Bi-Monthly By Ryan #28

Dear Comrades,

This newsletter is dedicated to Katelyn Durst Rivas. Katelyn is a fellow adoption abolitionist poet, whose work I personally admire. I am truly honored to call Katelyn a dear friend.

Katelyn hosted, managed, and ran my mutual aid campaign, which we started on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 and ended on Monday, September 22, 2025. Katelyn believed in my campaign from the start, perhaps even before I did myself. She encouraged me to not only identify, but also ask for what I actually needed—and nothing less.

She also offered invaluable advice to me along the way. I will carry the lessons along my way, for the rest of my life. Running this mutual aid campaign brought us closer together, in the most unexpected, surprising, and delightful ways.

Katelyn and I first met in-person in July 2024, at the first annual BIPOC Adoptees Conference in Portland, Oregon. Our interactions that weekend were defined by laughter. Our friendship was rooted in delightful, life-saving, unforgettable moments together at The Adoptee Open Mic, where I first met Katelyn, and heard her powerful poetry.

Katelyn is a beloved supporter of The Adoptee Open Mic. In addition to sharing her story on the mic, she shares her feedback generously with other community members. One of my favorite phrases Katelyn says after hearing a particularly powerful poem is, “what just happened,” rhetorically, with metaphorical stars that literally appear in her eyes.

If I had to choose one word to describe Katelyn, it would be “adoring.” She cares about, supports, and understands me, adoringly so! I feel every bit of your adoration, Katelyn.

Thank you for loving me, Katelyn. Thank you for being such a powerful poet, mother, and friend. I appreciate your presence in my life.

This newsletter is a small expression and token of my love for you. It is not enough. I hope it can be, for now.

Thank you for finding me in this lifetime. I am honored to know you. I am grateful for our presence in each other’s lives!

Love, Ryan <3

linktr.ee/ryanartes

Ongoing:

• I am teaching the third run of Letters to Our Homes, a generative letter writing workshop for Black and Brown adoptees, which starts this Sunday, October 28, 2025 at 3pm EST. There are three spots left. Reach out directly to me to sign up. <3

• The next session of The Adoptee Open Mic is on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 7pm EST (sign up here!). I am taking the month of October off for an intentional vacation and time for rest. After November’s event, I will be taking an indefinite break from hosting virtual gatherings. <3

• My GoFundMe campaign is officially over. You are welcome to donate for as long as the link works (which will not be much longer), if you feel inclined to make a last-minute donations. There are many causes to support, including Split This Rock and Tamara Abu Dayer via Joon Ae HK, and I appreciate your support of me. <3

Read the rest of Katelyn’s letter and subscribe to her newsletter here.