, a visit to Buffalo, NY. The drive from Oberlin to Buffalo follows the south shore of Lake Erie. A short stretch is spent traveling through Pennsylvania, before entering New York state. In NY, the freeway is all of a sudden flanked by vineyards. Concord grape for juice, jams and jellies. In Buffalo, Sisu is hosted by Christina and Lasse Saarinen. Both avid rowers, the West Side Rowing Club facility offered a spectacular setting for an evening of sauna, right on the Niagara River, with the Peace Bridge to Canada less than a mile away.

The Niagara River is a pretty fast flowing river. There is a narrow canal on the US side at the Rowing Club, protected by a pier. This must be where the rowers practice, wondered Sisu. Or, maybe, out on the lake? Anyway, another fun evening with friends and family. In addition to the view, both Sisu and the plentiful potluck table received rave reviews!

After Buffalo, Sisu had two days to get to the Boston area for the August 18-20 weekend events. Good to have some extra time once in a while, as it appeared that every bridge and underpass on I-90 was restricted to one lane. Some kind of an inspection program, suspected Sisu. But, on every bridge in the entire state of NY at the same time? Oh well, having been raised in Minnesota, Sisu knows that, for certain things, summer is short. It was time to switch drivers. Jouko flew in, and Risto back home. It was a very peaceful hour-plus drive for Jouko to get to Westminster, Massachusetts. We had been invited to Camp Pineshore (or Camp Mantyranta) for an evening of saunas as the camp did not have one of its own. We had a wonderful evening of saunas and swimming, combined with hot dogs and brats in a beautiful setting and weather.

From there on Friday, Sisu drove to Leominster / Fitchburg, MA area for the Finnfunn weekend at the Leominster Doubletree Hilton hotel. The festival had about 200 attendees, with approximately 40 ending up taking a sauna, including Deputy Ambassador Antti Vänskä from the DC. But, the highlight of the weekend was the group led by Mika Lassila. After touring the country for 8 months and 16,000 miles, we had thought we had seen everything, but no. Mika and friends brought a large tub on the back of a pickup and parked it next to Sisu and filled it with ice and cold water – Traveling Sauna meets Traveling Ice Bath. A group of about 10 bathers took turns going from the sauna to the ice bath and back. Many times.

Thank you to Joe and Linda Byrne for providing a bedroom in their gorgeous home and Stan Karro for making all the arrangements for the weekend. We felt really welcomed in this famous Finnish immigrant town. On Sunday, Sisu traveled to Cape Ann to Lanesville (Gloucester, MA) for an afternoon of sauna and lectures at the Lanesville Community Center. The really great thing about the tour is finding all these pockets of Finnish neighborhoods where Finnish heritage and saunas are truly appreciated. We had a full schedule of saunas from the 120 people who attended the event. Thank you very much to Mark Babson for setting everything up.

On Monday Sisu traveled to New England Spas for a two week show and tell by their showroom. It has been a hit already there. Thanks to Norm Coburn for inviting us. The tour continues on September 9th in New York City and 10th in Brooklyn. Come say hello!

Sisu’s full schedule and up-to-date calendar, please click here. Finland Centennial Calendar in the US, please click here. Like reading about Sisu’s travels? You can help us bring Sisu to a location near you. Get a souvenir from our web store, or feel free to make a donation.

[Read More ...] https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_WQl9HvRA_o/Wam6KfAFg-I/AAAAAAAAAeo/HsdOn3OiHnYez6JUMmeIAouUJPKNfi8IQCLcBGAs/s72-c/20170812_192311.jpg http://travelingsauna.blogspot.com/2017/09/east-coast-here-i-come.html