Attend

Y’all give much thought to the word “attend?”

I do. I think we become what we attend to. I suspect what we do with our attention is what we will have done with our lives. There’s also the matter of attendance. Class attendance. Church attendance. Attendre in French means “to wait.” One can sit or stand around or amble about somewhere without really attending to it, to seeing or experiencing what’s there. To attend, in this sense, might mean bringing ones whole self—ones whole presence—to something. Does this sound obsessive?

If so, I accept that. I tend to think our obsessions are all we have.

I say all this to introduce a friend with whom I seem to share a positive obsession or two. I refer here to Susanna Chapman. All of the images you see here are her work. We met at a protest I really didn’t want to attend, but I felt compelled by conscience (or the holy spirit) to mosey over. I woke up that morning with freedom on my mind and felt I had to. I’m so glad I did.

Yes, those are church pews. And yes those are…handmade bulletins with thoughts and drawings and stories inside. Susanna has this to say: “I realized recently that church bulletins were my first encounter with the zine format—small-circulation, low cost work produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon.”

Isn’t that something? Don’t you want to see what’s in there? 

I’d say there’s secrets inside, but they aren’t secrets if they’re publicly displayed artifacts that anybody who wants to can pick up and read and take pictures of.

This is the case. Anybody who wants to can go in there and look inside and take pictures of what’s there. Are you in Nashville? Consider moseying over. Everyday’s an apocalypse if we’ll let it be. Come and see. Nothing is hidden.

I suppose one could also ask someone in Nashville to mosey over and take pictures and report back. There are so many ways to attend (or not) to the world we share.

Reader, I know what’s in the bulletins. I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a phrase in one I’m going to take with me: “Of the church but not in it.” I love the way those words invite contemplation over what a person means by “church.” And also attendance.

Tonight’s the night for attending and meeting and talking to Susanna Chapman, but it’ll be up till March 4th. Tell your people.