Creativity is non-acceptance, wonder, rebellion
The existence of objective or neutral journalists is a myth, and those who claim to revere such journalism are only attempting to justify an absence of context and depth in coverage and are elevating pro-status-quo journalism. Male sports journalists tend to know the sport they cover well and feel passionate about it, but when it... Continue Reading →
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 →
In the story and creative world, there's two fairly obvious things wrong with stereotypes: They tend to reinforce prejudice and discrimination, and reduce the particular group of humans down to just a few elements (but people are complex and aren't just their appearance or intelligence or food choices). They are boring to read and don't... Continue Reading →
Political literacy is more important than technological literacy – without it, democracy and freedom are a sham. It can be easier to stand up to police harassment, bureaucratic abuses or corruption or workplace abuse, when you know your rights and the law. Likewise, political literacy is vital as a tool of defence, conversation, and organisation... Continue Reading →
The publishing industry’s focus on profits amounts to a censoring of a diversity of viewpoints and experience. Books are lives compressed, humanity summarized into screaming or striking stories. One would think the book world would be a safe haven from inequality, but instead the traditional publishing industry – the big corporate publishers - is perpetuating... Continue Reading →
Warsan Shire's poems are angry and they argue and rage and weep. As fighting poems should. A British poet, born to Somali parents in Kenya, Shire's poems have been read at rallies, and in homes and not-so-homes. She writes about people who are made invisible in society - often refugees, migrants, and other marginalised groups.... Continue Reading →
Trump called the people here rapists. White people in the US think it's legit that Mexican migrants work there for less, doing the hardest work, with no rights. You know the story, but do you hear about the resistance to the narrative, to the demonisation and discrimination? Does the media tell you what Mexicans, and... Continue Reading →
Last year, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called his poems "fuel for terror attacks". By that, he meant that Darwish stood up for Palestinians, weaving his and their dignity into his detailed and visually arresting poems. Below, is one of the poems that enraged Lieberman so, ID card. Write it down! I’m an Arab My... Continue Reading →
Poet Mari Evans died last month. According to media reports, some 500 mourners attended. Evans had written of her funeral: When I die I'm sure I will have a Big Funeral ... Curiosity seekers ... coming to see if I am really Dead ... or just trying to make Trouble ... Evans was one of... Continue Reading →
In 1872, the president of Ecuador ordered that Manuela Leon be shot, after her leading role in an indigenous rebellion against forced labour. Her troops had been victorious, and they say she had managed to kill the lieutenant Miguel Vallejo. In the president's decree, he called her Manuel. And just like that, he erased the... Continue Reading →
Olka Baldeh dedicated this poem to Orange Face. She's calling her series of poems "Love Letters to Donald Trump".
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 →
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 →
I've set a goal to read 40 novels or fiction/prose works (eg poetry, memoirs) by oppressed people by the end of this year (1 a week). This includes books by authors in thirdworld countries, women, sexually diverse authors, workers, indigenous peoples, people who face systemic racism, poor people, refugees and more. These people are, in... 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 →
Refugees are talked about, judged, imprisoned, abused (to their face, in racist gatherings, in the hoards of naive and nasty social media comments) but rarely heard from. They have the most to tell about their experiences and migration policy. Their opinions and dreamings about life, politics, and humanity are important. Here, thanks to The Refugee... Continue Reading →
Frances Harper (1825-1911), who campaigned against slavery and helped escaped slaves, wrote this poem. She also often read her poetry at public meetings - seeing creativity intricately linked into real life and struggles. The Slave Auction The sale began - young girls were there, Defenceless in their wretchedness, Whose stifled sobs of deep despair Revealed... Continue Reading →
Here are a few gems from US hip hop artist, Kendrick Lamar. Though a bit commercial himself, some of his lyrics have found their way into the Black Lives Matter movement, with protestors chanting "We're gunna be alright!" when attacked by police at the conference in Cleveland. BLM: a bold movement that is influencing and... Continue Reading →
Smart big awards and prize money Is killing off black poetry It’s not censors or dictators that are cutting up our art. The lure of meeting royalty And touching high society Is damping creativity and eating at our heart. The ancestors would turn in graves Those poor black folk that once were slaves would wonder... Continue Reading →
resistance words 