Diversity Rules Magazine

Jim Koury is a seeker of personal truth, and desires to empower oth- ers to find their own personal truth, whatever it may be. He is also an ac vist who is not afraid to speak his mind, and ruffle some feath- ers, if necessary. His main objec ve is to get people to think and think for themselves. He espouses Aristotle's mantra, "It is the mark of an educated mind to en- tertain a thought without accep ng it." Jim does not force his views on others but just puts them out there for folks to think about and discard if they wish. Welcome to the March issue of Divers y Rules Maga- zine! March means SPRING is soon to arrive... well, maybe. It will arrive on the calendar but as we all know, it takes a bit of me some mes for it to actual- ly arrive and STAY. Live in the Great Northeast, eh? This month's feature is a story about John Jarboe and "Rose: You Are Who You Eat." John Jarboe (she/her) is a director, singer, writer, producer and host serving you revolu on, herstory, queer community making, and a whole lot of gli er. A shrine of music, image, objects, and text, Rose brings together a team of queer ar sts, includ- ing composers and musicians Emily Bate, Daniel de Jesús, Pax Ressler, and Be Steadwell with director Mary Tuomanen, to tell the legend of John and Rose. Jarboe, known as the founding ar s c director of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret, explores this tale through musical styles ranging from art song to 1980s pop ballad, elaborate floral-inspired costumes made by Rebecca Kanach, in mate storytelling, and a feast of wordplay. This evening will feature a concert of origi- nal songs performed by a live band and set alongside a garden of images made with filmmaker Christo- pher Ash. A er this event, the project will con nue to evolve into films and an art installa on in which fellow genderqueers can nourish their own idiosyn- cra c iden es. Rose first came to life in Jarboe's Works & Process Art- ists (WPA) Virtual Commission, an ini a ve launched by Works & Process in the early days of the pandemic to provide ar sts with crea ve and financial support during a period of uncertainty. Working towards shaping a more inclusive, fair, and representa ve and colorful world, Works & Process commissioned the live performance of Rose and provided the project with a bubble residency at Mount Tremper Arts in fall 2020. The March issue, as usual, also includes many other ar cles and features of interest, that I am sure you will enjoy. Have a great read, and of course, spread the word about Diversity Rules Magzine! It is a labor of love for me, and the more folks that can see and read it, the be er. Last, the pandemic seems to be ebbing... maybe. LOL. We have heard that before right? Get vaccinat- ed! More importantly, though, do not let fear drive you. We must begin to live our lives now. See you in April! My Two Cents A Message From The Editor James R. Koury, Editor/Publisher Diversity Rules Magazine | Mar 2022 | 3

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