| The Steady Haul |
[May. 10th, 2005|10:54 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  drained | ] |
Years later and miles away
I sit on a rain-soaked bench
waiting for the ferry.
I think of my brother
at the dinner table
and me asking him
to pass the bread.
What’s it like to want?, he used to say.
Even then I knew
this would be the question
I would answer
again and again
throughout my life.
He knew the answer
as much as I did: to want
a father un-dead,
a mother to soften,
a lover who loves in return.
I look out at the sea
trapped in the bay
kicking itself in the ass
for reaching for nothing more
than a beach to show up on,
a place to spread out its depths
and be touched
gently at the pulse.
And the clouds move
across the sky like barges making
the steady haul home, thick,
dark with water.
My hair blows in my face
and I do not move it.
Children toss bits of bread
into a huddle of pigeons
then chase them so they scatter.
And the birds return to the pack
despite their better judgment
still looking for bread, and I
board the ferry,
steady yet hesitant,
and move toward home. |
|
|
| In To The Hunger |
[May. 7th, 2005|09:09 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | exhausted | ] |
It was as if we were walking a famine road
the hills around us green, yet oddly barren,
studded with rock. A bleak beauty.
And I kept looking for the mountain lion
who had appeared to us the last time we walked
this path and fell in love. But she did not appear.
And the red-winged blackbirds took flight around us
and the wind hushed through the trees. I love that sound,
I said to you. But you couldn’t hear it.
And as we walked toward the ocean, we cleared
our path just as the hungry Irish did, we had our shovels
you dug your furrow, I settled into mine.
We knew the road would end. Our love would
become the sea lion, beached and reaching for the water,
moaning with fatigue, rearing its head in the futile
endeavor of returning home, of belonging to something
to someone to some place other than this beach
where we put down our shovels, laid our bodies on the sand,
folded our hands on our chests, felt the wind
wash over us, the sun heating our skin
one last time, together, we closed our eyes,
given in to the hunger, the waves as our witnesses,
the blackbirds in flight, two flames
perched on the darkness. |
|
|
| The Waves |
[May. 4th, 2005|06:13 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | discontent | ] |
Look how they mill about
out there like a crowd of workers
waiting to hear if they have a job for the day,
whispering to each other about necessity,
shoulders tense and shivering,
resigned to the bitter
tug of what must be done.
How they huddle and gather,
anticipating their inevitable dissolve
on the grit and rock, how they surrender
to this destiny, to witness themselves
as mere shadows, lightless, utterly spent.
This is the nature of love,
with its haul and heave, its breathless
suspension and the wild pull
to an inevitable undoing.
How quickly we turn to mist
hovering on the wind, how the moon wrenches us
back into the swarming fold, each time
a bit more accustomed to betrayal.
And I surrender to this
persistent oscillation,
clipped to this life, to this
unruly belief in love,
translucent and limp, yet
still hoping for work.
I see myself now, rising
from the waves’ exhausted collapse,
moving through the air, a sheer
memory of water, drying out
on the wind-whipped face of a woman
placing her trembling hands in the sea,
as she watches the worker’s arms,
cloaked in foam, flail before her,
their earthly moans escaping
from her gaping mouth. |
|
|
| TPO'D, for you... |
[Jan. 10th, 2005|10:29 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  pensive | ] |
a poem by mary oliver...
Lilies
I have been thinking
about living
like the lilies
that blow in the fields.
They rise and fall
in the wedge of the wind,
and have no shelter
from the tongues of cattle,
and have no closets or cupboards,
and have no legs.
Still I would like to be
as wonderful
as that old idea.
But if I were a lily
I think I would wait all day
for the green face
of the hummingbird
to touch me.
What I mean is,
could I forget myself
even in those feathery fields?
When van Gogh
preached to the poor
of course he wanted to save someone--
most of all himself.
He wasn't a lily,
and wandering through the bright fields
only gave him more ideas
it would take his life to solve.
I think I will always be lonely
in this world, where the cattle
graze like a black and white river--
where the ravishing lilies
melt, without protest, on their tongues--
where the hummingbird, whenever there is a fuss,
just rises and floats away. |
|
|
| i've been offered a place to live...does anyone know this area? |
[Jan. 9th, 2005|07:57 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  nervous | ] |
I've been offered a room in this house--see the photos and posting below. I met with the guy for two hours tonight. He seemed pretty cool, the room was big and had a large closet. The only thing I'm unsure about is the location--is anyone familiar with this area off of Seminary near Mills? I was there after dark so I'm not sure.
copy and past the craigslist URL into your address bar to see the posting and get the link to see photos...
Oakland Room for Non-Smoking Female Only
Original URL: http://www.craigslist.org/eby/roo/54713275.html
Posted by:
Posted on: 2005-01-06, 3:20PM
FOR NON-SMOKING FEMALE ONLY:
House to share near Mills College, highways 580 & 13, 10 minutes to Berkeley, 15 to SF. EZ-Bus to Bart, but life is easier if you have a car.
Our house: progressive-thinking, healthy-eating, somewhat vegetarian, conserving, recycling, alternative music appreciating, hardwood floors, gas cooking, microwave, H2O filter, networked (ethernet and Wi-Fi) DSL internet connection in room, washer, dryer, quiet neighborhood, cul-de-sac, parking, doggy or two, large, wooded property in Millsmont ravine, overlooking Chimes Creek, redwood decks, redwood trees, garden, composting, fruit trees, hammock, hot tub. Three bedroom house with 2.5 baths. Two people now (one m, one f) and we need a third (female only, to maintain gender balance).
Room Available: Master room about 12' x 13' with large 9'6" closet, sliding glass doors to deck. room is unfurnished. own 1/2 of bath, (shower is shared with one other female roomie).
We are looking for a roomie with *some* of the following qualities: responsible, neat, considerate, self cleaning. willing to avoid using harsh cleaning chemicals, bug spray and other nasty sprays. be sensitive and courteous to others, communicative, friendly and positive, mellow, emotionally and financially stable, easy going, fun loving and helping by nature, not way into alcohol or drugs, understanding, not boring with an available sense of humor and an interest in living, independent, creative, mature, and have enough going on for yourself. be respectful and want to maintain a relaxed and friendly environment, etc. :)
See some pictures of the place...
Rent: $490 plus $95/month for utilities (water, sewer, gas, electric, garbage, DSL and cable).
Available: Immediately
Deposit: first+last+$200 cleaning/security deposit ($1370) move in cost. Lease Terms: non smoking female only. Month-to-month, but a one year commitment is preferred.
When replying: *please* include home and work phone numbers, best time to reach you, and a little something about yourself, your gig, your passion, your focus, your likes, etc.
Cheers, Bill, et. al.
Map: nairobi and oakdale |
|
|
| my chart |
[Jan. 5th, 2005|08:41 am] |
Thanks to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) justin42, check out my astrological chart.
Here are the basics:
Sun in Taurus:
The Sun is related to the individuality, and Taurus is ruled by Venus, associated with beauty and harmony. So the person can fundamentally be seeking harmony in their life. They can have a strong aesthetic sense, being interested in things of beauty, the arts (ruled by Venus) or in refinement and culture. The Sun is to do with nobility, truthfulness and dignity, so their values (Venus stands for one's values) can be set
high. Since Taurus is an earth sign, the person can value security, seeking to possess things and establish firm foundations through material security. The earthiness can also bring qualities such as
tolerance, patience, deliberateness and conservatism.
Moon in Cancer:
The Moon is here in her own sign (as the ruler of Cancer), so all the qualities of the Moon are intensified. It is in dignity or honour, in astrological terminology. The person's emotions and feelings can be one of the most important features in their life. They are likely to be sensitive, with deep
emotions and experiences on the feeling level. This position is in favour of an excellent memory, since the Moon is to do with reflection, and of an easy going attitude to life -comfort may be deemed more important than achievement.
Moon in Cancer is perhaps the most nurturing of all configurations -nurturing both emotionally and physically. The person can be kind and sociable - qualities associated with the Moon - and may focus
their attention on the mother, the home, the family. In a female nativity the person could make a very loving mother, although may need to take care not to smother the child. If the person is living the higher qualities associated with the Moon, they can be very intuitive and have strong psychic abilities.
Many details in the long version of the chart were right on. Here are some of those details that resonated:
*Aesthetic sense, love of beauty.
*There may also be, at times, personality clashes, conflicts with figures of authority and with hierarchy
in general.
*High artistic sensitivity and inspiration: Deep experiences and revelations through music. Natural perception of the sacred side of arts.
*With this aspect, your Jupiterian power of material realisation depends a great deal on your clarity of
purpose and your sense of integrity. If there is no truth for you in a project or a particular job, better
not waste you time on it; your Jupiter enthusiasm would refuse to support you in it, and you would be
likely to achieve but mediocre results. Conversely, when you feel that truth is on your side, you can find
deep inner resources that make you unstoppable.
*The fiery Moon: The good side of the combination: Mars adds fire and spice to the Moon feelings.
Emotional stamina. Hot feelings. Passionate nature. Ardent love. Burning imagination.
*Has difficulty finding peace in meditation - the mind never seems to let go of thoughts. Restless emotions.
*Lots of fire, lots of desire. Emotional intensity (this combination is an emotion magnifier).
*A rich palette of feelings and also a depth to them. Strong attractions. Can be fascinated, enchanted,
enraptured, captivated. (Think of mythological stories relating the irresistible attraction between Ares-Mars and Aphrodite-Venus, and their passionate amorous episodes.) Strong likes, 'I love that', 'I adore him'.
*There's also a sex maniac aspect to my character...imagine that.
( Read more... ) |
|
|
| Message me! |
[Jan. 1st, 2005|05:49 pm] |
i just got a windows messenger and yahoo messenger accounts and can, at long last, send instant messages!
my WM name is saoirse.
my yahooIM name is bandittipub.
Message me! ;-)
woot, woot! **raisin' the roof** |
|
|
| Amor y Justicia |
[Dec. 21st, 2004|08:44 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | thoughtful | ] |
I'm off for a few days so here's another poem written circa 1996-1997 to tide ya'll over until I return, hopefully with some fresh poems!
Wow, two postings in two days; I feel so...so...accomplished...tee hee hee.
I was reminded of Neruda last night. I adore his Odes...love and justice and poetry...sigh...
**Please excuse the lack of accents in the spanish version**
Oda a Neruda
Amante
de la mugre,
la mugre esta
empotrado
en los manos
de los mineros,
La mugre de Chile.
Amante de tomates,
el mar,
Matilde dulce
amante de los amantes:
ejercitos
de las alcachofas
cantan su cancion,
las abejas proletarias
trabajan a los corolas,
su traje negro
camina con
el cuerpo
de sus poemas
por la
orillas saladas
de Valparaiso,
todos los atomos
de todas
sus palabras
bailan una vida
con la lucha
en direccion de
la justicia
y el amor
**
Ode to Neruda
Lover
of dirt,
dirt on
the hands
of miners,
the dirt of Chile;
Lover of tomatoes,
the sea,
sweet Matilde,
lover of lovers:
armies
of artichokes
sing your song,
proletariat bees
work in corollas,
your black suit
walks with
the body
of your poems
along the
salty shores
of Valparaiso.
Every atom
of every one
of your words
dances
a life
time
of struggle
toward
justice
and love |
|
|
| To Know, For Sure |
[Dec. 20th, 2004|04:28 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | melancholy | ] |
Here's yet another "old" poem--I seem to be re-visting many "old" things lately, especially today...
********************
The Possibility of This
-for Tom, Christmas 1998
When I was my niece’s
age, my dad was turning to ash
in a hospital bed, the fire seeping
through his body, a cigarette
left in the ashtray to burn. As I watch
Sara sitting on Tom’s lap, posing
for a picture, I’m amazed
how sure she is of his love, how
unconditional it all seems, how
given. Her memory of him
won’t end with this flash, it won’t end
up being a clue for her, as photos are
to me, proof of a simultaneous
existence, of the love I see
in the way he cautiously picks her
up, the unspoken acknowledgement
of trust and mutual admiration. I wonder
what it would feel like to know, for sure
the warmth of my father’s hand
on mine to know it physically,
as Sara knows it. Maybe I did,
and that feeling drifted away as he drifted into
a coma, in that quick split
second, when he lost consciousness,
the possibility of this
memory rose like smoke over a fire
dampened, the coals burning
an orange light behind
my smile, the picture
taken. |
|
|
| Cookies like my one-eyed Grammy used to make... |
[Dec. 18th, 2004|11:02 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  mellow | ] |
numerous people asked me for this recipe today, so here 'tis:
Italian Cookies
ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of milk
1/4 cup margarine (melted)
1/4 cup of crisco (melted)
1/4 tsp anise oil
3 and 1/2 cups flour
7 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
Directions: Beat eggs. Add sugar, milk, margarine, crisco, and anise oil until well-blended. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll into little balls the size of a walnut and bake.
425 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes
Frosting: 1 tbsp crisco, 2 cups confect. sugar, 1 drop anise oil, 1/4 cup milk or enough to make creamy
Don't forget the sprinkles.
**To make these vegan, use egg replacer, soymilk, and vegetable shortening for the crisco and margarine (Spectrum makes an organic vegetable shortening that works well) |
|
|
| The Pinkening |
[Dec. 15th, 2004|09:44 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | content | ] |
Another poem written quite some time ago. I swear, I'll post some recent poems soon--I just have to write them! -e.m.
****
The Pinkening
--for Padhraic Conneely
In Ireland, they have the dry rain.
Weighty and bulbous, little watery
bomblets that parch and sharpen
in the sun-scathed wind, a shower
of bullets. You’d never know it was raining, but
for the stinging of your cheeks, how
they pinken as the blood rises as I walk
along the streets of Dungarvan, one hundred
years after my great grandmother left, I imagine her
last look back at this town: St. Mary’s steeple
retreating into clouds, the rank and file
pacing along Davitt’s Quay, the graves at
Kilrush and Relig An tSleibhe, unmarked,
under a sparkling shroud of rain. I
pull my cap down tight and shiver as
the mist thickens, the wind kicks
up. On Shandon Bridge, with the hills
at my back, I look out over the harbor,
littered with boats and buoys, I raise my
hand level with my eyes, find the horizon
in my site, like a sniper. The sun glares back
at me, in search of her, and a home
dwindling to graves, green fields. The dry
rain and sting. The pinkening. |
|
|
| The Language of Home |
[Dec. 13th, 2004|08:08 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | pensive | ] |
So, I've been looking over a lot of my old poems lately and thought I'd share this one.-e.m.
********
The Language of Home
--for Margaret O'Sullivan
It’s the salt in the air that I miss,
the cobblestones and mossy docks,
the red brick and black wrought
iron of waterfront buildings.
Was it this same dim morning
mist that kept you here, thick with
the scent of seaweed, a cool breath
drawn-in, long and familiar?
This rocky coast and the Irish
in an English land, the veiled
gaeltacht, cast with hunger,
a baptism record,
a patch of grass
and a brother fighting
for the queen, desperate to forget
and to memorize what we left?
This is the language of home: a boat
setting off into the ocean’s haze, the
buoyed cadence of the lighthouse
flicker, guiding it toward exile. |
|
|
| Lettin' it go |
[Dec. 12th, 2004|08:15 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | drained | ] |
In Blackwater Woods
Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars
of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,
the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders
of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is
nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned
in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side
is salvation
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world
you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it
against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it go,
to let it go.
--Mary Oliver |
|
|
| my first car |
[Dec. 8th, 2004|06:22 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | pleased | ] |
I just struck a deal to purchase my first car!! Check it out--the_car
My wonderful "vintage" 1985 Plymouth Reliant (aka Hazel) was given to me for free, so technically, she was not the first car I bought...anyway...
I'm not paying the asking price on the toyota; I talked the guy down $500 since I need to get new tires and there are a few other things that need to be fixed. But overall, I'm feeling good about it. It's not luxury vehicle, but I don't really care about that. I just need it to get me to where I'm going, and I hope to go many places, frequently. ;-)
yeah! now I just need to name her...any ideas? |
|
|
| Bitter Meditation |
[Dec. 7th, 2004|08:27 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | determined | ] |
He had been on strike for months,
started working nights part-time pumping gas,
during the day he picked blueberries,
his hands stained with the mix of dirt
and juice, brown and red as blood.
At home he paced back and forth, listened
for the people coming after him, listened
so intently, the slightest movement of a tree limb
became a door creaking open, the hum
of overgrown grass stirring in the wind
was the rush of the SWAT team
on his tail, autumn leaves fell
loud as gunshots.
The day his wife committed him to the psych ward,
he sat on the edge of his chair as if he were sitting
on the edge of the world, and he crossed
and uncrossed his legs, bit his fingertips,
the shards of skin rolling between his teeth and tongue,
a bitter meditation. I think of my father now,
during my insomniac nights, when every shiver
of the blinds by my window means someone
is approaching, the shadow in the doorway
watching me pretend to sleep as I watch
the crushed flesh of blueberries
seep in my hands, the pulp and dirt crammed
in the crevices of my fingertips
forming a spiraled map of my world
connected to his, the blood
on our hands |
|
|
| Ready? Yes, Yes I am. |
[Dec. 6th, 2004|09:55 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | anxious | ] |
Kinsey: You Never Know Where the Visionaries Will Appear
by T. Patrick Donovan
www.dissidentvoice.org
December 6, 2004
The recent film about Dr. Alfred Kinsey (starring Liam Neeson and Laura Linney) could not have arrived at a more perfect political moment. With all the post-election day hand wringing, all the scurrying around about vote fraud, and all the furrowed brows planning Election 2006/2008, it is so refreshing to see the story of a 20th century visionary depicted on the big screen.
Yes, visionary.
The heart of the movie “Kinsey” lies in the powerful cultural-political confrontation between the good doctor and his research institute and the forces of reactionary moral values and conservative renormalization. It is a rather disturbing parallel to the post-election climate that is so awash in “moral values” that more than a few progressives are getting onboard this reactionary vessel.
Will “moral values,” and “Democrats learning to speak the language” of moral values be our next version of “Anybody But Bush”?
Dr. Alfred Kinsey, if he were alive, would have none of it!
To understand Kinsey's subversive power it is important to contextualize his two most famous studies. “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male” was published in 1948, immediately in the aftermath of WW2 and with the shadow of the Cold War looming ominously. “Sexual Behavior in the Human Female” was published in 1953 in the midst of the Senator Joseph McCarthy-J. Edgar Hoover political witch hunts.
The Puritans of the day shook their heads and their fists when the first book hit the stands. Charges of promoting homosexuality and pedophilia were hurled at Kinsey and his researchers. For the most part the furor simmered and the “wacky scientists” in Indiana were left to do their research.
In a curious insight into the patriarchal nature of 1950's America (and today as well), it was the publication of the report on American women that dealt the crushing blow to Kinsey personally and moved his institute beyond the pale (Kinsey died a few years later).
It was bad enough that men were discovered to be fondling women and (quite often) other men too, but it was morally traitorous to besmirch American womanhood (though one wonders: if all the men in the earlier study were fondling women weren't the women fondling back?).
Suddenly the female body was uncaged. The 200 years of Puritanical efforts at suppression and dissociation from the pleasures of the flesh were exposed as merely having driven sexuality underground. It was too much and Kinsey would be made to pay.
Today the Puritans are back. Let's distinguish them by calling them Techno-Puritans, for they've upgraded from the blunderbuss and the public pillory to WMD and the Patriot Act. But make no mistake, this country is founded on Puritan ideology and it is to these psychological and political roots that America defaults under stress. Has there been a greater stress (excuse?) than 9/11?
Is it into this Puritanical clearing in a morally ambiguous world that progressives are going to be seduced (oops)?
Kinsey understood, in all his complexity as a dispassionate scientist with his feet planted in the sensuous, that knuckling under to the regressive dictates of “moral values” was a step back into darkness.
Remember, when the Kinsey Reports were first published it was a time when so-called “sexual deviants” were being jailed, given shock therapy, called mentally ill by the hallowed DSM-IV, and either self-medicating with alcohol and drugs or committing suicide.
The fact that there has been post-election, Monday-morning quarterbacking about how it was “wrong” and “ill-timed” for homosexual marriage to be advocated, is exactly indicative of the step that Kinsey warned about and refused to take.
In dark times you can never predict from where the next beacon of light will shine forth. In one of the most conservative and fear-ridden periods in American history, Dr. Alfred Kinsey was such a beacon. His uncompromising efforts to debunk dangerous attitudes and neurotic half-truths -- many of them sexist and racist -- saved lives and saved souls.
Yes, souls.
The Techno-Puritans, in their cultural support of expanded empire, know full well that turning the clock back to a time when the repressive moral values of a body-denying, Earth-destroying culture reigned is a crucial step. Kinsey reminds us that our struggle is far from over.
Kinsey reminds us that there are times and issues where the lines must be drawn so starkly, the “No” stated so uncompromisingly, as to leave no doubt who the forces of humanity are and where they stand.
Ready?
T. Patrick Donovan is a doctoral student in Depth Psychology. |
|
|
| Because We Move The Gift |
[Dec. 5th, 2004|08:35 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | grateful | ] |
"To exist in a state of communion is to be aware of the nature of existence. This is where ecology and social justice come together, with the knowledge that life is held in common. Whether we know it or not, we exist because we exchange, because we move the gift. And the knowledge of this is as crucial to the condition of the soul as its practice is to the body."
--Susan Griffin, "The Eros of Everyday Life" |
|
|
| would you take this class? why? why not? |
[Dec. 2nd, 2004|01:40 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | cold | ] |
oh, and if you happen to have any suggestions for the "contextualizing the spiritual" section, please let me know.
**********************************
Women’s Lives in Contexts:
Reading and Creating Autobiography
Course overview
The class will explore the ways in which lives are embedded within their social, political and cultural contexts; how those contexts change over time; the ways in which people construct their lives within and against these contexts; and how people represent their lives. We will have a particular focus on the ways in which gender, race, class, ethnicity and sexual orientation impact on lives and the ways these social forces interact with each other. Examining their own lives in their contexts, students will create autobiographical work which could take a variety of forms; e.g. written and/or visual.
Course requirements
1. Students are expected to come to class having carefully read the material assigned for that day and prepared to engage in serious discussion. Class participation counts for 20% of the grade.
2. The successful progression of this course depends on students keeping up with the work. A written project plan will be required as well as in class writing and three personal response papers which count for 30% of the grade. The in class writing will not graded, but maybe collected. The plans will not be graded with a letter grade, but are required, and plans that are late (without permission from me) or not done seriously will be factored into the grade as an F. While most of the autobiographical work will be done individually, students will also be engaged with each other's work. Some class time will be devoted to sharing your work with a partner or in a small groups, in addition to large class discussions. If you do not complete assignments on time both your own work and the class discussions will suffer. Doing the writing assignments on time will help you do your work within a collective context that is designed to keep you on track by giving you valuable feedback from your classmates. Also, if you keep up with the assignments you will be much more likely to have sufficient time to complete your final project. You may keep a journal if you think it will be helpful to you, and I would be happy to read it if you are interested in feedback. A journal is, however, totally optional.
3. The major work for the course is an autobiographical project that puts you into your social contexts. The form of the final work need not be written, however students who choose to use a form other than writing need to have the project approved by me. Written work should be a minimum of 20 pages. All work must be typed, double-spaced. The autobiographical project counts for 50% of the grade.
Required texts:
• Anne Braden, The Wall Between. 1999. University of Tennessee Press.
• Wesley Brown & Amy Ling, Visions of America: Personal Narratives from the Promised Land. 1993. New York Persea Books
• Mary Crow Dog with Richard Erdoes, Lakota Woman. 1990. New York: Harper Prennial
• Joan Nestle, A Restricted Country. 1987. Ithaca, NY: Firebrand
• Margaret Randall, This is About Incest. 1987. Ithaca, NY: Firebrand
Reader: Julia Watson & Sidonie Smith "De/colonizing the Subject: The Politics of Gender in Women's Autobiography,” Judith Ortiz Cofer, "The Story of My Body,” June Jordan, "Report From the Bahamas," bell hooks, “Coming to a Class Consciousness,” June Jordan, "A Poem About My Rights" and "Many Rivers to Cross, December 1981," Leslie Cagen, "Something New Emerges: The Growth of a Socialist Feminist,” Maxine Hong Kingston, "The Woman Warrior," Amber Hollighbaugh, "Femme Fables", Leslie Feinberg, "The Journey Begins", Adrienne Rich, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence”
COURSE CALENDAR
Section I—What is autobiography?
What is political about it? What forms do autobiography and politics take?
Who writes autobiography? For whom? What purpose(s) does it serve?
Who cares or how to deal with the "so what" factor.
Class 1 Introduction to course, forms of autobiographical work
READING: Julia Watson & Sidonie Smith "De/colonizing the Subject: The Politics of Gender in Women's Autobiography"
Class 2 Forms of Autobiography: Writing and Healing/Telling Secrets and Recovery
READING: First ½ of Restricted Country, Margaret Randall, This is About Incest
Class 3 Autobiography as a Reclaiming Personal/Political Histories
READING: Second ½ of Restricted Country¸ Judith Ortiz Cofer, "The Story of My Body"
*Two-page personal response paper due.
Class 4 Autobiography as Witness, Reclaming of History
READING: First ½ of Lakota Woman
Class 5 Autobiography as Witness II: Reclaiming Culture
READING: Second ½ of Lakota Woman
*Two-page personal response paper due.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT: Write a plan for your autobiographical project, including a clear articulation of the aspect of your life that you are going to be working on, and responses to the following:
What is the purpose or significance of your story to yourself? to others? What you want to accomplish by telling this story?
How is it political? In what ways will your story illuminate your position with respect to gender, race, class, sexual orientation, ableism and their interaction? How does telling this story place you within or expose your contexts? You need not address all social formations, but you should involve at least three.
Who is your audience?
What form(s) are you going to use to tell your story? Remember, writing a linear autobiographical narrative is only one option. You may use various writing genres, visual art forms, and others I have not thought of.
It is very important that you give serious thought to this plan. If you need help, please make an appointment to see me. I will comment on your plan and you might want to meet with me to discuss my comments. Please do not hesitate to talk with me if you are confused or disagree with my comments. Autobiographical work does not have the same kind of road map as academic papers and it is therefore essential that you be clear about what you are doing, why you are doing it and how you intend to get to where you want to go. You will also share this plan with your classmates. Bring THREE COPIES of your plan to class. After sharing your plan with a classmate, you might want to make revisions.
Section II—The Intersections: Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality, and Spirituality
Where do race, class, gender, sexuality, and spirituality intersect?
What are the consequences of those intersections?
What does it mean to understand and represent oneself in those terms?
Class 6 Class
READING: June Jordan, "Report From the Bahamas," Leslie Feinberg, My Path to Consciousness, bell hooks, “Coming to a Class Consciousness,” Aurora Levins Morales, "Class Poem"
GROUP DISCUSSION OF PROJECT PLANS. Be sure to bring your plan to class with you. You will be sharing them with a member of the class. Bring THREE copies of your plan. Remember, the work of this class is to share your written plan, so do not come to class without a written one. You may want to make revisions after this discussion and you will have a week to do so.
Class 7 Social Class: Race and Ethnicity
READING: Minnie Bruce Pratt, "Identity: Skin, Blood, Heart", Anne Braden, The Wall Between, Adrienne Rich, "Split at the Root: An Essay on Jewish Identity" Robert Blauner, "Colonized and Immigrant Minorities"
*Two-page personal response paper due.
Class 8 Developing a Gender Consciousness
READING: Leslie Cagen, "Something New Emerges: The Growth of a Socialist Feminist, Maxine Hong Kingston, "The Woman Warrior", June Jordan, "A Poem About My Rights" and "Many Rivers to Cross, December 1981"
**Final Project Plan Due.**
Class 9 Sexuality: Heterosexism as Context
READING: Amber Hollighbaugh, "Femme Fables", Leslie Feinberg,"The Journey Begins" Adrienne Rich, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence”
Class 10 Contextualizing the Spiritual
Class 11 Presentations. |
|
|
| Holiday Craft Boutique this Sunday |
[Dec. 1st, 2004|11:51 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  bouncy | ] |
Hey Folks,
Check out the holiday craft fair/home boutique this Sunday (see below). I may or may not have some beaded necklaces/earrings and/or poetry chapbooks for sale. Either way, I'll be there to keep the laughter and festivities goin' and the drinks flowin'.
Stop by and say hello!! Let's toast these fabulous, featured local artisans together!
******************************************************************************
ANNUAL HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE, or should i say pomegranate mimosa tasting festival?!
yep, it's time for the annual holiday boutique. find that perfect handcrafted gift while sampling munchies, sipping our famous pomegranate mimosas, and hanging out with good friends! what more could you want?!
WHEN: sunday, december 5th, from 2-6pm
WHERE: chez julie ferioli, 3155 wisconsin, oakland
PHONE: 510-530-6445
WHO: you and your friends! spread the word!
AND our talented craftspeople showcasing their wares:
AMANDA- black & white and color photographs: cityscapes and nature photography!-- ready to frame! also, gift cards! snatch 'em up before amanda hits the big time and she forgets our first names :)
CYNTHIA- handmade bracelets (not all by me) and sterling charms so you can personalize your beaded bracelets! here's a gift where you get to be the co-artist! and we won't tell if you can't part with 'em and keep them all as presents for YOURSELF!
JENN- Baking with Jenn - super yummy Nut Brittle and other delicious holiday treats. bring your sweet tooth!
JULIE- mermaiden creations presents fabulous hats (adults & kids), luxurious scarves, one-of-a-kind cigar box handbags and jewelry boxes, beads and sterling jewelry, bouquets of rose pins, and tumbles of amazing pillows.
LORI- ceramics! everything you'll need for a talk-of-the-town dinner party! bowls, plates, vases, mugs, and more!
NIEVE- one-of-a-kind glass bead bookmarks! you knew you liked to read, but who knew reading could be so glamourous?!
ANN- all-the-rage crocheted flower pins and embroidered hankerchiefs-- from mischevious to elegant!
PERRIN & TRISTAN- handmade whimsical ornaments, the perfect quirky addition to your holiday (or year round) decorating!
support your local artists and have a rollicking good time! hope to see you there!
********************************************************************************* |
|
|
| Trippin' |
[Nov. 29th, 2004|12:47 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | loved | ] |
A friend of mine, justin42, had a dream about me last night. Check it out--the_dream
This has got me trippin'. I feel so accurately and intimately represented in his dream--climbing the fences and stretching out my arms and looking up at the sky with pure joy and lust for life.
I am so totally reaching for the freedom. And I'm close. I can sense it in my bones. I already feel the sun's warmth in the grooves of my upturned hands...
I'm in complete awe. |
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
| |
|
|
