Dear Me/We/You/Us
Under strict loving soft encouragement from the QBG I am writing us a love letter. And the things I love about ourselves and myself and weselves and multiple selves on multiple plains/planes.
The first part of y/our love letter of course is a love letter to our inability to do the assignment , any assignment as it is asked.
When I started this letter I had as I usually do grand plans of combining it with a stinging commentary on Haiti/an admonishment to American progressive laziness/ response to stupid stupid lady who knows nothing about black new media feminism/and a love letter to all of you I carry with me .
I think I started with the idea of combining them because of of something Delux wrote that I the idea that our very exisistance is multi tasked . While hers is of course based on the Dubois talented tenth Not just inter sectional as in existing , but that every breath or motion exists in our bodies and lives at multiple sometimes oppositional ends.
and that attempts to sustain this existence in any form are transgressive always or confrontational or violent where they are none.
One of the things I love about me is my appearance to be anywhere BUT my own country it seems.
I am Senegalese/Creole/Dominican/Brazilian/Carolina Geechee/ DEFINITELY west indian but NOT Guyanese
and Haitian
I may say it's the french but it's often before I open my mouth.
And it is often well lets be realistic most of the time that my radical self screams and chafes and just rages at the idea of being categorized without my permission , my ever awkward self demanding that peopel recognize teh one thing I often feel I have to call my own
but my nun /self the self that is always trying to be open and good and present
that self sees people looking for home for familiarity for knowledge in you in unfamiliar places.
From kids from your hood in the museum
foreigners well damn near everywhere
people find home in you even when you can't find it in yourself
i love that you fixate on words on ideas on concepts . That this letter is called a love letter to looting because you jsut can;t satnd that it's being used to describe people trying not to die.
Because you feel it in the pit of your stomach that it's what we have been called all our lives.
Looting someones "spot" by daring to be brighter
Looting someones comfort by daring to be hurt at a slight
Looting someone's success by daring to point out flaws
Looting the movement by daring to not work for free.
Looting your own future by daring to survive instead of " trying to do something better with your life"
Because in the end no one pays your bills feeds your family hears your cry makes your Damoclean choices
and because most off you just know it's looking looking for a way to organize a world that does not believe in you for your proper existence. That we understand that often being incomprehensible is a nice way of being dismissible
I think That is what I thought of when I read Lex's email and facebook post. That at the crux of it most of the problem isn;t actually ignorance, or meanness but shear incomprehensibility.
That we write create our media and push our lives in ways that are deemed " small"
because none of those women can imagine having to constantly reclaim your life your humanity every generation every new birth .
That sometimes yelling at Rupert Murdoch , or snarling at each other about whose incharge
can never mean as much as turning to saying .
"I see you , I hear you , and there is no wrong in your existence"
Even as you try to make yourself understand that.
I love that you even dare to try.
I love that you greet things and developments that match your Cassandra like propensity for prediction with equal measure of curse and hug. That you enjoy being right without relishing it,
I love that you erased that last sentence , You're learning!
I truly love your relish in being wrong . Because you wish to learn, you are open, you are fearfilled and that gives you courage.
I love you not because you are perfect or a specimen or a goddess but because you are you
love
Me and You and All of you
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Love letters to looters
Dear Me/We/You/Us
Under strict loving soft encouragement from the QBG I am writing us a love letter. And the things I love about ourselves and myself and weselves and multiple selves on multiple plains/planes.
The first part of y/our love letter of course is a love letter to our inability to do the assignment , any assignment as it is asked.
When I started this letter I had as I usually do grand plans of combining it with a stinging commentary on Haiti/an admonishment to American progressive laziness/ response to stupid stupid lady who knows nothing about black new media feminism/and a love letter to all of you I carry with me .
I think I started with the idea of combining them because of of something Delux wrote that I the idea that our very exisistance is multi tasked . While hers is of course based on the Dubois talented tenth Not just inter sectional as in existing , but that every breath or motion exists in our bodies and lives at multiple sometimes oppositional ends.
and that attempts to sustain this existence in any form are transgressive always or confrontational or violent where they are none.
One of the things I love about me is my appearance to be anywhere BUT my own country it seems.
I am Senegalese/Creole/Dominican/Brazilian/Carolina Geechee/ DEFINITELY west indian but NOT Guyanese
and Haitian
I may say it's the french but it's often before I open my mouth.
And it is often well lets be realistic most of the time that my radical self screams and chafes and just rages at the idea of being categorized without my permission , my ever awkward self demanding that peopel recognize teh one thing I often feel I have to call my own
but my nun /self the self that is always trying to be open and good and present
that self sees people looking for home for familiarity for knowledge in you in unfamiliar places.
From kids from your hood in the museum
foreigners well damn near everywhere
people find home in you even when you can't find it in yourself
i love that you fixate on words on ideas on concepts . That this letter is called a love letter to looting because you jsut can;t satnd that it's being used to describe people trying not to die.
Because you feel it in the pit of your stomach that it's what we have been called all our lives.
Looting someones "spot" by daring to be brighter
Looting someones comfort by daring to be hurt at a slight
Looting someone's success by daring to point out flaws
Looting the movement by daring to not work for free.
Looting your own future by daring to survive instead of " trying to do something better with your life"
Because in the end no one pays your bills feeds your family hears your cry makes your Damoclean choices
and because most off you just know it's looking looking for a way to organize a world that does not believe in you for your proper existence. That we understand that often being incomprehensible is a nice way of being dismissible
I think That is what I thought of when I read Lex's email and facebook post. That at the crux of it most of the problem isn;t actually ignorance, or meanness but shear incomprehensibility.
That we write create our media and push our lives in ways that are deemed " small"
because none of those women can imagine having to constantly reclaim your life your humanity every generation every new birth .
That sometimes yelling at Rupert Murdoch , or snarling at each other about whose incharge
can never mean as much as turning to saying .
"I see you , I hear you , and there is no wrong in your existence"
Even as you try to make yourself understand that.
I love that you even dare to try.
I love that you greet things and developments that match your Cassandra like propensity for prediction with equal measure of curse and hug. That you enjoy being right without relishing it,
I love that you erased that last sentence , You're learning!
I truly love your relish in being wrong . Because you wish to learn, you are open, you are fearfilled and that gives you courage.
I love you not because you are perfect or a specimen or a goddess but because you are you
love
Me and You and All of you
Under strict loving soft encouragement from the QBG I am writing us a love letter. And the things I love about ourselves and myself and weselves and multiple selves on multiple plains/planes.
The first part of y/our love letter of course is a love letter to our inability to do the assignment , any assignment as it is asked.
When I started this letter I had as I usually do grand plans of combining it with a stinging commentary on Haiti/an admonishment to American progressive laziness/ response to stupid stupid lady who knows nothing about black new media feminism/and a love letter to all of you I carry with me .
I think I started with the idea of combining them because of of something Delux wrote that I the idea that our very exisistance is multi tasked . While hers is of course based on the Dubois talented tenth Not just inter sectional as in existing , but that every breath or motion exists in our bodies and lives at multiple sometimes oppositional ends.
and that attempts to sustain this existence in any form are transgressive always or confrontational or violent where they are none.
One of the things I love about me is my appearance to be anywhere BUT my own country it seems.
I am Senegalese/Creole/Dominican/Brazilian/Carolina Geechee/ DEFINITELY west indian but NOT Guyanese
and Haitian
I may say it's the french but it's often before I open my mouth.
And it is often well lets be realistic most of the time that my radical self screams and chafes and just rages at the idea of being categorized without my permission , my ever awkward self demanding that peopel recognize teh one thing I often feel I have to call my own
but my nun /self the self that is always trying to be open and good and present
that self sees people looking for home for familiarity for knowledge in you in unfamiliar places.
From kids from your hood in the museum
foreigners well damn near everywhere
people find home in you even when you can't find it in yourself
i love that you fixate on words on ideas on concepts . That this letter is called a love letter to looting because you jsut can;t satnd that it's being used to describe people trying not to die.
Because you feel it in the pit of your stomach that it's what we have been called all our lives.
Looting someones "spot" by daring to be brighter
Looting someones comfort by daring to be hurt at a slight
Looting someone's success by daring to point out flaws
Looting the movement by daring to not work for free.
Looting your own future by daring to survive instead of " trying to do something better with your life"
Because in the end no one pays your bills feeds your family hears your cry makes your Damoclean choices
and because most off you just know it's looking looking for a way to organize a world that does not believe in you for your proper existence. That we understand that often being incomprehensible is a nice way of being dismissible
I think That is what I thought of when I read Lex's email and facebook post. That at the crux of it most of the problem isn;t actually ignorance, or meanness but shear incomprehensibility.
That we write create our media and push our lives in ways that are deemed " small"
because none of those women can imagine having to constantly reclaim your life your humanity every generation every new birth .
That sometimes yelling at Rupert Murdoch , or snarling at each other about whose incharge
can never mean as much as turning to saying .
"I see you , I hear you , and there is no wrong in your existence"
Even as you try to make yourself understand that.
I love that you even dare to try.
I love that you greet things and developments that match your Cassandra like propensity for prediction with equal measure of curse and hug. That you enjoy being right without relishing it,
I love that you erased that last sentence , You're learning!
I truly love your relish in being wrong . Because you wish to learn, you are open, you are fearfilled and that gives you courage.
I love you not because you are perfect or a specimen or a goddess but because you are you
love
Me and You and All of you
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Anger is Useful! New Podcast and Introducing the Little Black (Feminist) Book Series
Who's afraid of the Angry Black Woman? Well BE AFRAID because Angry Black Woman are speaking our minds and transforming the world in the service of our vision. Oppression beware the well-directed rage of Black feminism!This week for your listening and reading pleasure we have the ANGRY BLACK WOMAN edition of the Eternal Summer of the Black Feminist Podcast Series! As always, we start with the brilliance of our ancestors...meditating on the poetic of rage in June Jordan's angry letters to racist editors and including reflections from Nia Wilson, Mai'a Williams, Moya Bailey, Daria Bannerman and the young visionaries at New Horizon's Alternative School...plus as always music that rocks (including a track from the genuis Jon Anonymous project by Durham's own Shirlette Ammons!)
http://brokenbeautiful.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/final-angry-black-woman-podcast.mp3
And while you're at it...download or subscribe to the podcasts on itunes (search "brokenbeautiful press" in podcasts and we'll be all up in your eardrum!)
And just because my anger about racism, and sexism and gendered violence is based in my deep deep love for YOU and the world we deserve...BrokenBeautiful Press is happy to present The Little Black (Feminist) Book Series Volume 1: RAGE. Including that essay on June Jordan's Angry Letters and 4 other classic angry blogposts from the thatlittleblackbook.blogspot.com. It's pocket-sized in case you need to hand it to someone who clearly doesn't get it. Get one on deck with a donation of 15 bucks or more all proceeds go to the Community Sustained Educational programming from Eternal Summer of the Black Feminist Mind!
Go to paypal.com and send your donation to brokenbeautifulpress@gmail.com with RAGE in product line and your correct mailing address. (Or just holler at me if you have the divine insight to live in Durham.) There are only 20 so get yours soon :)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Apply for the School of Our Lorde Poetics Unit by January 25th!: Available in Durham and the Diaspora!
The School of Our Lorde is comprised of 4 units of Thursday evening sessions that allow participants to deeply engage and build on the work of Audre Lorde as transmitted through the committed (obsessive) research of Alexis Pauline Gumbs on the poetics, teaching practices, political implications and publishing interventions of Audre Lorde’s work (and to enjoy delicious local desserts together) on Thursday evenings. Participants will also get coursepacks with some exclusive and unpublished materials on/by Lorde. Participants can choose to participate in one 3 week semester or the entire 4 month process. Engaging, interactive poetic childcare will be provided at every session with amazing activities imagined with and implemented by Beth Bruch!!!! No one who completes an application and can attend will be turned away.
February 2010: Poetics ****Applications Due January 25th 2010****
Poetics: Audre Lorde is best known as a warrior poet. In February, School of Our Lorde participants will get a change to deeply engage Lorde’s poetry (with the benefit of Lex’s archival research on her revisions) and write their own poetry. We will meet over dessert on Thursday February 4th, 11th and 18th (Audre’s b-day!!!!) and the poets will perform their own new or transformed work at a community reading on Saturday February 20th.
Apply for the poetics course here: School of Our Lorde Poetics Application (pdf version)
School of Our Lorde Poetics Application
email applications to brokenbeautifulpress@gmail.com or drop them off at the Inspiration Station (email for directions)
Distance Learning
For those of you who are not lucky enough to live in Durham, NC right now...don't worry. Audre Lorde and I both believe in long-distance love.
You can participate in the School of Our Lorde long-distance in 3 ways:
Host Your Own Satellite Campus!:
Why not have School of Our Lorde at your organization or in YOUR living room!? If you can gather 5 or more people to participate in any unit you can get a course packet with the course readings and worksheets to guide you through each session. You can also participate (along with other satellite campuses) in a monthly interactive BrightTalk session and office hours on LiveStream.
Our vision is that each Satellite Campus will be able to make a sliding scale contribution of $75-200 per unit. No group will be turned away.
To become a host, email brokenbeautifulpress@gmail.com with what session you'd like to host and your vision!
Independent Study:
Let us know how the School of Our Lorde poetics, pedagogy, politics of publishing process can support something you are working on with/for your community. You will get a course packet and worksheets. You can also participate (along with other satellite campuses) in a monthly interactive BrightTalk session and office hours on LiveStream.
Fill out the application for the appropriate unit here: http://summerofourlorde.wordpress.com/registration/
and get 7 people to financially support your participation. Our hope is that each independent student will raise between $50-150 to contribute to the School of Our Lorde. No one will be turned away!
Lorde as Our Witness:
You can participate in the School of our Lorde through this blog. There will be weekly video blog updates and reflections from the local participants and you can always post comments and questions here and I'll respond. Feel free to spread the good news in your community so one day you can host a School of Our Lorde institute where you live!
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