Shea: “I grew heritage corn in pots on my stoop for the very first time this year. My tribe is the Cherokee nation and I'm a citizen of the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma. I found a seed bank where you can get heritage seeds that are specific to your tribe, including flowers and vegetables. The corn I’m growing is a descendant of the corn that my ancestors brought with them on the Trail of Tears. It’s called Cherokee Eagle Corn and it’s beautiful. New York has one of the largest... Indigenous populations in the country, but many people don't know that we are on Lenape land. Growing up, I was taught that I my Native part wasn't an important part of me but then I started researching, going to my tribe’s museum in Oklahoma and reading lots of books, like Crooked Hallelujah. It talks about the experience of growing up in small communities where a little bit of Cherokee presence was left in the shadow of mega churches and small country congregations whose uber-religious attitude took away a lot of our culture. You look at what people have to sacrifice to survive, and you're like, ‘How can I make it to a point where the next generation doesn't have to sacrifice as much?’ And I think that's what you see in Crooked Hallelujah. There is growth in each matriarchal line. Things like the seed bank, where I was able to get my corn, are so important because we are not taught to put our happiness or our fulfillment first. It's more about survival and assimilation to survive. As a kid, I always wanted to see sunsets and dance in summer rainstorms barefoot. And honestly, I’m still like that. In the morning, I'll throw on a t-shirt, shorts and no shoes to go check the mail. People are like, ‘You do that in New York?’ I can wash my feet later. I like having my feet on the land.” @justsheavassar #crookedhallelujah #kellijoford / @theubc for #subwaybookreview #lenapehoking #newyork

NEW YORK — Jeremy: “I’m an emotional person, but I don’t cry often. I think it’s because we grow up seeing macho men and tough guys on TV and I feel like there’s a psychological thing going on where my body doesn’t let me cry. I’m a photographer and the last time I cried was when one of my photos was printed in New York Magazine. I just laid on the floor and cried for at least 15 minutes. It was very cathartic. A lot of New Yorkers work hard and we often forget to give oursel...ves a little pat on the back. It felt really good to be proud of myself and I wish I could cry more often. I definitely got emotional reading this book. We all go through stuff but Viktor Frankl went through the worst of the worst. He had an amazing career as a psychiatrist, he had a beautiful wife, all of these friends, and then all of a sudden the Holocaust happens and everything gets ripped away from him. He ends up in multiple concentration camps and he doesn’t know if his family is alive. Everyday, he sees the worst kind of life. It’s extremely morbid and bleak but this man knows how powerful the mind and our will is and he realizes that all he can do is to control how he reacts to things. That’s how his mind stays strong and that’s how he survives an impossible situation. That’s just phenomenal to me. I love the idea of being such an optimist that you can see the silver lining in any situation." @jermcohen #MansSearchForMeaning #ViktorFrankl / @theubc for #subwaybookreview #newyorkcity 🗽 cc @nymag 💦