The national Freya Project comes to Troutbeck to share poems of joy

AMENIA — Rather than be consumed by the fear brought on by recent headlines, The Freya Project offered the community an evening to reflect on happier moments at its Readings for Joy event held at Troutbeck in Amenia on Friday, May 6.

According to its website, www.freyaproject.com, The Freya Project stands as “an organization that uses storytelling to inspire community-based activism.”

As part of its mission, The Freya Project invites women and non-binary people — including authors, actors, teachers, doctors and activists — to read at its events; all proceeds raised go toward supporting small nonprofits working in their location communities.

Its recent reading raised funds to support the Roe Fund, which, according to the fund’s website at www.abortionfunds.org, annually provides direct financial help to Oklahoma women seeking family planning services who could otherwise not have afforded them.

With a light spring rainfall trickling down outside, the Troutbeck ballroom provided a nice, cozy space for the readings. By 5:30 p.m., there were more than a dozen people in the ballroom with more arriving as the evening progressed.

Although The Freya Project Co-Founder Nonie Brzyski was unable to attend the event, her sister Kate White shared how thrilled they were to hold it at Troutbeck. White gave an overview of how The Freya Project got started and of its overall mission.

In talking about the Roe Fund, White explained the project is funded entirely by donations. After a draft Supreme Court opinion leaked last week that could reverse the Roe v. Wade decision that has protected a woman’s right to safe and legal abortions, putting in jeopardy the future of women’s ability to access the procedure, she said the timing to gather in support of the Roe Fund couldn’t have been better.

White said the four presenters at Troutbeck were asked to describe a day in which they felt joy. Halimah Marcus was the first reader.

With a microphone in hand and words splayed on the podium, Marcus read an original piece she written for the occasion about a moment inspired by a trip to Coney Island. The audience let the words wash over them, laughing at Marcus’ gentle sense of humor.

The laughter continued throughout the night, though the delivery changed from prose to poetry to essays.

Though admitting her poetry tends to gravitate toward sadness, poet Rage Hezekiah  selected a few poems that captured joy.

“Thank you all for showing up for a very good cause at a very important time,” said author Marcia DeSanctis before reading aloud “Seven Drafts of Coffee,” an essay from her book “A Hard Place to Leave,” which captured the seven-stage cycle she’s experienced between leaving and returning home from assignments.

While she acknowledged the writing was about a day when she felt joy, Leigh Newman, the final author that evening, said she feels joy every day. She chose to write about “joy and terror,” a nickname given to her by her agent.

Newman  interlaced hilarity and relatability as she read about the subtle joys of home life and the terrors that have “burrowed like a tick” into every joy she’s experienced.

Thanking all the readers for filling the room with joy, White invited attendees to consider buying the signed books and make a donation to the Roe Fund.

Attendees of The Freya Project’s Readings for Joy lent author Marcia DeSanctis their undivided attention as she read aloud her essay at Troutbeck. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Turning to her first poetry collection, poet Rage Hezekiah read aloud a selection of poems that captured joy at The Freya Project’s Readings for Joy on Friday night, May 6. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Attendees of The Freya Project’s Readings for Joy lent author Marcia DeSanctis their undivided attention as she read aloud her essay at Troutbeck. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle