The Lilac Thief

04/11/2026

Year 5! Let’s do this 🌷

03/26/2026

We’re on vacation in the southwest and learning a new landscape through its plants. Here, we are sustainably harvesting wild Chaparral from a friend’s land in Arizona.

Also called Creosote bush, Chaparral is one of the oldest living organisms in the world. The “King Clone” in Joshua Tree National Park is estimated to have been alive for almost 12,000 years, which means it has been rooted since the end of the Ice Age.

This plant has a long history in Indigenous herbal and spiritual practices in the American Southwest. It is antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory, and can also be used for ritual purposes for smudging and energy clearing. It’s wonderful for skin health, and we plan to use some of this harvest to make a healing salve.

Chaparral leaves are coated with a sticky resin that protects them from intense sunlight and preserves moisture, allowing the plant to thrive in an extremely hot and dry climate. This resin also gives them an extraordinary smell, especially after rain. Another lovely use of this plant is to hang a bundle in the shower, where the steam and heat will release the resinous oils and fill the space with the smell of desert rain.

Due to its long history and ability to withstand extreme climates, the Chaparral plant is associated with resilience, endurance, and ability to flourish despite adversity. Because it blooms following rain, the creosote bush is also a symbol of renewal, regeneration, and hope.

03/13/2026

01/26/2026

The Lilac Thief is pro-immigrant and anti-fascist. The government is murdering and brutalizing American citizens on video. The government is operating concentration camps where undocumented people are being held in unsafe and inhumane conditions. The government has made Minneapolis into a war zone and your city could be next. If you still think this is politics as usual, you are on the wrong side of history. Wake the f**k up. This is fascism.

12/14/2025

While we are horrified and saddened by every mass shooting, this one hits close to home - Rhode Island is our state, Warren is our town, and Providence is our city. Our hearts go out to all the Brown students, faculty, staff, and families affected by the shooting. But we are also angry because this is yet another tragedy that could have been prevented. We need sensible gun laws and access to quality mental healthcare - both of which our legislators could easily provide if they were more concerned with public well-being than campaign finances and political theater. We also need to deconstruct the culture of masculinity that associates strength with force rather than vulnerability, and teaches boys and men that violence is the only acceptable way to express emotion. This might be the norm in America, but this is not normal. We can – and should – do better. And we can – and should – call on our political representatives in Rhode Island and Washington and all across the country to do better as well.

Photo credit: Rafael Rodrigues