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10 Feb Adrienne Dawes

“How am I not myself?” In I Heart Huckabees, Jude Law’s character poses this question to a pair of existential detectives. Until then, they have been unshakeable, but in response to his query, the two just stare at each other and repeat his words, profoundly and maniacally. 

In real life, the question of identity—where we come from, who we are, who we want or need to be—is just as complicated and all-encompassing. Adrienne Dawes, a playwright and theater artist based in Austin, would tell you it’s also more fluid than we may be pressured to believe. Adrienne’s plays, especially her award-winning Am I White, reflect an interest in and exploration of identity that has its roots in her own experience. I recently got to chat with Adrienne, who is now busy with two simultaneous productions, Denim Doves and Love Me Tinder. In a phone call that felt like a connection between two friends who had yet to meet face-to-face, we talked about her productions, her day job, her unique family, meeting the man that Am I White was inspired by, the power and necessity of loneliness, and making stuff you love with people you love.

26 Jan Chani Nicholas

“Do you want to—I mean, you don't have to do this—but do you want to tell me your rising sign?” Chani Nicholas, astrologer, healer, artist, activist, writer, and the shyest sage, asked me midway through our interview.

I told her it was Scorpio, excited that she asked and slightly self-conscious that I shouldn't get distracted by learning things about myself. I was supposed to be learning about her! But learn about her was exactly what I did, even when I was the one answering questions and watching her jot down things with a pencil and paper. When Chani learned I had a Cancer moon, she exclaimed, “Oh love! That's so sweet. That's a really powerful moon.” And hearing her say it made it both true and profound. With just a few details, she was able to determine that I was born in a night chart, with the sun just about to rise. Chani might think of herself as a student of the stars and the planets—a student of movement—but she is a teacher, too. And a moving one at that.