ismatu now writes at threadings.io

The following Terms of Service Agreement is written for the purpose of creating clearly defined expectations of roles and responsibilities between the resident scholar (ismatu gwendolyn) and the intended receiving audience of said scholastic outpouring.

Ismatu Gwendolyn, the primary authority behind First Draft Visionary (henceforth known as the author), establishes themself as responsible for the contents of their works which do include: the written/spoken word of their pen/voice, the sources utilized, and the method of delivery they so employ for the purposes of communication. In all things, the author is honored to be reminded they too are a real person by engaging in this space and expresses gratitude for the participation of the audience. The author recognizes that their scholarship hinges upon thorough study and honest work and thusly publicly commits to a level of excellence that their intentionality plain and obvious. Additionally, the author too acknowledges that the exchange of ideas holds intimacy, and that readership has entrusted them with the shaping of their mind via the consideration of said ideas within their mental scapes, however temporarily. The author thusly commits to wielding their artistry and subsequent power as a means of liberation for Black lineages, Indigenous peoples, and anyone who seeks more freedom and sovereignty than this iteration of world-making affords.

The intended audience of Threadings. and other works by ismatu gwendolyn, henceforth known as the readership, establishes their own selves as responsible for the ideas, emotions, inspirations, and actions bloomed from the seeds embedded within the knowledge the author passes through their hands. They recognize that the internal revolution which occurs in the process of learning is (1) a mutual experience between them and the author, (2) a journey in which they man the helm, and (3) one that necessitates externalized action and community*. The readership recognizes that the exchange of ideas holds intimacy, and that the author has entrusted them with bits of their own blood and bones within the work. The readership thusly commits to wielding the power of their concentrated attention to their own highest outcome for themselves and whosoever they care for, and to leave whatever does not aid them here peacefully.

All participating parties agree to engage with one another (directly, indirectly, facilitated by screens and/or occurring in physical spacetime) in such a way that practices a consideration of ourselves, respectable of our shared thread in the human tapestry. We choose to love one another, however momentous or fleeting that love may be, as real people do. Or, better said by Philip Larkin: we should be careful/ Of each other, we should be kind. / While there is still time.

The author will never share or sell your email address should you choose to subscribe. The author rejects advertisements in the forms of affiliate links, ad-space on podcast projects, paid sponsorships, or the like. The author ensures that their accounts are true to their feeling and knowledge.

*for further online community, the autonomously running Discord of the various readerships and watchers of ismatu gwendolyn (collectively known as The Constituency) is available to join here. Please note that autonomously running means that ismatu themself does not administrate nor frequent the space.