“Don’t buy masks.” -United States Center for Disease Control

Information travels quickly in our connected world, for better or worse. This means that we have near instant access to news that can help keep us safe and prepared, but it also means that often, news travels before all the facts are confirmed, unleashing a tsunami of half truths and outright falsehoods. It is up to each and every one of us in this new world of constant access and open knowledge, to ensure that the information we disseminate is useful and accurate. The citizenry of the world are responsible for the integrity of truth and we must, each and every one, fight the thrum of dubious fact.

Natasha Ria El-Scari lives and works in Kansas City, Missouri. Natasha spoke to Praxis once before about her work and curatorial projects. This time around we spoke about a nonfiction book she wrote which came out in October of 2019. Natasha says returning to writing, her first love, sparks all the other creative projects she does in her life. This book is her first foray into nonfiction. Titled Mama Sutra: Love and Lovemaking Advice to my Son, the book delves into 15 years of conversations she has had with her son about lovemaking. On the eve of his 20th birthday the two had a conversation in which Natasha’s son encouraged her to write the book because he was certain that most men do not have conversations like these with their mothers. To hear more about this project from the heart, as well as more from Natash Ria El-Scari, listen to the complete interview.

Sarah Stolar spoke to us from Santa Fe, New Mexico where she lives and works. She is currently ending a multi-year interdisciplinary project and looking forward to starting fresh. Moving forward she envisions an interdisciplinary project exploring the five stages or grief, death rituals and keening women, women who are either hired or, of their own accord, mourn on behalf of a grieving family. The tradition can be traced back to the Greco-Roman era. Stolar was about to embark on a trip to Ireland to research keening women there when we spoke. Her interest lies in the evolution to the merry wake, a jovial party that happens in the presence of the deceased that includes rich foods and sex. Stolar imagines this project as a seedy dark underworld and her working title is The Grief Club. To hear more about her vision as this project takes shape, listen to the complete interview.