Instagram story viewer> @reneeisto> Posts
renée g(@reneeisto)'s profile avatar HD Profile

renée g

@reneeisto

2.1K
followers
4385
following
nurturer. thinker. writer. cousinauntiesista.
youth worker. librarian.
death worker. film fest web.
garifuna🇧🇿🇭🇹
bos | ldn | dc | thebx
POSTS STORIES REELS
we baaaacck! 👀✍🏽♥️ feeling very vulnerable, but very thrilled to share that I’m back in the next incredible zine by the lovely @unimpressedpub, CRUSHING IT — with not one, but *two* poems! 🥳 honored to dust off these pieces and have them find a home in this zine among a bunch of wonderful artists, writers/poets, and creatives! thank y’all for including me 🥹 so be sure to check out the full poems + cop this zine anthology “on all things CRUSHES—crushing from a distance, your first crush, your celebrity crush, your fictional character crushes, an unwanted attraction, an unrequited crush… Here are thirteen poems, short stories, and comics for whether you’re getting crushed or crushing it!” 🗣️ the zine releases on Valentine’s Day 2/14 but you can pre-order your copy now at https://unimpressedpub.gumroad.com/l/qhfvc (link in bio)!! thanks for your support! 💕 by @reneeisto
🗣️ it’s hereee! I’m in a zine about hair! 🤗📖👩🏽‍🦱 and apparently I had a lot to say about hair! so it’s giving a lil poem, a lil rant, a lil memoir, a lil short story, but a whole lot of gratitude for my hair journey. ➿ big shouts to my cousin @kandasay for telling me about this + editing this zine, to @abhi_alwar for designing it, to all the incredible contributors to this work, and to @unimpressedpub for including me + all my many words and for putting this out into the world! 👏🏽 🔗 you can cop the zine to see the full thing + all the contributors’ work on @gumroad - link in my bio! by @reneeisto
dedicating my 2022 recap post to one of the best and most challenging things I’ve done this year: completing my graduate program and master’s dissertation/thesis — with distinction/an ‘A’! 📝📚🎓🎉 it’s still really wild + surreal to me. this whole journey has certainly not been easy and to be honest, a rough academic experience in undergrad made me think that grad school might not ever be a possibility for me. but that’s another story for another day. but today (and truly every day), we’re celebrating that ya girl wrote several essays and a dissertation/thesis this year! it nearly broke me but I did it *and* did it well. I’m deeply proud of myself. ☺️💁🏽‍♀️ my official graduation is next month and I have more exciting updates to share out soon but I’m happy to now share that my papers are also up online so if you fancy a read, feel free to check em out! you can also find a new post up about my last six months of 2022 - link in the bio. ✨ #reneeistolondon #reneeistoMLIS #cityLIS by @reneeisto
📸🪞🤖🌅✨ by @reneeisto
📸🙅🏽‍♀️📖🎃🌹🍿 by @reneeisto
📸📚🏙️🥐🖍️🦸🏽‍♀️ by @reneeisto
📸🌱🎥💃🏽🎨🌅 by @reneeisto
here, still living alongside gratitude + grief. 📸💖 by @reneeisto
Oh, Evelyn. Sometimes that's all I can bring myself to say when I think about finding out on Friday that she moved to hospice from navigating cancer, visiting her on Saturday with other friends, and then finding out she passed on Monday. Or when I think about how kind and generous she was and how she is such an integral part of bringing me into the @herhousebu / @heraa.bu community - a community that quite literally did change my life. Or when I think about her two young kids, her husband, her parents, her sisters, and her entire village. Or when I think about how life changed so swiftly and unfairly for her. Or when I think about how this is the second person in this month that I've visited in hospice and had to say goodbye to. Or when I think about our last conversation that I didn't think would be our final one so I had hoped to continue our talk. Or when I think about all the feelings I've been feeling and somehow both grief and gratitude sit hand in hand. Or when I think about the moment she was sitting deeply on my heart and without yet knowing she was already gone, I sent her a message less than 30 mins after she died hoping I'd hear from her soon. hoping she had gotten some rest -- without realizing she did. Though as a death worker and someone who has seen loss since childhood, I'm nearly always reflecting on death, loss, and grief, but there are still a lot of questions that I will never have a truth for. But what I know is true is that I write this with both tears in my eyes and so much gratitude in my heart. Grief and joy live here, together, always. I have so much love for Evelyn and I am so grateful I got the chance to tell her so. I am going to deeply miss her light and I am so glad I got to be a witness to it. May her soul rest easy. 🕊️🫶🏽 - You can find the links in my profile for Evelyn's legacy if you'd like to learn more about her and for the fundraiser to help support her two young kids. - p.s. thank you to the HERlie alums who helped make our last moments with Evelyn possible. beyond grateful for you all and this community. ♥️ by @reneeisto
It's been a wild last few weeks but I'm grateful we got to send her spirit home in peace and love. 🕊️ I'm honored to be able to write and share (a brief version of) her legacy here: After spending her final days surrounded by family love and care, Gisele Gaillard passed away in peace and comfort on Sunday, September 6, 2026. Gisele was born on February 17, 1938 in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, made Port-au-Prince, Haiti home, and then later lived in Cuba, Key West (Florida), Boston (Massachusetts), and Canada before living out the rest of her life in New York City. Gisele was a courageous, inspiring, self-assured, and spiritual woman who loved her fashion, beauty, a good party and parades, and had the confidence of a diva that was well loved by many. Although she held many roles such as a housekeeper and home attendant, one of her greatest roles was being a mother and raising her two children, Willio Gaillard and Willia Gaillard. Gisele was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2010 and then with Papillary Thyroid Cancer in her final weeks, but she showed her warrior, lover, and festive spirit all the way through to her final moments. Gisele Gaillard is reunited in spirit with: her son, Willio Gaillard; her parents, including her beloved mother Renée; her siblings, including Edouard and Emile; and her spiritual guides Erzulie and Ayizan. She is survived by: her daughter Willia Gaillard, Willia’s wife Nicola Gaillard; her grandchildren: Jennifer Gaillard, Kevin Gaillard, Renée Gaillard, Nailah Gaillard, and Zariyah Gaillard; her great-grandchild Claudia; her nieces and nephews including Nadia Ouimet, Emilie Ouimet, and Edy Leys; her cat Tepiece; and her dear family, friends, and healthcare professionals that aided in her care over the last 16 years. -- From the earth we come and to the earth our bodies return. Gisele Gaillard will soon return back to the earth as soil for a tree and will then be honored in a family celebration of her life. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation in honor of Gisele at https://bit.ly/giselegaillard. The family of Gisele Gaillard greatly thanks everyone for sharing care and concern during this time. by @reneeisto
migrating around town. 🐘💐🇧🇿🇭🇹🇹🇹🇬🇩🇵🇷🛝🍅🎉 by @reneeisto
some more of the fun from the central american independence day celebration! 🎉💃🏽 by @reneeisto

Download All

Save the photos and videos currently loaded on this page.

0Photos
0Videos
Ready to download 0 / 0

Keep this tab open until your download is ready.
back to up