“It wouldn’t bother me if I was complimented,” men often say when told that their street harassment or their comments on our appearance are a problem. Here’s one bad-ass way you can respond. Start with a hypothetical about a friend who was in a traumatic car crash. Hanging out with that friend, we’re sensitive to … Continue reading
I admit I have a longstanding fear of being boring. Or I’m convinced that my writing (and my conversation) is artless and unoriginal. The reality though, is far from that, and in life and in writing, I seem to break most of the rules. I guess in this sense, I’m most sensitive about something that … Continue reading
I am sorry this world could not keep you safe.. Continue reading
The first night They approach And pick a flower from our garden And we don’t say anything. The second night, No longer hiding, they Stomp on the flowers, kill our dog, And we don’t say anything. Until one day The weakest of them Enters our house alone Robs us of light, and, Knowing our fear, … Continue reading
Fun characters, an intriguing plot, the excitement of a murder and an affair… is it okay to write a novel, story, or article, purely in order to entertain the reader? To distract them? In a world of rife and normalised injustice, I confess I often feel like distraction is out of order and those with … Continue reading
These days, people generally expect to go online and get news and analysis for free. Hell, a lot of us even expect to get movies, music, and books for free. Perhaps it’s a materialistic mindset that sees people paying for beer or expensive lunches or new shoes without an argument, while refusing to do so … Continue reading
little singing birds are diving into the fire the smell of burning bird of suicided song is mistaken for a dark day in Australia overcast skies, the weather reader reports (Hodan Yasin and Omid Masoumali, young refugees from Somalia and Iran and detained by Australia, set themselves on fire within a week of each other) … Continue reading
What do you think? By Meek Art or not? By Michael Aaron Williams Some people would probably notice this artwork portraying homeless people before they would notice real homeless people. Maybe that’s because the art has a message, but aren’t homeless people themselves a pretty serious comment on society? Continue reading
42 was the meaning of life. 43 was death – for the 43 Mexican students forcibly disappeared in one go, and for the 43 people in Venezuela killed during rightwing barricades. 11 (April, 2002) was coups and the will of the Venezuelan people trampled on 13 was overcoming defeat. It was when the Venezuelan people … Continue reading
The Joys of Motherhood – FreeQuency “…who will see criminal before child… I can’t take it for granted that they won’t kill my son… there’s something about being Black in America that has made motherhood sound like mourning …” Used – Shelby Birch “He called me a queen and I blushed, but it wasn’t because … Continue reading
My aim is to read these books this year. What a magical wealth of stories, thoughts, strong characters, complex life views, and places to journey to. Its a collection of awesome authors and regions, including indigenous people from different countries, sexually diverse people, hardcore women, industrial workers, migrants, revolutionaries, Black activists, and people who have faced … Continue reading
Languages on their own can be tools of power or resistance… Shailja Patel’s “Dreaming in Gujarati”: (excerpts) I am six in a playground of white children Darkie, sing us an Indian song! Eight in a roomful of elders all mock my broken Gujarati English girl! Through the years I watch Gujarati swell the swaggering egos of … Continue reading
