i'm not sure exactly what to say or do next, but the results of the election remind us that we have a whole lot more work to do than getting the vote out. fortunately, i think most of us in the louderARTS project (and the arts in general) already knew that, but this moves us into even more interesting times because i think it asks of our work an even more direct question. what does your work do? i think that most of us (in the project and immediate surroundings) needn't worry about that question showing us up as wanting, but it's still good for us to have ourselves checked like this; because our work needs to do something in the line and in the intent and in the metaphor and in the conceit and in the narrative... and in all the ways that translates into our daily lives. all of us believe in things like the potential of real equal opportunity, the eradication of sexism, the liberation of sexuality from patriarchy and religion, gender equity, the liberation of the poor through new education pedagogy, the abolition of the Prison Industrial Complex etc; but it is difficult to abandon all the things in which we are so comfortable to make the changes in our individuallives that might eventually ensure that it spreads to those around us and to the communities we all infect like so many wonderful viruses. What this siege on truth (because this is what the next four years is) means, is that we need to be ever vigilant about our self-examination; about questioning our own practices of sexism. How do we respond towomen in positions of power? How do we respond to homosexuals in our personal space? Do we buy products made by the Prison Industrial Complex? How do we treat people/devalue women with more liberal sexual agendas (question for both men and women)? How do we approach the question of race? Do we make real and concerted attempts to understand the histories that have brought us to the time and place and condition we inhabit? How do we continue to be classist in the way in which we treat others? How are we destructively nationalist (American and otherwise)? And perhaps most importantly, how does this understanding of our differences translate into a celebration of our commonalities and to our ability to treat people in every single situation with the sort of love that might eventually heal? I can go out on a limb and say that in principle we probably all aspire toward this kind of enlightenment. In truth, we fall short of it as often as we manage to live by it. Now is a gut check time to tighten the bonds amongst us as a group, so that in our work (the poetry) and in our work (of living), we might create the bonds necessary in our larger communities to withstand the siege that is now upon us. So talk to one another. What are we doing next? What are we writing next? How do we plan to fight? What is the next thing about yourself you want to work on? Let's roll our sleeves up and get down to work.
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way in which we interact? How do we promote unhealthy nationalism(American and otherwise)?And perhaps most importantly, how does thisunderstanding of our differences translate into a celebration of ourcommonalities and to our ability to treat people in every singlesituation with the sort of love that might eventually heal?I can go out on a limb and say that in principle we probably allaspire toward this kind of enlightenment. In truth, we fall short ofit as often as we manage to live by it. Now is a gut check time totighten the bonds amongst us as a group, so that in our work (thepoetry) and in our work (of living), we might create the bondsnecessary in our larger communities to withstand the siege that is nowupon us.So talk to one another. What are we doing next? What are we writingnext? How do we plan to fight? What is the next thing about yourselfyou want to work on? Let's roll our sleeves up and get down to work.