lizdenys

[lizdenys]

Every time I break out my sewing machine, I'm grateful past!Liz marked these 1/4", 1/2", and 3/4" edges with tape.

[lizdenys]

Tell your elected officials you oppose this ridiculous NYPD policy: https://act.transalt.org/a/repeal-the-criminalization-of-biking-policy

We must oppose this change to target bicyclists. It will disproportionately impact communities of color and immigrant New Yorkers - during a tense political moment when federal policies are putting many at increased risk of criminalization and deportation. It’s unjust, ineffective, and dangerous.

The NYPD is now going to issue criminal summonses, as opposed to traffic tickets, to cyclists. Drivers will still receive traffic tickets, despite multi-ton vehicles being much more dangerous than bikes and NYC being far behind best practices for bike traffic laws. Idaho stops are still not legal here, despite being a widely accepted best practice.

Cops don't even know people biking are legally required to follow pedestrian signals, including when the traffic light is red (this is intentional - it significantly reduces bicyclist injuries by increasing visibility with turning cars). Someone in the article has already received a summons for following this law.

As Transportation Alternatives points out, "unlike traffic tickets, which involve a fine that can be paid online or by mail, criminal summonses require taking time off work or finding childcare to attend court and entering a legal system where there is risk of arrest, time in jail awaiting trial, and/or even deportation."

This is on top of it being a racial justice issue: "the NYPD has given substantially more criminal summonses for bike operation to New Yorkers of color. In 2024, 92% of criminal summonses for reckless bike operation went to New Yorkers of color, and 56% to Black New Yorkers specifically, and 95% of criminal court summonses issued to cyclists for riding bicycles on the sidewalk were issued to New Yorkers of color, including 64% to Black New Yorkers and 33% to Hispanic New Yorkers."

We deserve an administration that uses proven safety measures to make streets safe for all instead of punishing people choosing active transportation. Mayor Adams could start by building the protected bike lanes legally mandated by the Streets Plan and other initiatives to improve safety and flow for bicyclists like expanding the green wave for cyclists program.

[lizdenys]

Rising sea levels, eroding beaches, melting ice caps

When I was glazing this v60-style cone, I was thinking of rising sea levels, eroding beaches, and melting ice caps.

Trying to tackle large challenges like climate change is overwhelming in the best of times, and these are not the best of times. There are many things we can personally do to reduce our carbon footprints and fight climate change, but If we want to have any chance to succeed, we need to join together and organize. If you're new to organizing, connect with local groups already doing the work you're interested in, and don't forget to look for groups pushing for change outside of just the national stage.

Creating more dense walkable, transit-oriented communities is one of our strongest tools for a sustainable, climate friendly future. Generally, the bulk this work in the US happens at the state and local levels. In addition to the climate benefits, it's essential work to keep communities together and fight displacement.

I personally spend a lot of my spare time organizing locally around this issue to help ensure NYC and New York State stay places everyone can thrive. I focus especially on pro-housing policies and improving transportation options and reliability so climate-friendly, less car-dependent lifestyles - and New York's relative safety - can be for everyone.

[lizdenys]

The classic New York City treat reimagined as a pill jar

Tan stoneware clay with black speckles and light grog, slab-built and altered, porcelain slip, brown underglaze, black, white, and clear glazes

I keep my daily meds in one of these, and it makes my morning routine a little more joyful! I'm excited to make a big batch of these when I get my kiln setup up and running - hopefully early fall!

[lizdenys]

The NYPD is now going to issue criminal summonses, as opposed to traffic tickets, to cyclists. Drivers will still receive traffic tickets, despite multi-ton vehicles being much more dangerous than bikes and NYC being far behind best practices for bike traffic laws. Idaho stops are still not legal here, despite being a widely accepted best practice.

Cops don't even know people biking are legally required to follow pedestrian signals, including when the traffic light is red (this is intentional - it significantly reduces bicyclist injuries by increasing visibility with turning cars). Someone in the article has already received a summons for following this law.

As Transportation Alternatives points out, "unlike traffic tickets, which involve a fine that can be paid online or by mail, criminal summonses require taking time off work or finding childcare to attend court and entering a legal system where there is risk of arrest, time in jail awaiting trial, and/or even deportation."

This is on top of it being a racial justice issue: "the NYPD has given substantially more criminal summonses for bike operation to New Yorkers of color. In 2024, 92% of criminal summonses for reckless bike operation went to New Yorkers of color, and 56% to Black New Yorkers specifically, and 95% of criminal court summonses issued to cyclists for riding bicycles on the sidewalk were issued to New Yorkers of color, including 64% to Black New Yorkers and 33% to Hispanic New Yorkers."

We deserve an administration that uses proven safety measures to make streets safe for all instead of punishing people choosing active transportation. Mayor Adams could start by building the protected bike lanes legally mandated by the Streets Plan and other initiatives to improve safety and flow for bicyclists like expanding the green wave for cyclists program.

[lizdenys]

The classic New York City treat reimagined as a pill jar

Tan stoneware clay with black speckles and light grog, slab-built and altered, porcelain slip, brown underglaze, black, white, and clear glazes

I keep my daily meds in one of these, and it makes my morning routine a little more joyful! I'm excited to make a big batch of these when I get my kiln setup up and running - hopefully early fall!

[lizdenys]

We don't have to let this happen! Why does anyone want to go back in time where young children (and others) died from preventable disease all the time?

[lizdenys]

Ya know I'm starting to think RFK Jr. does not actually know what autism is

[lizdenys]

Aged leather / dazzle camouflage / coming together? pushing apart?

Medium brown stoneware clay with white grog, slab-built, matte black glaze

[lizdenys]

Bike Brooklyn! zine

I've been biking in Brooklyn for a few years now - I got back into urban bicycling near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic! It's hard for me to believe it, but I'm one of the people other bicyclists ask questions to now. I decided to make a zine that answers the most common of those questions.

Bike Brooklyn! is a zine that touches on everything I wish I knew when I started biking in Brooklyn. A lot of this information can be found in other resources, but I wanted to collect it in one place. I hope to update this zine when we get significantly more safe bike infrastructure in Brooklyn and laws change to make streets safer for bicyclists (and everyone) over time, but it's still important to note that each release will reflect a specific snapshot in time of bicycling in Brooklyn.

All text and illustrations in the zine are my own. This zine is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, so you can copy and distribute this zine for noncommercial purposes in unadapted form as long as you give credit to me.

Check out the Bike Brooklyn! zine on the web or download pdfs to read digitally or print here:

[lizdenys]

Silver bushes on the red rocks in the Mojave desert / western bluebirds / Brooklyn brownstones

Red stoneware clay with grog, slab-built, denim satin glaze

[lizdenys]

art will save you, being unreasonably passionate about something niche will save you, letting past sources of joy show you the way back to yourself will save you, earnestness over composure will save you, the natural world will save you, caring for something bigger than yourself will save you, daring to be seen will save you, kindness not as a whim but a principle will save you, appreciation as a practice will save you, daring to try something new will save you, grounding will save you, love will save you, one good nights sleep will save you

[lizdenys]

Universal daylighting, requiring that the 20 closest feet of curb space by intersections are clear, would make streets safer for everyone in NYC! It's already the rule throughout the state because the improved visiblity makes streets safer, but NYC is allowed to exempt themselves and our DOT chooses to do so - sacrificing our safety for a few more parking spots.

We are really close to passing a city bill, Council Member Julie Won's Intro 1138, that would require NYC DOT implement universal daylighting instead of exempting the city from this lifesaving safety measure.

We all need to speak up to make sure this universal daylighting bill gets across the finish line. It only takes 5 minutes to tell your Council Member you support this important bill:

Figure out what Council District you live in and who your Council Member is! https://boundaries.beta.nyc/ has the best current map of districts, and you can also look up your CM and their contact information directly at https://council.nyc.gov/districts/.

Check if your CM is sponsoring Intro 1138: https://intro.nyc/1138-2024

If your CM is sponsoring this bill, send them an email or give them a call thanking them for supporting universal daylighting! If your CM isn't a sponsor yet, send them an email or give them a call asking them to support this important piece of legislation.

Bonus: Tell your friends and neighbors to do the same!

We have a real chance of getting universal daylighting in NYC this year, but it won't happen if we don't keep the pressure up!

[lizdenys]

Well fucks? Get to it!

[lizdenys]

Algae in pond water / crests and troughs / sea glass

Heavily grogged buff stoneware clay, slab-built, glossy bottle glass green glaze

[lizdenys]

NYC folks!! We are exactly one week out from the universal daylighting hearing at City Council's Transportation Committee Hearing on Monday, April 21. CM Won's Intro 1138, which would require the city to implement universal daylighting and add hardened daylighting at 1000 intersections each year, is getting a hearing at this meeting, and we need to show up to support it!

First time testifying at City Council or haven't gotten around to drafting your testimony yet? Join Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Activist Committee in person work party TONIGHT where we'll write our testimony and making signs for the rally together! I'm one of the hosts of this event, and I'll be there in my N95 mask.

NYC folks!! Want to help make our streets safer and reduce car dependency? Join me in testifying in support of universal daylighting at City Council's Transportation Committee Hearing on Monday, April 21. One of the bills being heard is CM Won's Intro 1138, which would require the city to implement universal daylighting and add hardened daylighting at 1000 intersections each year.

What is daylighting, you might ask? Daylighting means no longer allowing parking in the 20 feet adjacent to intersections, which increases visibility for all road users!

Sick of close calls with drivers when you're walking in a crosswalk?

Want to reduce car dependency, which would in turn reduce demands for parking in new housing construction, which we know increases rents?

Tired of having to walk or bike into the intersection - where a car might hit you - just to see if you can cross safely?

Tired of going to Community Board meetings and hearing that street improvement projects like bus and bike lanes can't be made better because they'd have to remove some parking at intersections to do that?

Want to add additional seating, bike corrals, or more rain gardens?

Universal daylighting would fix or improve all these things!

FYI, there's also corresponding state legislation, A09985/S09769, which would require NYC to implement universal daylighting, but it's moving a little slower right now.

I'll be at the Intro 1138 hearing on Monday, April 21 in person to testify, but as with any Council hearing, you can also testify remotely on Zoom or send in written testimony (it's too early to have that information to share though). City Council members will start off the hearing talking about the bills on the docket to DOT representatives, so public testimony probably won't start until around 11am or noon. Expect to have 2 minutes for your testimony.

If you can't take the day off - which makes sense, it's during most folks' workdays and the hearings can run really long - you can testify on Zoom or send in written testimony. I'll post about that when that information is up! If you testify on Zoom, you only need to be present when you're called to testify, but you do need to be in the Zoom to be called on to testify. If you'd like to testify on Zoom in favor of lifesaving daylighting, you can connect with me (email me - see my website) so you can put the Zoom on mute and get a ping from me when you're called since I'm taking the day off to help folks speak up for this.

There's also going to be a rally ahead of the hearing on City Hall steps, too, at 9 am to support universal daylighting. You can RSVP to the rally and to testify with Transportation Alternatives or Open Plans.

Some resources and events that can help you prepare to testify, especially if it's your first time:

Open Plans is hosting a virtual session this Thursday, April 10 at 6pm about testifying for this bill!

Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Activist Committee is hosting an in person work party for writing testimony and making signs for the rally on Monday, April 14 at 6pm! (I'm one of the hosts of this event - I'll be there in my N95 mask.)

Transportation Alternatives has an overview of how to testify at City Council.

Let's get universal daylighting - a lifesaving street safety improvement!