Latest Entries
Writing to sell or please others limits creativity
How many mind-blowing, thought-provoking and beautiful books or films can you think of that were created while trying to please others? Doesn’t the most impactful, memorable writing boldly challenge the status quo, play with aesthetics, and startle us instead? Here are some reasons why writers should steer clear of pleasing others: 1) When a writer … Continue reading
Australian Aboriginal art resists and resists
Art is never just art in this ripped up mess of a world. Today’s Aboriginal art is often an expression of cultural sovereignty and survival, in a country which oppresses Aboriginal people, but uses Aboriginal heritage and art as a commodity – as a highly profitable souvenir. This post aims to celebrate various Aboriginal artists … Continue reading
Writing for liberation course – intermediate to advanced
While there are a lot of free or affordable courses online for writing (and perhaps also in person in your local area), these tend to focus on the basics. The art of writing takes a whole life time to master. It’s an ongoing process of experimentation, discovery, and fine-tuning. One way to help your growth … Continue reading
The Vivid Dangers of Our Indifference to a Hellish World
Obligatory apathy: We live in a society that despises any sign of caring about just how bad things are for most people. The planet is corroding and smoldering, and time and resources are going into nuclear weapons and sending humanity into its own carefully prepared hell. The unequal global economy is efficiently stimulating the starvation … Continue reading
I beat up fascists
3 brutal poems for women: Rare age, fairy tales, and a monster protest
The following three poems are hard and liberating. Read them out loud and with one fist clenched. Laura Passin is a writer and scholar specialising in contemporary US poetry and gender studies. I am not old – by Samantha Reynolds I am not old, she said I am rare I am the standing ovation at … Continue reading
Writing for liberation exercise: Make it ugly
Clotty seas, fungal walls, insipid kindness, reckless jokes, a grotty smile – it can be fun to play with contrasts, the unexpected, and in this case – make nice things ugly. It’s easy to find all the right adjectives and stack them up in front of the horrid stuff of life. And it’s easy to … Continue reading
PSA to men: Stop insisting
He asked me if I wanted to go out and get wine and look at the stars. I said, politely and honestly, no thanks – I was tired and it was really cold out. He came back with, “How about wine somewhere closer?” so I had to find a way to say no, again, politely. … Continue reading
Iran in photos: These are the people the US won’t let in
In the giant main square of Isfahan, two women eating saffron ice-cream came up to myself and a friend and asked us where we’re from. We replied, and with huge smiles they said “Welcome to Iran!” then walked off. Over the next week this sort of thing happened frequently, and sometimes extended into questions about … Continue reading
Revolutionary gems on mothering, survival, rebellion, and war
I read Mai’a Williams’ book like some one starved for word gems and insights. I want to cover this book for this blog because no one talks about mothers like they are the key protagonists in this world. They (and women and people of colour and people in poor countries and..) are portrayed as being … Continue reading
Why non-plated food epitomises everything that is wrong with the world.
Non-plated food is lacking in imagination and a symptom of societal stupidity. In rich countries and the wealthier areas of poor countries it has become trendy for restaurants to serve food on cutting boards and slates, as well as “deconstructed” meals in cups, juice in watering cans, sausages in skulls and hanging from branches (seriously), … Continue reading
