blackgirl on mars: notes on a life in copenhagen (or how my alienation brings me closer to people).

I first met Suheir Hammad in about '96. At that time, I had the honor of working with my mentor, friend, professional and spiritual advisor Marie Brown. Marie Brown Associates was located at 625 Broadway. 625 Broadway was a collection of offices of many different types of businesses. There was an Inner-city program, an Independent Film association, and even a music-publishing company. Amidst all of these offices were two very meaningful ones to me: Marie Brown Associates and Writers and Readers. Writers and Readers was this publishing company founded by Glenn Thompson. Glenn Thompson was a visionary. He published folks such as Huey P. Newton and Suheir Hammad. Suheir, about my age, had just published her first book Born Palestinian, Born Black.  Glenn was dedicated to giving voice to every one. The existence of his publishing company, and all of its imprints, was exclusively dedicated to producing stories that balanced the rather skewed perception that can be cultivated throu...

“I somewhere am perhaps deeply unmercantile, and it is market forces as they are now called who at the moment are ruling - both materially and socially, and politically - the planet. Therefore if one can take decisions and do things which have nothing to do with the values behind those market forces, then so much the better.” John Berger

The Coconut Revolution is a 2001 multi-award winning documentary film about the struggle of the indigenous peoples of Bougainville Island. The movement is described as the "world's first successful eco-revolution". The movie tells the story of the successful uprising of the indigenous peoples of Bougainville Island against the Papua New Guinea army and the mining plans of the mining corporation Rio Tinto Zinc (RTZ) to exploit their natural resources. The documentary reveals how the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) managed to overcome the marine blockade strategy used by the Papuan army by using coconut oil as fuel for their vehicles.

It sounds like it's raining outside, but I am too sick in bed to get up and look. My green wrap from Tahita, which was bequeathed to me one birthday, many years ago by my friend Amy, hangs over my window, with not even a peak of the outside world available to me. But I have prepared well--surrounding my bed is an array of yarn, crochet needles, candles, fruit, tea, books, a sketchpad and my computer, of course. So now that my body has demanded my attention, has forced me to slow down, what are my thoughts? It's easy to think I have an idea of my thoughts on things when I'm plunged into the depths of my life: my job as a teacher demands that I'm being pushed and pulled in many directions, many times at the same time. It is easy to forget about myself, and get involved in the garden all around me, doing my best to cultivate not only my students, but myself as well. One of the best disciplines one can possess, is the ability to flow with the now. It means not getting ...

Lodden Land from ThorstenCoo on Vimeo . I'm a big admirer of Gina Thorstensen's work. Here's the illustration she has in Bureau 39... gina thorstensen's "love is a fish" as featured in bureau 39, issue #1