Boundaries, dancing, madness and a tale of 21st century America–this month’s Brain Food has all the juicy, meaty goodness you need to surrender your summer and make way for the transitions of fall. 

Transitions are never straightforward. Every year, without fail, September is rife with shifts, chapter ends, new starts, reluctant pivots, and courageous beginnings. 

This fall, as the world keeps marching towards the relentless uncertainty of “back to normal” I have started to embrace life’s transitions with a bit more curiosity, a little more grace, and a healthier outlook on what I want to let back in and what I want to let go.

What will I let in? Community, creativity, collaboration. What will I let go? Feelings of “should,”uninspiring conversations, doubt. 

What will you release as we emerge into the new season? What will you invite into your world? 

Read on to set that beautiful soul of yours on fire. It’s time. 

Set Serious Boundaries with Nedra Glover Tawwab

“I think “no” is a complete sentence.” No truer words have been spoken, especially when they come from Nedra Glover Tawwab, whose podcast How to Create Boundaries in Your Personal, Professional, and Financial Life, featured on the Journey to Launch podcast. TARRA member Annie Korenjack recommended Nedra’s conversation about boundaries, and I’m hooked. Nedra’s book is also a must-read for those who need to create more space and time for themselves. Listen to it here.

Experience the transporting music of six-time Latin Grammy winner Lila Downs

Six-time Latin Grammy winner Lila Downs returns to the Newman Center with her eclectic mix of Mexican pop, folk, and indigenous roots music along with a performance style that is uniquely hers. With a symbolic stage presence and emotional storytelling through song, her singing transcends all language barriers. Born and raised in both Oaxaca and Minnesota, Downs has written narratives of Indigenous resistance protecting the original vision of the sacred plants and food of her Oaxacan culture while keeping the traditions of the American continent. Buy tickets here.

Dance Your Face Off with Rapper Raja Kumari

Raja Kumari studied classical Indian dance as a child but the true love of this South Los Angeles native is hip hop. Having collaborated with the likes of Fall Out Boy, Gwen Stefani and Dirty South, Raja is now a super star in her own right with albums that blend her mother tongue Telegu, with American hip hop and Indian beats for a fresh twist on the genre. Turn it up TARRA. Raja will make you dance. Dance to it here.  

Your Denver Guide to Hispanic Heritage Month

Denver would not be Denver without its vast and rich Hispanic community. Making up 21% of Colorado’s diverse population and owning 11.1% of businesses, the Latinx community is integral to our local communities. This month-long celebration of Hispanic history and culture officially runs September 15 through October 15, but there are special events happening all through October and beyond. Explore events here. 

Art Talk: She Mad Season One

It’s time to discover Martine Syms. Her solo exhibition, She Mad Season One, currently installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, is a semi-autobiographical sitcom about a young woman trying to make it as an artist in Los Angeles. Poignant, immersive and full of humor, Syms is a voice of her generation. Visit She Mad here. 

Fall Read: All This Could Be Different: A Novel

Named a best book of the summer by NPR, Vogue, Elle, NYLON and Lit Hub, All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews, has been lauded as a “…warm, dazzling, and profound saga of queer love, friendship, work and precarity in 21st-century America.” Matthews has been called a “brilliant new voice” in the publishing world and we can’t wait to dive in as the leaves turn and the days get shorter. Buy it here.