When I Saw You; A New Film by Palestinian Filmmaker Annemarie Jacir

The Director’s Statement:

“Since I have not been able to return to Ramallah, my understanding of exile and of being torn from one’s home has taken on more dimensions and deeper meanings. Being so close by living in Amman has not made it easier – only more difficult, more painful. A short drive and I can see Palestine from here. Over the valley I see the hills, even recognize cities. My friends, my family, my apartment in Ramallah is there – but I can no longer reach it. Palestine is becoming a memory and I struggle to hold the visuals, the reality of my life there, as close to me as I can. This is how When I Saw You was born. The striking visual knowledge of being so close to home and yet it being an impossible dream. The reality of seeing what you want but being unable to reach it. This film is about the depth of that landscape, the beauty of the desert and its cruelty. It’s also about how humor and hope keeps us alive.”

More information: anna@pontas-agency.com

Here a link to the trailer: http://falirohouse.com/FeatureFilms/WhenISawYou

Callaloo; A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters hosts its Annual Conference

*Painting- African Punk

The 2012 Callaloo conference is free and open to the public. Registration is mandatory for all attendees. Please fill out the registration form located here:
http://www.princeton.edu/africanamericanstudies/events/callaloo-conference/

 The biographies on the main speakers and respondents have been updated. You can find those here: http://www.facebook.com/notes/callaloo-journal/2012-callaloo-conference-notes-on-the-main-speakers-performers/468062189871493

Here is Callaloo’s website  http://callaloo.tamu.edu/

*Painting- African Punk

Zadie Smith’s New Novel- NW

* Dominique Nabokob's Photo of Zadie Smith

Read and/or listen to an exclusive excerpt from Zadie Smith’s new novel, NW, a nuanced and disturbing look at class issues in working-class London.

http://www.npr.org/2012/08/29/159991094/exclusive-first-read-zadie-smiths-nw?ft=1&f=1008

Afua Hirsch: Our Parents Left Africa – Now We Are Coming Home

Afua Hirsch, photographed in Accra, Ghana for the Observer New Review. Photograph: Nana Kofi Acquah

*Source-The Guardian/The Observer

As a child in London, Afua Hirsch was embarrassed by her African roots. Then, in February, she became a 'returnee', choosing to live in her parents' birthplace, Ghana. Her story is echoed across the continent: attracted by economic opportunity and a new sense of optimism, the African diaspora is starting to come back …

Continue here:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/ghana-returnees-afua-hirsch-africa?CMP=twt_gu

Only a Pawn in Their Game; Bob Dylan

July 2, 1963: Bob Dylan attended a civil rights gathering in Greenwood, Mississippi and sung, ‘Only a Pawn in Their Game,’ a song he wrote about the murder of activist Medgar Evers.
Listen to the lyrics-Powerful : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Rk3lH5dO74&feature=related

Cornel West: Occupy Democracy (Alternative Radio Podcast)

Source:  Guernica-A Magazine of Art and Politics

Cornel West: Occupy Democracy (Alternative Radio Podcast)

Cornel West considers the possibility that the Occupy Movement might fundamentally reshape American democracy.

Listen: http://www.guernicamag.com/daily/cornel-west-occupy-democracy-alternative-radio-podcast/

*Cornel West

Chief Nike Davis-Okundaye and The Nike Art Gallery in Lagos, Nigeria

Chief  Nike Davis-Okundaye

Nike Art Gallery. Lagos, Nigeria

Check out this gorgeous art gallery in Lagos, Nigeria which has more than 7,000 pieces and the engaging woman who runs it.

http://vimeo.com/10511735

Musehouse: A Center for the Literary Arts; Support Its Campaign to Raise Funds to Match Knight Foundation Grant

 

Photo- Henri Sider/Jumping for Joy-This is how Musehouse makes me feel.

                               

* Source -Musehouse Indiegogo Campaign

Short Summary

Musehouse is a non-profit Center for the Literary Arts located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia.  Musehouse is quickly becoming known for its smart but unpretentious, warm and welcoming environment where writers of all ages and levels can hone their craft and share their work publicly.  It was founded in September 2011 by Kathleen Sheeder Bonanno, an award winning poet and teacher.  Bonanno’s book, Slamming Open the Door, was among the 10 best-selling books of poetry in America in 2009.  Based on the true story of her daughter’s murder, the book and Bonanno’s subsequent book tour reminded her that creative writing can and does change lives for the better, which is what led her to found Musehouse.  Founded just one short year ago, Musehouse already offers a roster of 20 creative writing courses for authors of all ages and levels of experience in poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and playwriting.  Instructors include published and prize-winning authors and seasoned teachers from local colleges and other literary organizations.
While Musehouse has created a comfortable and nurturing space, the true magic comes from the writers who arrive for class each week… Elizabeth, 83 years old, always the first to arrive for her poetry class, carrying her respirator and waving a bag of carefully-crafted earrings that she donates as our weekly door prize  … Lola, a homeschooled 12-year-old, feisty, talented, who wants her book of poetry published now …  Tim, scooting in late, carrying his hefty memoir about his life on the battlefield during the Vietnam War … and Veronica, quiet, uncertain, here for the Grief and Loss Writing class where, for the first time, she will write about her son’s death.
To learn more about Musehouse, please follow this link (http://video.whyy.org/video/2230315865) to the May 4, 2012 episode of Friday Arts, a monthly television program on local arts, food, and culture produced by WHYY, Philadelphia's PBS station.

What We Need & What You Get

What we need:

• $5,000 by October 1, 2012 in order to meet our matching grant
• Funds allow us to pay our teachers, our staff, and our rent
• All contributions will be doubled by the match

What you get:

• Signed, original artwork and poetry in notecard, book, and poster form ($25, $50, and $100 contributions)
• Book title of your choice immortalized in an original painting created for and permanently displayed at Musehouse ($100 contribution)
• Dinner and conversation with nationally renowned, award winning, best-selling authors in an intimate restaurant environment ($500 and $1,000 contributions)

The Impact

Musehouse supports writers, helping them overcome a variety of obstacles to creative expression and self-sharing, work that enriches the world and changes lives for the better.  By providing quiet time and space, the encouragement and feedback of peers and audience members, and instruction from authors and teachers of distinction, Musehouse helps writers to work and to maximize their talent and the impact of their voice on both themselves and the people with whom they connect.
Musehouse provides a full roster of classes on a wide range of writing forms, from poetry and fiction to journal writing and memoir, along with related activities, such as book making and story-telling.  Specialized genres such as writing for children and young adults, grief and loss writing, and playwriting have also been covered.  Students range in age from young children to senior citizens, and in experience from first time writers to seasoned authors.  We also sponsor free readings, performances, and additional special events on a regular basis.

Other Ways You Can Help

Please remember that, even if you are unable to contribute funds right now, you can still help!  Simply forwarding this email to friends, family members, and others in your personal network who you think might share our passion for writing is greatly appreciated.  Post on Facebook, tweet a link, mention us in a blog, or use the Indiegogo share tools to let people know about our organization and the work we’re doing with and for the literary community.  Thanks so much for your support!

Argentina Sees the Big Picture: Pensions for Aging Writers




Photo-Laurence Garcon

Argentina’s New Literary Tradition: Pensions for Aging Writers

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/13/world/americas/argentina-offers-its-aging-writers-a-little-security.html?_r=1&smid=fb-share

 

Badilisha Poetry; The Empire Speaks Back

Artist- Elyse Lauryne

Today, my poem, “ Raise Your Head and Try, Again” is featured on Badilisha Poetry’s website.  

Badilisha Poetry Radio is the only poetry podcast platform exclusively dedicated to the voices of Africa and its Diaspora.

Give me a listen:  http://badilishapoetry.com/radio/octavia-mcbride-ahebee and give me some feedback!
 

Lest We Forget; The Atomic Bombing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Art By Atomic Bomb Survivors In Japan

* Painting- “People in the open, exposed to flash burns from the immediate explosion, became known as 'the procession of ghosts.' Here the artist explains that 'to prevent their red, exposed flesh from sticking, people thrust their arms in front of them like ghosts. Their skin, like the thin skin of a peeled potato, hung from the fingernails, where it was still attached.'” By Matsumura Kazuo, 32 years old in August 1945

 

 

U.S./Japan Creative Artists Program

The Japan U.S. Friendship Commission offers leading contemporary and traditional artists from the United States the opportunity to spend three months in Japan through the U.S./Japan Creative Artists Prog...

ram. Cultural understanding is at the heart of this program. Artists go as seekers, as cultural visionaries, and as living liaisons to the traditional and contemporary cultural life of Japan. They also go as connectors who share knowledge and bring back knowledge. Their interaction with the Japanese public and the outlook they bring home provide exceptional opportunities to promote cultural understanding between the United States and Japan.

For more information: http://www.jusfc.gov/creative-artists-programs/

Mérida Fellowship Award- Mexico

Day of the Revolution. Izamal, Mexico by Janet Jarman

More than 25 years ago, in the middle of quintessential Amish country, I took a 4-week summer course at Shippensburg University on Latin American Literature and Politics.   This experience truly added to my knowledge-base of what it meant to be member of the Americas .  I discovered Carlos Fuentes, Ernesto Cardenal, Jorge Amado, Julia de Burgos  and many other American writers as well as great films from Argentina ,Brazil, Nicaragua  and Cuba to name a few.  Our class visited New York and ate at a Cuban restaurant which was run by Chinese-Cubans. How so connected we are.  I discovered the artwork of Wifredo Lam.  Simply transforming…

I share of this by way of introduction to sharing the following:

Mérida Fellowship Award- Mexico

Kimiko Hahn will judge the USPiM 2013 Mérida Fellowship Award.

Currently, this award is only open to  American poets. Each year they accept Mexican poets through their Mexico Awards program. You need not be American to participate in our conference. Most workshops are conducted in English, except for the translation workshop which is conducted in English and Spanish. Evening readings are in English, Spanish and indigenous languages.

The Mérida Fellowship Award covers Conference fee ($600) and 7 nights lodging at Hotel Caribe in Merida for the week (total value approx. $1,020).  Please submit no more than 6 pages, 12pt Times New Roman type (do not put your name on poem pages), along with the entry Application and the $25 entry fee by check payable to U.S. Poets in Mexico,. Mail to USPiM, P.O .Box 4150, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.  Entries must be received by August 31st, 2012. The recipient will be announced September 30, 2012. The Fellowship recipient will give a featured half-hour reading. Application click: 

http://uspoetsinmexico.org/33.html

Here’s a link to the obit of one of my favorites voices of Mexico- Carlos Fuentes.

http://www.economist.com/node/21555537

 

Artist Woodrow Nash- Simply Amazing



The work of sculptor Woodrow Nash



To learn more, visit Nr. Nash's website:  http://www.theragegallery.com/site/home.html

Rain of Poems over London 2012 / Bombardeo de poemas sobre Londres 2012 by Casagrande

Rain of Poems took place over London on Tuesday, June 26, 2012. One hundred thousand poems printed on bookmarks featuring the poetry of  over 300 contemporary poets, from 204 countries ,were released from a helicopter over Jubilee Gardens ,during The Poetry Parnassus Festival.

 

 

Gore Vidal; My Kind of Patrician 1925-2012

* Painting - Wrath, Gore Vidal by Sam Hewitt

"As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: You liberate a city by destroying it. Words are used to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests."
 
- Gore Vidal 2007 PEN/Borders Literary Service Award Winner, 10.23.1925-07.31.2012