Enter the Navel: for the Love of Creative Nonfiction

ENTER THE NAVEL For the Love of Creative Nonfiction

Anjoli Roy THE OPERATING SYSTEM DIGITAL PRINT//DOCUMENT

ENTER THE NAVEL: FOR THE LOVE OF CREATIVE NONFICTION

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Abdomen 8 Bacteria 9 Center 10 Depression 11 Emit 12 First 13 Geography 14 Horse 16 Innies 17 Junction 18 Kangaroo 19 Lint 20 Mother 21 Navel-Gazer 25 Orange 26 Piercing 27 Question 29 Regret 30 Sexy 31 Television 32 Umbilicus 33 Vishnu 34 Wheel 37 Xenial 38 Yolk stalk 39 Zzzzzz 40 About the Author 53 \\\ 8 \\\ | ABDOMEN story. “What1. See Are Babas For” for amore complete telling of this Itborn. might something be else. to spiritual the realm—to our ancestors and not those yet The navel might scar.be a just thresholdtheIt might be eventually got up to get her aspoon. of eating Indian letalone food, eating it with her hands. I at tableme, the beside stunned already by challenge the fromfriend my mostly white elementary schoolsat frozen once said, sucking from dal his fingers. scar.a new to conduct laparoscopic hysterectomies without creating like mygynecologists have dad interns directed nervous organs. telephone the Over and eating while dinner, body.the Via incision, asmall can now they remove whole Today, navel the is agate surgeons pass through to enter umbilicalthe cord. from birthing their mother vessels through blood of the obtains oxygen and nutrients through abdomen their on most other mammals, since mammalian the fetus ofsevering umbilical the cord. An equivalent mark exists of middle the aperson’s abdomen produced from the It’s common knowledge that navel the is around in scar Platypuses donot. Dolphins have navels. We were sitting around table. the My first sleepover “No, no! That’sthe bladder! Movethat the side!”to he 1

| /// 9 /// BACTERIA and I’m not sure what to do with that. do with to what sure not I’m and 4 They collected samples from sixty people’s sixty people’s from They collected samples 2

3 Go ahead. up. Look it I did. as need to, if you Shudder One individual who reported not to have showered showered have to not whoreported individual One The unique combination of a person’s navel bacteria navel a of person’s combination unique The a bacterium with found was belly button A person’s person’s one from in a sample found bacterium Another 4. See Kim and Jones. 4. See and Kim 2. See Hulcr, et al. 2. See Hulcr, 3. See Fischer.

What are we to do with this information? I ask because I ask this do with information? to we are What human from cheese made like things disgusting are there bacteria, navel navel had previously only been found in the ocean. beenfound only previously had navel extremophile with presented several years for bathed or extreme under live bacteria to is, bacteria—that known thermal and ice caps as such conditions, environmental vents. varies from person to person. to person from varies Japan. from in soil samples only discovered previously Japan. never visited had This person In 2012, a team of ecologists in North Carolina published a published Carolina in North ecologists of 2012, a team In Biodiversity on their Button Belly paper research scientific study. project of in typesbacteria living 2,300 different found and navels belly buttons. those human \\\ 10 \\\ |

CENTER (see Navel-Gazer).(see make abasket. her navel closely to anticipate her next move, blocking her efforts to she’dwhen play one-on-one basketball with our dad, he would watch Maya, of is middle who the our parents’ three daughters, said that In story, this our was dad aliteral navel-gazer, atermwe’ll come to “It was maddening. It made me laugh,” also she said. hubthe

organization, is the middle is middle the asphere of activity. navel The

or of middle the point of anything— or of heart an | /// 11 /// as of this of as DEPRESSION Anomaly To stave off this depression, depression, this off stave To 6

5 “It felt like a grandma stroking my hair, encouraging encouraging hair, my stroking a grandma like felt “It feeling was when she pills take the placenta would She 6. See Illinois Department of Public Health. Public of 6. See Department Illinois 5. If you are someone fascinated by mollusks in general and and in general mollusks by fascinated someone are you 5. If Was “Grandpa my read to like might you in particular, abalone with forthcoming which is Diver,” a Skin in this be curiosity.) alone I might and (You writing. The placenta is the organ that connects, via the umbilical via connects, umbilical the that organ is the placenta The after made is the navel where the fetus, the belly of to cord, birth. huge drop in progesterone after birth, which can trigger, birth, trigger, can which after in progesterone drop huge blues. the baby form, mildest in its she there,” was a presence . . . like subtle and gentle and said. overwhelmed. or tender who give birth everywho give year. encapsulated, dried and placentas their own ingest some in smoothies. raw or cooked, or that says and birthed seven children Joya, sister, oldest My the counteract her helped placenta encapsulated ingesting In conchology, or the study of mollusk shells, the central the central shells, mollusk of the study or conchology, In a gastropod of whorls the inner by formed depression called is shell a navel. humans of to 20 10 percent affects depression Post-partum \\\ 12 \\\ | EMIT from my navel for reason. this to rank. thatexperience button belly smell can range from mild above that’s doing it, but I do know from personal button.belly I’m not sure ifit’s “navel the wine” mentioned own navel donot too—I like other people to touch my button,belly afear that from triggered can be one’s seeing that disgust can trigger or terror evenfrom glimpsing a Though I do not have omphalophobia—or a fear of navels .” e n i w and creates “a what called has been teeny tiny bit of navel button, where oxygen is inshort supply, ferments sugars navel, to start dostrange things. entering when bacteria, or residing long enough inthe to strength the crucial of our body’s immune system, some While, ingeneral, our skinhosts avariety of bacteria risk ofa higher emitting navel odor. navels Lint), with deeper (see objects those are probably at on accumulation the Based and of physical bacteria Some of us have navels deeper than others Innies). (see 7. See The Public Science Lab, TheScience Public 7. See Belly“Common Button Bacteria.” I may or may not have pushed away wandering hands Staphylococcus epidermis, living when belly inthe 7

| /// 13 /// FIRST The navel is our first wound. wound. our first is navel The \\\ 14 \\\ | GEOGRAPHY of island the child, place the where land connects to sky. Papa Mother). (Earth the peak of mountain The the is piko Maunakea is amountain child of Wākea (Sky Father) and ‘Āina is ancestor. ‘Āina is sacred. feeds. For Kānaka Maoli, ‘āina is more than geography. place where leaf attaches to stem. piko anavel, is also navel or string, umbilical cord. It is the Indigenousthe of Hawai‘i, recognize Maunakea as apiko. worldin the measured floor. from sea the Kānaka Maoli, Hawaiianthe islands, Maunakea mountain is tallest the A mountain anavel. be can also on Located largest the of Vishnu). it is considered source the to be of universe the (see In Hinduism, one navel is ageographic marker crucial, so button belly the called of Japan. an annual festival celebrates button. belly the Shibukawa is In town the of Shibukawa, located center inthe of Japan, The navelthe centeris point or middle of acountry sea. or #KūKia‘iMauna #protectmaunakea Maunakea is piko, is land, is earth, is ‘āina, or that which A piko is asummit or top of or ahill amountain. A 8

| /// 15 /// - Nā Puke We Puke Nā ’s entry “piko.” on ’s 9 As Kanaka Maoli scholar Bryan Kamaoli Kuwada has has Kuwada Bryan Kamaoli scholar Maoli Kanaka As 8 Hāloa has the responsibility of caring for his older older his for caring of the responsibility has Hāloa From these divine parents, a human named Hāloa, a Hāloa, named a human these parents, divine From hewehe ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘Ōlelo hewehe 8. See Muramoto. of storyof the retelling and the Maunakea of discussion 9. This Kuwada Bryan Kamaoli Dr. with discussions from come Hāloa and Maly Onaona and Maly Kepa to references and said famously, “We live in the future. Come join us.” us.” join Come in thefuture. live “We famously, said this way, human navels connect to mountain navel. navel. mountain to connect navels human this way, land to relationships Indigenous to turning and Upholding protects and for whichcares that protect and for care that central likely is kalo, with relationship in Hāloa’s as you, survival our to a species as in this climate-change-addled anthropocene. brother, the kalo plant. In turn, the kalo plant cares for for cares the kalo turn, plant In the kalo plant. brother, ancestor. food and important his as Hāloa placed have Maunakea to rooted families Maoli Kanaka In Maunakea. newborn on of children cords the umbilical name that means long stalk, was born. Before Hāloa came came Hāloa stalk, born. was Before long means that name and, ground inthe planted childwas a stillborn. first This heart-shaped whose plant, kalo became in turn, the first stems. long from emerged leaves \\\ 16 \\\ | HORSE back. Thisdefinitionisobsolete. A navelhasbeenanameforthemiddlepointofhorse’s | /// 17 ///

13 INNIES

10 magazine reported that umbilicoplasty, umbilicoplasty, that reported magazine

Allure 11 In 2018, In innie. an to outie an change to want Many of the “beautifying” involve sometimes tucks Tummy Even innies come in their own shapes. Some innies innies Some shapes. their in own innies come Even You might shudder at that too, as I did. as too, that at shudder might You Related records indicate that the most blueberries fit fit blueberries the most that indicate records Related outies, record-setting on information find not I could 13. See MacKenzie. Rollman. and 10. See Henderson 11. See UNILAD. History. Natural of 12. See Museum American Only 10 percent of people have outies in adulthood. Innies Innies in adulthood. outies have people of 10 percent Only attractive. being more as perceived are was trending. button, the belly surgery “fix” plastic to or the navel. doesn’t—contrary to some public opinion—depend on on opinion—depend public some to doesn’t—contrary cut. is cord the umbilical how sister my of the new like navel a spiral, of heal in the shape Rey. baby, just-born Maya’s that stuck out a full inch from his belly and was offered offered was belly and his a full from inch out stuck that him a video of for fetishists by $1,000 dollars of upward it. fondling some innies and have folks some why a mystery kind of It’s forms the navel particularly the way since outies, have folks the belly button unassisted for at least 3 seconds. least at for unassisted the belly button 10. are a belly button into will likely you enough, long look around if you though who a navel had a 26-year-old a story about across come Thirty-year-old University of Arkansas student Randon Randon student Arkansas of University Thirty-year-old for record the world made 2010, 31, August on Beasley, fit 30 he is His so deep, navel. a inside fit quarters most stood for requires, criteria the world as and, inside coins in remaining all with quarters attempt, his of the duration \\\ 18 \\\ | JUNCTION the survivalofhumanspecies(seeGeography). enduring, reciprocalnavelconnections—mightbekeyto and putting our weight behind those communities with over andthereforetherighttoabuse. rather thancarefor,arebeingsthatwehavedominion endless commoditiestoconsume,develop,andpollute many human communities live like lands and waters are human navels,mightnotillustratehowandwhyso navels, ofthecutting of kinship of plantnavelsfrom intact inHawaiian. and stem.Thisdefinitionisobsolete,thoughitremains In English,anavelisalsodefinedasthejunctionofleaf As stated earlier, I wonder if mending this wound— I wonderifthislinguisticseveringofAnglophone | /// 19 /// KANGAROO The kangaroo is another mammal without a navel. a without mammal another is kangaroo The \\\ 20 \\\ | LINT 15. See Daily Mail15. See Reporter. Sabrina. 14. See I’mwhen no longer physically capable.” I’m curious how also much he it sold for. display. He three sold jars of his lint to amuseum, presumably for 110 carats lint ifthe were precious actually stones or pearls. 22.1 grams of stuff, the whichequivalentthe be would of lint. course the of Over 26years, 45-year-old the collected librarian Graham Barker for his of collection button belly bears that she traps inbottles. has made from Case button belly Betty lint tiny smiling fibers, hair, cells.and skin dead The lint in human navels is mostly made up of clothing I wonder ifhe’s at still it. Barker quoted has been as saying, “I stop will collecting I’m curious museum which would botherto buy that. In Guinness 2010, the of Records Book recognized Lint is an collecting hobby. actual Rachel The artist 14

| /// 21 /// MOTHER to have a belly button, a belly button, have to not To create her new navel, the doctors sutured around the around sutured the doctors new navel, her create To that look at “I said. she thing,” looking a nasty made “It a wear again never would she that sadly, accepted, She “Two for the price of one, right?” she said. right?” said. she one, of the price for “Two her by pelvic bone. down would way be incision The weird looked have would It Since they were going to do an abdominal approach approach abdominal do an to going they were Since The tummy tuck was an afterthought, actually, because because actually, afterthought, an was tuck tummy The tissue and then packed it down to the residual scar of her her scar of the residual to down it then packed and tissue cord. umbilical fuck that.” I think, well, and sucker The doctors would free up her skin on her abdomen, abdomen, her on skin her up would free doctors The then poke and down it pull and belly button, her including was. the belly button where again a hole she said. hysterectomy would be a big deal. be a big would hysterectomy hysterectomies hysterectomy—laparoscopic the total for get if they would asked been yet—she developed hadn’t they before a little up things tighten to in there someone sewed close. her cancer, and our mom didn’t want to take chances with the with take chances to want didn’t mom our and cancer, dad were brown our and She sick. getting of possibility running out. was health coverage Her also divorcing. knew she and school full to back time too, going was She cervix her eye on an keep to visits doctor frequent that She’d or wise. time financially be to feasible, going weren’t seem the like didn’t so it menstruating, stopped already when she had a tummy tuck in the early 90s, when I, her when90s, her I, thein early tuck tummy a had whenshe old. seven years about was youngest, after hysterectomy a voluntary decided have to she’d pap a precancerous from result abnormal an receiving ovarian of stages in the late was Anna aunt Her smear. The navel is the mark that ties us to the person who gives to us the who gives ties person that mark is the navel The us. birth to rather, Or, a belly button. have doesn’t momma white My removed was It born with. was she the one have doesn’t she \\\ 22 \\\ | I wonder grade, my if, I was sixth when inthe mom no training.Christian accidentalthe subversion despite of theory this our intodrilled our heads. ofeven though story the Jesus’s human had birth been that would result inascar.sense to Thismade us, story with moms and placentas and umbilical-cord-severing surelyGod never would have inahuman born been way: were didn’t telling ifthey truth the have button. abelly If someone claimed that were they we’d God, know they elementary school aboutChristian buttons belly and God: a tip circulated inmy group friend sixth-grade at our dropped famous the song “What Was If God One of Us,” In mid-90s,around the that time the Joan Osborne guysif the were paying attention.” She said laughing. this would have just been as happy without one. Icould’ve seen digestion, always threatening to get snagged. miserable. got caught around adhesion the and pinched. It was really is, on lower the right abdomen.” “I have an adhesion and Iknow where exactly that sucker things together that aren’t supposed stuck to be together. bowel movement for nine years after her hysterectomy. mentioned awoman she met hadn’t who had anormal navel) had more of an impact than she’d anticipated. She skimpy two-piece bathing suit. Despite my agnosticism, it took me years to untangle “It was alot prettier before Ihaddone. this Iprobably I asked her ifshe her old missed navel. intestine,I imagined her small slithering around during She up ended hospital inthe once her because intestine aboutShe talked adhesions the that form, sticking I asked her how that could happen. “ The combined hysterectomy and tummy tuck (and new Nine years ,” she said. depressed “That bad.”so me 16

| /// 23 /// - - story.) previous ability to wear skimpy two-pieces. My parents first flirt first parents My two-pieces. skimpy wear to ability previous saun she As two-piece. a tiny wore mom my a pool, where ed at to magazine tossed her she room, her to up way her on by tered leadheadline The out. her checking was noticed she the man Wanted You “Everything like something was the magazine on so are Parents Ask.” to Afraid Too Were Sex but about Know to this of a fuller Red (See retelling BMW” for disgusting. “Little 16. Although it’s difficult to admit, I am indebted to my mother’s mother’s my to indebted am I to admit, difficult it’s 16. Although invisible navel. In this essay, that navel would be here. right would navel that this essay, In navel. invisible 16 longer had a navel, I would have looked at her differently. differently. her at looked have I would a navel, had longer 26 letters, has it Since navel. a have doesn’t The alphabet we Or, middle no letter. is there even number, an 26 is and the the the N is between space theM and that say might \\\ 24 \\\ | | /// 25 ///

NAVEL-GAZER 17 . ,” my mom said when I told her this. “You this. “You her when said I told mom my ,” In Atlante

though it’s unclear whether, in all the different in all the different whether, unclear it’s though abs. Right abs. 18 Satyres I am not a practitioner of yoga, and therefore cannot cannot therefore and yoga, of a practitioner not I am There are actual marble statues depicting omphaloskepsis. omphaloskepsis. depicting statues actualmarble are There “Their 18. See “Manipura Chakra.” 18. See “Manipura 17. See engage this chakra. engage speak that. to In yoga, the navel is an important chakra in the body. Named Named chakra in the body. important an is the navel yoga, In to supposed this is chakra jewels,” of “city or manipura, self sense and of a clear with yoga of a practitioner provide purpose, bending act of the physical today, exist that yoga of kinds been has utilized to navel one’s look at to back upper one’s experienced celestial joy during navel-gazing. navel-gazing. experienced during celestial joy over hunched stand men Roman four the Louvre, In abs. their alabaster regarding awkwardly, lower?” a little something for ‘questing’ they weren’t sure Belly button meditation is a real thing, though. thing,though. real a is meditation Bellybutton comes omphaloskepsis, or navel, one’s of Contemplation the navel the use of involves and Greek, the ancient from human or the cosmos consider to the in quest aid an as they have say Some the divine. with converse to or nature Navel-gazer is an insult usually launched at someone who is who is someone at launched usually insult an is Navel-gazer ideas at and thoughts their own whoself-absorbed, positions interesting are things such if as a widerthe expense view, of themselves. than other anyone for insightful or \\\ 26 \\\ | ORANGE 19. See Dell’Amore.19. See maternal navels, backward and forward for eternity. manybody of building basic the blocks of potential me. pregnant with my mother, in her was who already carrying grandmother’s orange my juice while grandma was I may have on some been, cellular level, my drinking ever have challenged, has been too. yourfemale fetus all potential is to grandchildren carry second. make who males, unlike and of dispense per 1,500sperm lives. that Ilearned biological this reality is completely everhavebabies are intheir they’ll eggs the with born all I remember learning inreproductive that biology female slowly. juice I’ve is best squeezed the had. Even now, since my decades last Grandma’s glass, fresh- she’d inshot-size to her glasses wee granddaughters. serve during year. the This meantfresh oranges year round. navel and Valencia at trees, fruit which differenttimes My mom’s parents were smart about oranges. had They inside orange. the at fruit apex the ofsecondary anavel orange: orange the A navel is akindof orange. It name the is also of small the I like this idea ofI like idea this fetus navels connected to invisible thatbeliefThe we theare eggs born we’llwithall In females sense, this are a like nested dolls: to carry When we were little, my sisters and to Ilearned sip it Grandma into fruits would these juice squeeze that 19 but that I like idea this | /// 27 /// PIERCING “He did it deep,” Briana would later tell me warily. I warily. me tell later would Briana deep,” did it “He a wasn’t guy that clear pretty was it retrospect, In “I don’t know . . .” Briana said once we were inside, inside, were we once said Briana . . .” know don’t “I I said. do it!” “I’ll Were belly buttons? our piercing by rebelling we Were surgical The led to. he us room the tiny I remember We hustled to the piercing studio we’d visited in visited we’d studio the piercing to hustled We To be fair, the sun was kissing the ocean once we we the ocean once kissing was the sun be fair, To I was sixteen and, along with my girlfriends, had my with along and, sixteen I was gloves and the bite of an alcohol swab on warm teenage teenage warm on swab alcohol an of the bite and gloves necessary. was I thought than more hurt skin. It him. watch bear to because I couldn’t know didn’t in the were we as up swept this in moment, but piercer, showed him some cash. He let us in. let us He cash. him some showed the needleswhere were. Mother.) (See connection? first taking our back we The street vendors were packing up henna stands and and stands henna up packing were vendors street The a cartoon missing just was The scene supplies. live-art tumbleweed. pulling was he as just a guy caught and past weekends We age. our doubted He the metal securitydown gate. Venice Beach so Briana could get her belly button pierced. pierced. belly Beach button her get could so Briana Venice was she like looked she there, got the time we by But, out. chicken to going and parking found and Westside to it the made finally in was anyone Hardly the boardwalk. onto clamored had Beach. Muscle at folks swole No rollerbladers. No sight. decided to, maybe ironically, maybe unironically, pull the pull maybe unironically, ironically, maybe decided to, sleeping were we that parents our of each telling of stunt all night. out stay could so we house the other’s at over of sheep-skinned the seats slid across us of or so six The head to to 1972 cherry two-door Mercedes red dad’s my On average, it takes six to twelve months to heal from heal to from months twelve takes six to it On average, piercing. belly button got I touched, belly button my have to hate I though Even pierced. mine \\\ 28 \\\ | I eventually took mine out too. Briana took hers out. It years took me several more, but not omphaloskepsis. simultaneously to ignore tried oozing. the But was this our backs bent, contemplating our navels, just as we ever-present at crust bay. We spent alot of with time for acleaning bath. We rotated studs the to keep the peroxide, we which suctioned onto our bleeding navels shower,” said. she as we were to do, instructed Briana out. passed healing. gruesome piercing twins during what would become the backing down. Teenage slogan: no regrets. swoon ofpeak our school years, high there was no Dawson’s Creek All in all, it inall, All took to close ayear of grossness to heal. We shot actual with glasses filled hydrogen “I had huge this on bruise my ear from in the falling The morning after, tried towhen she move the stud, I had no idea. “Is she it asked. supposed like to this?” be Briana followed through too. we And so became , Empire Records Empire , Mariah Carey-at-her- | /// 29 /// QUESTION You might be questioning why I just dropped such a large a large such dropped I just why be questioning might You in the middle piercing teenage a regrettable about anecdote You navels. facts about of list this seemingly random of omphaloskepsis what remember be to back looking might (seeis Navel-Gazer). \\\ 30 \\\ | REGRET scar fromscar my stud. only in my button, belly actual but incomplete in the also years these afterall I pierced findit, I still bits oflint not Despite our teenage slogan, Idoregret piercing. the Even I won’t letmy touch partner that either. | /// 31 /// SEXY For some, the belly button is an erogenous zone. zone. erogenous an is the belly button some, For \\\ 32 \\\ | TELEVISION 22. See Hofstede.22. See and Bergman Archer.21. See Femina.20. See navel another being hole inafemale body? in western Oris it media? of because literalness the of the navel’s proximity to genitalia that has made it controversial so The idea of “male” and “female” navelsridiculous. is Is the it stigmatized like this. revealing navel. the it. It wasn’t until 1985 that her costume “low became rise,” she had to wear fabric and skin-colored makeup to conceal Jeannie of Dream showing her navel on famously the show Orientalist TV ininducingpowerful attraction. button belly exposed the because was thought too to be “female navel exposure” was banned from UStelevision brandIn 1951,inapeculiar of omphalophobia Emit), (see Exposure of “male navels” has rarely if ever been later,A decade was Barbara prohibited Eden from . 21 22 Eden’s pants had to cover her navel, or

I | /// 33 /// UMBILICUS marrow. known as as known the bladder the bladder This cord is cord This Umbilical cord blood cord Umbilical that drained drained that the fetus of cord. the umbilical stem contains in bone of the navel, clinically clinically the navel, of the umbilicus, slithers. cord a remnant of the canal the canal of within ran and those like cells Beneath the skin fibrous a thick \\\ 34 \\\ | VISHNU friends. is largely from internet, the books, and better-informed 1950s and 60s. growinglife while up insegregated North Carolina inthe He converted to Christianity and assimilated to American parents, wasn’t with raised much to dowith Hinduism. dad, thoughOur he wasinIndia born and to Hindu inevitable, as is its rebirth.cycles The turn on and on. stem, and Juncture). of Geography; see divine the (see enduring image of navel the as connection the of leaf and life and creativity. With lotus, the return we also to the have celebration the of navel the as center the of and birth world isand born and perishes isagain. born We again repeats again, and again. rest after his all years caretaking.cycleof the then And away.everything wash floods, years, Brahma attains liberation and pralaya, or massive of his lotuspetals to make our world. lotus, Brahma is revealed, hatched from an egg. Geography)leaf (see but alotus. From center the of the emergesstalk from his navel, revealing not aheart-shaped resounding darkness the Omthrums with energy. Vishnu peacefully. sleeps from Then, the inkydepths, a Vishnu and floats the waterson darkof a oceanic nothing. giantthe cobra—the of serpent infinity—who protects center of universe the and source the of life. In Hinduism, navel the of Vishnu, Preserver, the is the Today, what I’ve about learned Hinduism and India In story, this however, of destruction world the the is In creation this story, from Vishnu’s navel, an entire Vishnu returns to his to giant and sleep bed serpent After 100 Brahma years, or roughlytrillion 3 human Brahma is creator the of universe. this He the uses As morning dawns and Vishnu awakens, an elongated Before universe the is created, Vishnu onsleeps Shesha, 23

| /// 35 /// with her third third her with 24 “There’s something to that,” she said. “The lotus birth lotus she said. “The to that,” something “There’s he was born, after came name Om’s though if, I wonder It took seven days for Om’s umbilical cord to wither wither to cord umbilical Om’s for seven took days It a was it “But admitted. Joya the smelled docks,” like “It also this was writing, the of as Om, who seventeen is The natural drying and eventual dropping off ofthe off dropping drying and eventual natural The wound, their first from the baby birthprotects Lotus “The placenta is like a grandmother,” Joya said, “because said, Joya a “The like is grandmother,” placenta The lotus birth involves keeping the placenta and and the placenta the keeping birth involves lotus The This severance is a kind of violence for us biracial us for of violence is a kind This severance be him too. born with baby Joya nursed longest. longest. nursed Joya baby me.” to still listens He boy. a gentle Om is nursing. his and activated be called would have he might what of the sound should a lotus her told that in Joya knowing ancestral some create their own challenges. Some rub the placenta and and rub Some the placenta challenges. their own create the drying aid to turmeric process. and salt with cord detach naturally. and did.” we that nice gesture it cared for the baby before it was in the mother’s arms.” in the mother’s was it before the baby for cared it cellular energy and ongoing for allows cord umbilical the baby. to the placenta from take place to transfer cord umbilical and placenta thethough decomposing own, a non-severance that honors the connection between the connection honors that a non-severance own, the being on as think who some of baby, and placenta gently consciousness let the baby’s to level, energetic same transition the great birthhonors lotus The the body. enter incarnate, the world to world the spirit from moving of being embodied. of the world sister Joya went through with a lotus birth a lotus with through went Joya sister Omjabarindra, named husband her and who she child, of the first was Om short. Om for or call who we Omja but home. be to born at sevenher children its birthto dry on off fall after and intact cord umbilical diasporic daughters trying to unfurl our own brown roots roots trying brown own unfurl our to daughters diasporic flower. and my navel, Vishnu’s this story of knowing without Even \\\ 36 \\\ | enced Joya’senced about thinking birth. “Lotus Birth” and “Free Birth” 1980sand inthe 1990s.She influ 24. Midwife and author Jeannine Parvati coined Baker terms the van Buitenen’s text. sations with Dr. Rajiv Mohabir and references to Dimmitt and 23. This retelling this of Hindu creation stems fromstory conver 24 have similar benefits forbaby.the umbilical cord for an hour or more after andsaid birth is to lotus,a partial involves which delaying severance of the 23 Forseventh her sixth, fourth, fifth, and child, Joya did Maybe not. Maybe that’s astretch. - - | /// 37 /// WHEEL or central part central or

The navel of aof wheel. is the hub the hub is

\\\ 38 \\\ | XENIAL or, as you’re about yolk to see, stalk. for basically-never-used ridiculous, SAT words like xenial lists impossible like is this virtually to do without reaching xenial,certainly or hospitable/friendly. Given how many organisms live inside it, navel the is Also, finding words forthelast lettersfew in abecedarian | /// 39 ///

1 25 YOLK STALK YOLK

The yolk stalk is generally located in the lower right-hand side right-hand in lower the stalklocated generally yolk is The 25. See Shiel. become inflamed and require surgery to remove it. remove surgery to require and inflamed become described mom her my place the same about the abdomen, of be. to adhesion The yolk stalk is a narrow tube that connects through the umbilical umbilical the connects through tube that stalk yolk narrow is a The stalk yolk The sac outside. the yolk to embryo the early opening as a persist might remnant a finger-like but fades away, usually very Though uncommon— the small intestine. from protrusion can protrusion people—this of occurs percent 4 in 2 to this only \\\ 40 \\\ | Zzzzzz heal. Itheal. to divine. the might aportal be It It gunk. might body be might wound the be we to need private,very disgusting navel very products. make within thingsthe they it, including personal, very their andyolk stalks, how world the full is of strange people and stories of creation, of leaves and stems, of long and stalks youthen might about learn overlapping and diverging thatscar has place the taken of her button. real belly And little adolescent of act individuating, or your mom’s funny you about thinking how your navel piercing was your own game of findingodd facts about an enduring insultthat gets youSo can more learn about unspoken invitation to experiment with author’s the tools. appeal the too), hostile of reading genre this might the be author’s tools inpractice. us—reading creative nonfictionthe texts means observing understanding ourselves in relation to worlds the around tools—self-reflection, meaning-making, attempts at else? someone about original, might alittle be hostile. doaboutthey should come away knowing more about themselves than Fourth Genre outsidethe world. What asnooze. populated by abunch of narcissists flingthemselves who on creative nonfictionthat is they are navel-gazers. The genre is Probably worst the critique launched to be against writers of Take already. alook But, go on. What’s from person to vary there person. will what youSee find in your metaphoric—or literal—navel. Why it? not try Take essay this for example. You can too play an awkward At risk of the sounding defensive (and maybe alittle If writing creative nonfiction hones importantwriterly But how doreaders about learn themselves by reading In her contribution to anthology the , Kim states, Barnes “Readers of nonfiction you .” The emphasis,which appearsthe in yourself . The Far Edges of the | /// 41 /// NAVEL, NODAL, CURIOS NODAL, NAVEL, A CONVERSATION WITH ANJOLI ROY WITH ANJOLI A CONVERSATION Poets/writers/artists are those who have an impulse to create, and to create create to and create, to impulse an those who have are Poets/writers/artists is a certain of compulsion, type There themselves. than larger audience an for ones the loved and journal pages our beyond audience an in imagining perhaps, upon. work our foist can we What’s a “poet” (or “writer” or “artist”) anyway? What do you see as your cultural cultural your as see you do What anyway? “artist”) or “writer” (or “poet” a What’s beyond)? and community / creative / artistic literary the (in role social and bar kept moving. At some point, I decided these thresholds were nonsense and and nonsense were I decidedthese thresholds point, some At moving. kept bar a who just person is a writer standpoint, a definitional from that, remembered a writer. I’m folks telling today, am I so here writes, and I certainly am one of them. There was a time when I thought I couldn’t I couldn’t a was I time when thought them. There of one I certainly am and I that, done I’d Then, when story. a published I’d until writer a callmyself the short, a book. In I published until a writer call myself decided I couldn’t comfortable calling yourself a poet/writer/artist, what other titles or affiliations affiliations or titles other what a poet/writer/artist, yourself calling comfortable accurate)? more are prefer/feel you do struggle syndrome, who of writers imposter with a lot quite probably are There nurse a fear of losing. of a fear nurse feel you do (and/or: yourself use for you language use the to decide you did When on how to answer it myself. I am a writer because stories shape our whole lives, lives, whole our shape because stories writer a am I myself. it answer to how on makes Writing this life. to be to attentive able am I thebest is way writing and try to me allows the world sense make it of to and present, and alive feel me which I preserve memories, to attempt my is down things Writing me. around We ask the folks we feature on our podcast a similar question, which is “Why “Why which is podcast question, our similar a on feature we the folks ask We stumble I always yet and ask, to question favorite be to my this happens lit?” and itslitwithphdj.wordpress.com), which has featured more than 100 writers to to 100 writers than more featured which has itslitwithphdj.wordpress.com), date. “artist”? “writer”/ a “poet”/ you are Why I’m originally from Pasadena, California, which is Tongva land. My genre of of genre My land. Tongva California,which is Pasadena, from originally I’m Kapumealani goodmy Jocelyn friend with And, nonfiction. creative is choice (see Lit podcast titled It’s music the literary and of also I am cohost Ng, Greetings, comrade! Thank you for talking to us about your process today! Can Can today! process your about to us talking for you Thank comrade! Greetings, choose? would you that a way in yourself, introduce you in Honolulu. teacher high English school and writer a creative I am thing! Sure \\\ 42 \\\ | things so awkwardthings so for folks the around me as I processed my shit, into hopefully into my face, I’vewhich tipped barista for the on wildly account of making shoveling openly while crying apiece of chocolate gluten-free/dairy-free cake and trauma. familial ancestry Ihave last the coffee person inthe been shop, Writing is often I have a struggle. worked personal on storiesthat navigate had alot of with. fun and to experiment decided work the with structuring on alphabet, the I which definitions with Ibegan perspective. dictionary from Oxford English Dictionary investigation into epithet the navel-gazing from alinguistic and personal I wrote chapbook this as asingle work with central the conceit an being a book, in general) coming together? Was it astruggle? you had this intention for awhile? What encouraged and/or confounded this (or as independent entities into abody of work. How and why did this happen? Have Talk about the process or instinct to move these poems (or your work in general) of writing to facilitate this. become amore empathetic community. transformative inthe Ibelieve power As we continue for to speak ourselves and read eachother’s voices, varied we ourselves, inwriting ourselves into existence. are quite differentthan mine. There’s a back taking powerthe in narrative for thing for themselves and communities, their positionalities their evenwhen alone desire inthis and out seek reading work about folks same dothis who So, inthat aselfish writing sense, has been pursuit for me. But,believe I I’m not Iamwhich continuing to workthat on to fill seeks gap. mixed themselves.book-length The project Idrafted for my dissertation and I encountered were white-passing children, written by authors were who not like me and spoke to my The experiences. only Indian whiteand characters subcontinent,the Igrew up without access to mixed-race characters looked who English, Irish on my mom’s), for example, and despite British of colonial rule to as ayoung on person. Iam my mixed race(Bengali dad’s sideand German, As awriter and as areader, Ihope to produce work the Iwished Ihad access creation of your work? Have certain teachers or instructive environments, or What formal structures or other constrictive practices (if any) do you in use the above See being written /the work was being made? How or how not? writing or making specifically around a theme while the poems themselves were Did you envision this collection asacollection or understand your process as associations building upon eachother as Icontinued to draft. among different the threadsthat emerged wroteas I and I felt energized the by But,art. writing chapbook this was joyous. Iwelcomed process the of discovery ☺

| /// 43 /// , I Creative Nonfiction Creative plays with associative forms and odd facts about odd factsand about forms associative with plays TheJoint Rib

Of course, poets might role their eyes at this—many of them have been taking them have of this—many their eyes at poets role Of course, might just it’s I guess all custody along. low of waters the dark into dive the brave the nerve. up work to longer a bit taken me Stories like Koets’s falls lower on the authorial custody spectrum and have spectrum custody have the and authorial on falls lower Koets’s like Stories me. for with, experiment to forms for been useful inspiration we read progressively lower-custody work. Where does this story fall? I’ll Where ask work. lower-custody progressively read we a water the lyric, I draw enter we As it. chart to where debate we’ll them, and loose of waters dark the and rich enter to about are we them that tell and line bewilderment. potential for themselves brace them to I tell association. to see and where less of the reader’s imagination is at play. Then, I drawn an I drawn Then, play. at is imagination the reader’s of less see where to and how base(who its knows at arrowhead an with downward diagonally arrow as the semester throughout this diagram to returns class goes). My deep it about it. In such stories, the reader is passive and essentially redundant.” essentially and passive is the reader stories, such In it. about I chart board. the white this idea on I draw classes, writing creative my For easy is it where is custody High the board. on high up a dot high as custody Boswell says, “If the danger of a low-custody story is bewilderment of the story bewilderment is of a low-custody of the danger Boswell “If says, will it be over-controlled, a high-custody story that is of the danger reader, feel should the reader also how but happens what only not the reader telling which an author relinquishes control over the story after it has been put into into put has it been the story after over control relinquishes author which an this concept about been thinking more I have Lately, the reader. of the hands students. my to it I teach as just meaning. meaning. has Texas, of the University at writing Robert creative Boswell, who teaches to is extent in the writing, which custody authorial of up ideathe offered Anyway, this essay inspired me to start experimenting with looser with start experimenting anecdotal to me inspired this essay Anyway, the text’s complete to the reader invited lyrical and more felt that forms story. As a reader, I found that this use of reprieves and interesting vistas into into vistas interesting and reprieves this use of that I found a reader, As story. as and, a metaphoric on well really will, worked if you octopus, an of the life in that, on more say (I won’t level a literal the story, of the end learn toward we the story read too!). to like case you’d denies their love and demands it be kept secret for years. Koets’s seeming use Koets’s years. secret for be kept it demands and denies their love escapes capture, octopus how on anecdotes of via misdirection the inclusion of (un?)love her of arc curio the narrative and amid acts breather as example, for In the summer 2019 issue of the literary magazine the literary magazine of issue 2019 the summer In memoir her story of whosetitular Koets, Julia of the work encountered collection who Kate named person a with fallingin love the storyof tells she as octopus readings/writings/work of other creative people informed the way you work/ you way the informed people creative other of readings/writings/work write? \\\ 44 \\\ | gazing chapbook, an is essay also alphabetically arranged. his “Son of Mr. Green Jeans: AMeditation on Fathers,” like which, navel- this authorsOther have who influencedthis form for me are Dinty W. Moore and that are structures and loose similar intheir exploratory natures, including: pursuing. Since producing navel this story, Ihave drafted a morefew chapbooks This work marks departure a new forthekinds me in writingof I currentlyam creative practice? your history? of your mission/intentions/hopes/plans? What does this particular work represent to you as indicative of your method/ iswhich abit more poetic. conjunction with OSeditors—we the arrived at current the title, primary epithetthis that is oftenlaunched writersat of creative nonfiction, but—in worked for me, since text the is an apologia for genre, the just as it interrogates Defense of Navel-Gazing: For Love the of Creative Nonfiction.” This title To honest, be work this has had more than one title. My was original “In chapbook before began reading. they higher-custody flourish, as Iwantedthe tipped reader this off of the to purpose The subtitle forthis work, inlight title, the of moreis a slightlyprimary poetic ontostrides astage to performfor us. more subtle reading, iswhich a stage direction where a navel might bold take spacefor with omphalophobia,terrifying those and secondary, the perhaps demandsboth that reader the physically travel into navel, the that potentially I like potential the double meaning of work’s this title, which final primary pieces, sections, etc) influences you and/or colors your work specifically. about the way you titled the book, and how your process of naming (individual Speaking of monikers, what does your title represent? How was it generated? Talk Koh, just to name afew writers Ilove. who Kijiner, Lyz Soto, D. Keali‘i MacKenzie, Nicky Craig Loomis, Santos Perez, E.J. Han, Will Giles, Malialina Derden, Terisa Siagatonu, Jahra Rager, Kathy Jetñil- Kapumealani Ng, Kamaoli Bryan Kuwada, Kava, Lee Momi Cummings, Joseph including Rajiv Mohabir, No‘u Aiko Yamashiro, Revilla, Julia Katz, Jocelyn andgenealogies are who doing hard the work to create community and heal, of whom are and queer BIPOC write who about ancestral connections and The authors to who speak my core/guts/navel(!) are those authors, many • grandkids who, unfortunately, hardly how knew to swim. himself in New York’s Long Island Sound, could have and kids andwith history how this also my grandfather, by raised afisherman of predation on abalone west inthe coast of US;I’m the fascinated diver and loved mollusks these most, the along with histories the one on abalone and my grandfather, awaterman was who askin | /// 45 /// was doomed when my mom started welcoming cats into the house). the house). into cats started welcoming mom when doomed my was which “grind,” word of the the definitions into dive a linguistic tooth grinding chronic or bruxism, on information scientific includes family thosein my unfortunately but of out grow adults most that in “bump (as connotations slang suggestive with along to, seem not ~”). and a portrait on the house cat, beloved house pet and disease-addled pet and house beloved cat, the house on a portrait their shifting themselves, domesticated cats how addresses that foe, family own my societies, of eastern pieces and and in western place a dadterribly who is and cats who loves a mom with living history of their marriage known have should he said once allergic them (he to • • is how I remember stories best), but I’m also someone who wishes they who a wishes had also someone I’m best), but stories I remember how is does this technology that books. Integrated function in print keyword-search both books available having is maybe the middle ground but yet, exist doesn’t peruse to online. in free digital formats and purchase to in print I was thinking recently about how I am a breed of reader who likes to have have to who likes reader of a breed I am how about thinkingI was recently (this pages physical across notes make and up mark to hands in my copies hard started calling myself a writer. Thank you, OS team! OS you, Thank a writer. started calling myself thoughts your are what and time, this in books make to mean it does What in general? access digital and books/objects digital into shifting around some of the fruits that can come from this exercise. from come can the fruits that of some more feel me object helps an as in the world this chapbook having Personally, when I and how about question earlier your to back go to writerly, capital-W around us just as they learn more about themselves. We are more agile and agile and more are We themselves. about they as learn more just us around of the histories and histories own our about know we the more humans, careful demonstrates this chapbook I hope been calling home. have we that the places practice? rabbit similar down go readers I hope states, this chapbook of the ending As the world curiosity about sense of a greater them to bring might that holes What would be the best possible outcome for this book? What might it do in in do it might What book? this for outcome possible best the be would What in role creative your facilitate object as an presence will its how and world, the your for and book, this for hopes your are What beyond? and community your At its core, I hope this chapbook convinces suspicious readers of the goodness of readers suspicious convinces this chapbook I hope core, its At navel-gazing. alleged nonfiction’s in creative taking on some more lighthearted writing via this form. via this writing form. lighthearted more some taking on contains)? or says it as what DO book (as much this does What This is all to say, where in the past I’ve been focused on writing toward the focusedtoward been on writing I’ve in the past where is to allThis say, been have I histories, families’ my and my sense make of to and beautiful \\\ 46 \\\ | well ascreating and maintaining safe spaces, vs. the dangers of remaining and background, gender, sexuality (and other identifiers)within the community as and publishing across lines of race, age, ability, class, privilege, social/cultural I’d be curious to hear some of your thoughts on the challenges we face in speaking A strong process, literary practice, and work are fed directly by this. and act. quickly, potently, and thoroughly, helping us listeners put words to our feelings I feel indebted writers to those we who have featured are who moved to write since inception the of It’s Lit back in2016. for responses to COVID-19 the pandemic, for current the BLM Uprising) protectors at Standing for Rock, an desecration end to of further Maunakea, Jocelyn and Ihave putting been out for calls themed materials (for water the with podcasting. myself to find struggling words.the part, this,is in think reason I I started up white supremacy, including abolishing and police the prisons, that Ifind lives, and for one calls the eachand of us every to work dothe to dismantle in feeling during moments uprising like pandemic, this crucial this for Black of greater That truths. said, Ifind myself often as someone so who is caught up assets of creative the is arts ability the to engage feeling directly pursuit inthe of our current revolutionary moments ways. inmeaningful One of many the that to Ihope as to an speak author is able to engage difficult these questions This is a big andvital question. The work that I amdrawn to asareader and work reflect these conditions? white supremacy, and abolition at the fore. How does your process, practice, or largest collective uprising in UShistory, with Black Lives Matter, dismantling volumes now falls during an ongoing global pandemic, intersecting with the sometimes dangerous realities of the Capitalocene. The publication of these and political activism, present so in our daily lives aswe face the oftensobering, Let’s talk alittle bit about the role of poetics and creative community in social todecide purchase it. I’m available grateful be it will forms. inboth gratis and that aphysical it can be also to object hold inyour hands, ifyou said, this I’mAll grateful to have weird this little chapbook out world inthe would equitable publishing like? look Iwonder. truly in aworld with reading fees, drive which dollars out of authors’ What pockets. compensationdeserve for hard-won their work, since live we particularly still feel thatI also excellent editorial compensation. work deserves Also, authors The folks at OS work forfree,which part whyis of freethis model works, but publishers and authors put who work the into create content, this though. for free. Idowonder abit about how distribution free this might work for that Ithink it’sOverall, wonderful to available make books online to all and | /// 47 ///

This work is how safe spaces are fought and won, and it is how we resist silos in resist we how is it and won, and fought are spaces safe how is work This each other. for care and to, speak to listen with, order resident who loves this nation, the importance of learning about, putting my my putting about, learning of the importance this nation, who loves resident for fight curricula in my Hawai‘i’s include to being sure and behind, weight sovereignty. ways other writers talk about their their experiences racialized talk of bodies, writers about other their ways they how and they who they talk use to love about the words identities, gender history family my about Learning more example. for describe their sexuality, a as me, teaches It their stories. share when others listen to how me teaches For example, I am a writer in a brown body who cannot escape that brownness, brownness, escape that body who cannot in a brown a writer I am example, For read the I how informs awareness That (which I do not). to even if I wanted cannot write about my story without engaging race, age, ability, class, privilege, privilege, class, ability, age, race, engaging story without my about write cannot our to light bring we If more. and sexuality, gender, social/cultural background, to bewill regards in we likely careful and thoughtful themore markers, own differences. our producing in isolated “silos” and/or disciplinary and/or institutional bounds? institutional and/or disciplinary and/or “silos” isolated in producing I other’s. with each engage we can the better stories, own our we know more The \\\ 48 \\\ | REFERENCES Barnes, Kim. “The Art andArt Kim.Barnes, “The Absence inReflection of Personal Nonfiction: American Museum of Natural History. “Microbiome Monday: The Fischer, Shannon. “What Lives inYour Button? Belly Study Finds ‘Rain Femina, Della. Jerry Dimmitt, and Cornelia, J.A.B. van Buitenen. Dell’Amore, Christine. “Women CanMake New Eggs afterAll, Stem- Daily Mail Reporter. “Librarian Enters Guiness the of Records Book for Capetta, Amy. “How Normal Is Your Navel? Button Belly Facts and Figures Bright Side. “18Reasons Your Button Belly Is aVery Intriguing Body “Having Robert. Boswell, Gravity and Having Weight: OnMeaning in Gregory,Bergman, and Peter Archer. “Belly Button Biodiversity.” Prentiss and Joe Wilkins, Michigan State University Press, 2014, pp. 133– What Is Why?” the ecosystem-in-your-belly-button. Accessed 4June 2020. amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/news-posts/microbiome-monday-the- Ecosystem inYour Button.” Belly Forest’ of Species.” 2010. Harbor: Front-Line Dispatches from the Advertising War Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas eggs-reproduction-science/. Accessed 28Nov. 2019. nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/3/120229-women-health-ovaries- StudyCell Hints.” 26-years.html. Accessed 4June 2020. Record-breaking-belly-fluff-collection-Graham-Barker-collected-22-1g- co.uk over 22.1Grams 26 Collecting of ‘Belly Button Fluff’ Years.” button.aspx. Accessed 4June 2020. everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/0421/how-normal-is-your-belly- You Probably Didn’t Know.” cAWVveY. Accessed 21Nov. 2019. Part.” gravity-and-having-weight. Accessed 2019. 1Dec. Fiction.” 2013,https://www.graywolfpress.org/robert-boswell-having- Media, 2011. Marcia Brady, Homer Simpson, Don Draper, and Icons Other TV to Sartre, the Great Mysteries of Life asExplained Through HowdyDoody, Nov. 2019. nationalgeographic.org/article/belly-button-biodiversity/. Accessed 22 41. , 25 Oct. 2010,https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1323477/, 25Oct. YouTube , 24Feb. 2018,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a5_ National Geographic News From Those Wonderful Folks WhoGave You Pearl The Far Edges of the FourthGenre National Geographic National Geographic Everyday Health . Temple University Press, 1978. AMNH.org I Watch, Therefore I Am: FromSocrates , 4Nov. 2012, https://www. Classical Hindu Mythology: A , 25 Sept. 2015,https://www., 25Sept. , 21Apr. 2011,https://www. , 1Mar. 2012,https://www. , 22May 2013,https://www. . Canongate Books, , edited by Sean Dailymail. . Adams | /// 49 /// Ke Ka‘upu , summer 2019, issue 71, pp. 71, pp. 2019, issue , summer . N.d., https://www.chakras. . N.d., . N.d., http://wehewehe.org/ . N.d., , 30 March 2005, http://www. , 30 March The Recordsetter Book of World World of Book Recordsetter The Ulukau . N.d., https://www.merriam-webster. . N.d., Chakras.net . 19 June 2020, https://www.britannica. . 19 June . Accessed 1 Dec. 2019. . Accessed , 16 Feb. 2018, https://www.allure.com/story/ , 16 Feb. Creative Nonfiction Creative vol. 7, no. 11, p. e47712, https://doi.org/10.1371/ 11, p. 7, no. vol. Allure Merriam-Webster . Back Stage Books,. Back Stage 2004. , 27 July 2008, https://www.reuters.com/article/us- , 27 July What Were They Thinking? The 100 Dumbest Events in Events Dumbest The 100 Thinking? They Were What PLoS ONE ONE PLoS , 3 Apr. 2015, https://hehiale.wordpress.com/2015/04/03/we-live- , 3 Apr. . Workman Publishing, 2011. Publishing, . Workman Oxford English Dictionary English Oxford Nā Puke Wehewehe ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i ‘Ōlelo Wehewehe Puke Nā Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia 11000-00---off-0hdict--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-ED--4-- textpukuielbert%252ctextmamaka-----0-1l--11-haw-Zz-1---Zz-1-home-- -00-3-1-00-0--4----0-0-11-00-0utfZz-8-00&q=piko&fqv=textpukuielbert com/dictionary/omphaloskepsis. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019. Accessed com/dictionary/omphaloskepsis. gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?a=q&r=1&hs=1&m=-1&o=-1&qto=4&e=p- com/science/navel. Accessed 24 July 2020. 24 July Accessed com/science/navel. Reuters Lifestyle Reuters japan-bellybutton/celebrating-the-navel-in-japans-belly-button- 2020. 4 June Accessed idUSSP29709920080728. net/energy-centers/manipura/about-the-manipura-chakra. Accessed 4 Accessed net/energy-centers/manipura/about-the-manipura-chakra. 2020. June Mauna on the Island of Hawai‘i.” Hawai‘i.” of the Island on Mauna ulukau.org/elib/cgi-bin/library?e=d-0mauna-000Sec--11haw-50-20- frameset-book--1-010escapewin&a=d&d=D0&toc=0 belly-button-plastic-surgery-procedures. Accessed 4 June 2020. June 4 Accessed belly-button-plastic-surgery-procedures. Oral History and Accounts, Historical Traditions, A Collection Native of the ‘Āina and Humu‘ula Ka‘ohe, the of Lands Kea, Mauna for Interviews in-the-future-come-join-us/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2019 Accessed in-the-future-come-join-us/. Now.” Right Trending 63–71. Hehi ‘Ale Button Bacteria. Here’s How That’s Possible.” 10 Jul. 2019, https://www. 2019, Jul. 10 Possible.” That’s How Bacteria. Here’s Button businessinsider.com/belly-button-innie-inside-cheese-bacteria-lint- 3 Dec. 2019. fungi-2019-7. Accessed N.d., http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/womenshealth/factsheets/pdpress. N.d., 2019. 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Rib Koets, Us.” Join Come in the Future. Live “We Bryan Kamaoli. Kuwada, Illinois Department of Public Health. “Facts about Postpartum Depression.” Depression.” Postpartum about “Facts Health. Public of Department Illinois Cheese Belly- with Made Once Biologist “A Benji Jones. and Gene, Kim, Hofstede, David. David. Hofstede, Noah R. Rountree, Nina Henley, B. Jessica M. Latimer, Andrew Jiri, Hulcr, Henderson, Corey, and Dan Rollman. Rollman. Dan and Corey, Henderson, \\\ 50 \\\ | UNILAD. “Guy Has ‘Biggest Button Outie Belly World.’” inthe 28March Shiel, William C.“Medical Definition of Yolk Stalk.” Satyres In Atlante Sabrina. “Ripley’s Strangest Unboxing Collection: Button Belly Lint.” ——— ———. Roy, Anjoli. “Grandpa Was 20Directives aSkin Diver: for aWet-Cat ——— Lab.TheScience Public Button“Belly Biodiversity.” Carolina North State button-reveals-weirdest-request-hes-had/. 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A Literary for Review Writers Medicine Net Medicine Ripleys. , n.d., | /// 51 /// ACKNOWLEDGMENTS write. Thank you to my caring and supportive dissertation chair, chair, dissertation supportive and my caring to you Thank write. you Thank laugh!). book you makes this little (I hope S. Shankar Franklin, Craig Howes, Caroline Sinavaiana, and John Zuern for for Zuern John and Sinavaiana, Caroline Howes, Craig Franklin, telling of the complexity to brain my up opening and challenging to nudge gentle to Elizabeth the you for Colwill Thank true stories. family histories, and ancestral knowledges to graduate work at at work graduate to knowledges ancestral and histories, family the Center at work my and Mānoa at Hawai‘i of the University G. Cynthia to you Thank especially. Research Biographical for knowledge and your reassuring friendship. reassuring your and knowledge odd phrases, for holes rabbit down go tendency to my I owe about all the things I’m self-conscious about, including how to to how including about, self-conscious all I’m the things about ever is A cat me. teach to continues Hawai‘i much how talk about of breadth and spirit of generosity your for grateful and squirmy home already. home Maunakea the sections with about guidance your Bryan, I appreciate basically me all teasing the time in particular for Hāloa and and hands are on this text, whether you like touching navels or not(!). not(!). or navels touching like whether this you text, on are hands yours, are poetic or formats breaks line interesting any really, But, light. Come your of am unworthy I star. you, Thank obviously. Rajiv, thank you for the section about Vishnu, and for your tireless tireless your for and Vishnu, the section about for you thank Rajiv, Your general. in my writing of support unflagging and on feedback Kamaoli Kuwada for their help, expertise, and feedback on the expertise, on feedback and their help, for Kuwada Kamaoli in these included stories creation Hawaiian and Hindu on entries respectively. pages, Thank you to Elæ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson] for the cover design, cover the for DeSilva-Johnson] to Elæ [Lynne you Thank typesetting. careful your for Orchid, you, thank and Bryan and friends Mohabir dear Rajiv my to thank-yous Huge First off, thank you to Orchid Tierney and Curtis Emery at Tierneyand OS the to Orchid you thank off, First so a within doing for and publication, for this work accepting for a thrill! What their consideration. for it when I submitted of month I have a lot of thank-yous to folks for helping me with this weird this weird with me helping for folks to thank-yous of a lot I have chapbook. little \\\ 52 \\\ | love with you. shift around in my head and forso seeing clearly.me I so am lucky to night.the Thank you, love, forbeing interested odd thestories in that entries anddictionary YouTube about videos buttons belly late into Ileaveeven when lights the all on inour little studio and laugh at process and without has been, fail, encouraging and supportive of me, really, but of close) chapbook. this He almost never fell asleep in the listenedwho to me read aloud drafts throughone (not ninety-seven andLast not certainly thanks to least, deep my partner, Shay, Eldridge pandemicthan Ilove times. inthese and miss you much. so to come with you be yet?? The sobeen Ocean big never Pacific has reveal us. I’m fortunate so to have into born been ours. Is there a portal read strange their will stories and say they like even when them, they our parental units, Subi and Dotti. has a family Not who everybody myespecially third nephew, Omja; my sisters, Joya and Maya; and thank you to piercing-partner Briana and my family, including For permission to navel-gazing tell these stories on each one of us, page. Ilove and one am grateful of to you. every and! There are more dear ones in than my heart namescan I fit ona Ritun,we call my VONA fam, including Bich Minh Nguyen, and and Michelle Hirst, B.J. Guzman, De Nicolet Laskar who Gatewood, Devi Briana Headman, octogenarian (the woman one we will day be), Maust (bff4lyfe!), Dahle NickyLoomis, Aisha Wagner, Samali Lubega, Garcia, Marion Leimomi Cruz-Talbert, Dela Cadora, Elise Jessica Cummings, Joy Enomoto, Kava, Kim Lee Compoc, Joseph Han, Dax CJKee,Raass, Jocelyn Kapumealani Ng, Julia Bong, Lei Katz, Momi to put out into world: the Aiko Yamashiro, No‘u Luseane Revilla, kindslife of inall ways. Your names ought on to be any work Imanage continue to nurture creativity and challenge and inspire and give me Thank you for my dear ones here in Hawai‘i and whooverseas support. here inHawai‘i, and to Adelle Allison Hedge Coke for her ongoing course offered the up helpful what idea of it might meanbe like to tea Thank you to Craig Santos Perez,who inhis Pacificand Poetry Poetics forms were something Iought seriously to consider playing with. to Shawna Yang Ryan, encouraged who me and said modular, linked | /// 53 /// ABOUT ABOUT AUTHOR THE studied English and creative writing at the at writing creative and English studied You can find her online at www.anjoliroy.com and on Twitter and and Twitter on and at www.anjoliroy.com online her find can You you... from hear to love She’d @anjoliroy. Facebook University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she earned a PhD. A VONA A VONA earned a PhD. she where Mānoa, at Hawai‘i of University a mashi is Anjoli nominee, Best the Net and of a Pushcart and fellow girls. three parents’s her of the last and one, to godmother a eight, to ANJOLI ROY ANJOLI \\\ 54 \\\ | (AND WHAT DOESTHISMEANFORDIGITAL MEDIA?) WHY PRINT:DOCUMENT? accurately told--or told at How all? we leave will things for these record? the about future that technology is inany way assuring that our stories be will towards note digital and taking, evenaudio and video, what can we predict longer norm the inmany lives and practices.As we move our creative behaviors correspondence, notebooks, and other physical documents are which no of or atime place--was pieced together using study deep the of archive: the many accounts about how lives, behaviors, experiences--how THE STORY As a(rogue) anthropologist and long Ican academic, time pull easily up officialthe record. Will we? continue to leave and adigital print BOTH version of production their for agencies, museums, schools, and other institutional powers that will be documentdigital trail--but we assured can be that publications, government to nothing about future the into we're which leaving an unprecedentedly behaviors, and/or our are experiences we leaving Webehind? can know little gets who to tell story, the of history: and what of evidence our lives, our DOCUMENTATION age. digital inthe It's aquestion of archive, the and about ultimately the this: transgressive radical, of act creating PRINT / With The OS's print endeavors Iwanted to open up aconversation documentation practices. insist upon learning, establishing, and encouraging andpersonal community most inrecent time critical for history activist groups, artists, and others to publication on physical has media not diminished. In may this fact, the be "publish" digitally, even with extremely limited resources, importance the of access to platforms for sharing information and widespread inthe ability to contemporarythe quotidian landscape shifted hasdrastically in indeed its over rightscivil and all speech free world. the While (inmany countries) relatedstruggle, inmany ways to revolutionary activity and fight the for information/materials, libraries, and archives has long asite been of Ownership and of use printing presses and access to (or restriction of) stories, beliefs, ideas, and other of evidence production. thatmedia humans have invented and to inturn archive used and disseminate as TECHNOLOGY:book one of avariety of documents across arange of appeared centuries last the several of its history. Ultimately, we approach the backwards-facing replication agentive of book's the *role* as it may have of act the documentation-in-book-FORM from of act the publishing as a to differentiatefrom part book-object as theof our mission to distinguish OperatingThe System traditionallyhasthelanguage used "print:document" | /// 55 /// THE OPERATING SYSTEM, Brooklyn NY 2019 Brooklyn SYSTEM, THE OPERATING Elæ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson]. Founder& Creative Director Creative Founder& DeSilva-Johnson]. Elæ [Lynne changing -- which means, each book will *also* have archive-ready print print each book archive-ready will which -- means, *also* have changing and evolve to required is what challenging of way our It’s manifestations. beyond. outward, onward, Ever grow. Adding a digital series is the next chapter of *our* story: a way for us to to us story: *our* for of way a a digital series chapter the next is Adding options independent folks offer and practitioners creative more support means financial our without even distribution, DIY-zine-style or POD for printed media, we add: we ARE here, and while we are, we will not be limited be will limited we not while are, we and ARE here, add: we media, we printed restricting by to, voice give or accessible, make share, to, add value we in what volume. in print to afford can we what to it For all our years of print publication, I’ve said that “with these documents we these we documents “with that said I’ve publication, print of years all our For STORY”, A DIFFERENT WE HAVE say: WE EXISTED, WE WERE HERE, DIY digital with and volume greater of expansion the rapid with now, but \\\ 56 \\\ | BLOOM, MUTATION, ENTROPY, CATALYST, BRINE and support authors Access our via Open library. spirit of wet the archive, we encourage you to share, store, digitally print, culturesalike for mutual aid, direct support, and organising. radical In the OperatingThe System is committed to fostering open-resource and share- forced us as coordinators to reimagine frayed the edges of our call. wewhich felt reflected a momentarygrappling forthe micro-macro that beautiful and critically-engaging. Ultimately, sixmanuscripts, we selected reimagined document the as dispersive and fluvial. They wereall radically Theforcall submissions drew many submissionsthat approached and develop to imagine humane infrastructures? histories and collective memories? What nuances of language must we co- institutions and What Big Poetry? duties of care form does have to shared and of retain thrust archival the critical the through networks over nodal pandemic—we wondered: how as decentred can we world serve citizens degradation, injustice, racial brutality, police and now COVID-19 global the current motions of precarity—climate change, levels, ecological rising sea desire of and for language the of persistence. With much so at stake inthe liminal,the and fluvial. the But most all, of it drew its strengthsfrom the forThiscall submissions centred aroundthe metaphoric,the contingent, through our variegated Operating System networks: In of fall the 2019,we following the posted for call chapbooks digital ways, and explore multiple the and contingent. the apprehend change, reaction, and action innetworked and local writers to submit works that to our moment, speak ecological Whatocean? become of under will history water? We invite disturbance? How What is salty survival? kindof archive is the micro/macro/plant-based/insect-like of environmental scales possible inwritings of diaspora? the How dowe imagine evolving How queer is climate change? What mutating futurities are Digital ChapbookDigital Coordinators 2020 Curtis Emery and OrchidCurtis Emery Tierney | /// 57 ///

*** Recall - Lee Gough DIGITAL TITLES: DIGITAL Land J Pascutazz - Lichen PLEASE SEE OUR FULL CATALOG The Woman Factory - Ava Hofmann Hofmann Ava Factory - Woman The Witch Like Me - Sunnylyn Thibodeaux - Sunnylyn Like Me Witch Mensah Ayiah Kobina - Jacob Haven Kind THE 2020 OS CHAPBOOK SERIES THE 2020 OS CHAPBOOK HTTP://WWW.THEOPERATINGSYSTEM.ORG/ FOR FULL LENGTH VOLUMES AND PREVIOUS CHAPBOOK SERIES: FOR FULL LENGTH VOLUMES Enter The Navel: For The Love Of Creative Nonfiction -Anjoli Roy -Anjoli Nonfiction Creative Of Love The For Navel: The Enter \\\ 58 \\\ | While we understand and acknowledge economic the pressures and fear-mongering When we document We we assert. print to make real, to our reify there. being Based on whatBased supercilious ontology have we landed inaspace where we vie Here is adocument of born that belief, sown purely of imagination and will. via cooperativevia means, by fueled Source fires the Open the of Movement. that threatens to dominate and creative the crush impulse, believe we also Looking outLooking across invisible the vistas of that rhizomatic country parallel against other creative people invain pursuit of credibilities fleeting the First meant “instruction” or “evidence,” written whether or not. where intention resilient, meets proactive, collaborative organization. of scarcity the economy, rather than freely collaborating and sharing we can begin to see ourwe to community see can begin beyond constraints, place inthe to and respect acknowledge strength the of page the we now hold that now more than everwe have tools the to relinquish agency When intention we with mindful doso to address our process, to open our work to others, to create beauty inwords inspace, openly with eachother inecstatic celebration of MAKING? physical, athing inour hand… we remind ourselves that, Who isresponsible for themanufacture of value? like Dorothy: we had power the along, all my dears. the PRINT!DOCUMENT SERIES the operatingsystem the troublethe with bartleby DOC UMENT DOC in collaboration with collaboration in /däkyәmәnt/ is aprojectis of