One Piece

I hope for peace in the Mideast from both sides, but there seems to be a wave of comparing the current Gaza invasion to either South African apartheid, blacks in the South, or Nazi Germany? I'm confused because these comparisons don't make any sense according to the history told to me. Jews in the 1930s were NOT actively attacking Nazis before the Holocaust or calling for the elimination of the German race. Blacks in the south were NOT engaged in any organized form of violence against Jim Crow and taking vows to kill all whites. In South Africa so-called 'violent' anti-apartheid protests meant standing up to white police and defending townships, but not kidnapping and killing White South Africans. In all three cases, you had a peaceful minority group (or in the case of South Africa, a political minority) that was being systematically killed by a government that was basing its policy on a widely disseminated and accepted racist ideology. As much as I think Prime Minister...

It's hard for me to talk about police brutality without acknowledging the exponentially greater brutality in our own community, spiraling black-on-black murder rate, and the violence we inflict on our own bodies. A few days ago Eric Gardner was murdered by the NYPD when they put him in a choke hold, which triggered a fatal heart attack. Rightfully, there are calls for justice and charges being pressed against the office. I don't have a problem with this and, on the surface, it seems appropriate. It saddens me, however, that the political energy is so much more focused on police brutality as oppose to our own violence which is killing us at much greater rate. White supremacy is at the heart of both police brutality and black-and-black crimes. American society has believed for centuries that a black life is worth less. But it feels like the contemporary black community -now more than ever- believes this as well. White supremacy is most cruel when it comes from black and brown fac...

 I have several friends who are outraged. Another war in the Gaza Strip. Another incident of Palestinian civilians getting killed by air strikes and artillery fire. The images flow into our computers and TVs. The old emotions are sparked. The weary attitudes of 'these people have been killing themselves forever,' are invoked. The calls for America to get tough on Israel fall on fallow ground. The wars seem like they will continue for decades.  I have no strong opinions about either side's right to kill their so-called enemies. Every few years, it seems like there is some eruption. Despite the latest round of international outcry, nothing is going to change in the US/Israeli relations. This consistent mutual support isn't because of some Zionist conspiracy or even Israeli's powerful block of right-wing billionaires who spread their money between the two nations. This loyalty isn't the result of AIPAC having some mythical spell over the Congress, although they do ...

After another funny/sad incident today, I started looking at all the weird conversations I've had with doctors or about them. 1. Fake Out Conversation Doctor (examining Dad): Well...things look good here (looking at me and shaking his head like things are terrible.) 2. Sweet Conversation Me: What do you have? Friend: The doctors did test after test. A lot of exams- Me: -yeah, what is it? Friend: They have determined that I have Sweet's Syndrome Me: What is that? Friend: It means I have marks they can't identify- Me: - so essentially they have no idea. Friend: No. Me: And when they don't know what to call something that looks sick, they call it Sweet's Syndrome? Friend: Yes. Me: And you had to do all those tests to figure out that they don't know anything? Friend:.... 3.  I Don't Really Care Conversation Me: I started using that creme you gave me and now there are these marks on my skin. Doctor: Well it's acid to burn off the bumps. Me: No one told me the...

After talking with a spiritual friend about the downward spiral of media analysis of our world, collapse of economic justice, disintegration of the climate's checks and balances, genocide, ecocide, gun culture, disconnect of storytellers/artists to communities without voices, the ever pervading 'isms,' our conversation moved toward bigger themes: wetiko. There has to be something uniting all of this. There can't just be so many disconnected issues of recognizing each other's humanity, respecting the earth, being able to tell the truth, and avoid dangerous levels of unchecked greed and anger. gaze on the Agent Orange gelatinous cloud that seems to cover all of this. The cree word for the psychosis of greed was wetiko, a spiritual virus of sorts. I feel like we need bigger concepts than environmental disaster, oppression, racism, consumerism, worker's rights, societal fairness. I think there needs to be a larger theme that links all of this together because it see...

this benediction is a potion poetry in motion, flowing end- less devotion to the one. riding infinity times none eternity squared with pi destiny divided by 8 that snaking encircle of the mysterious why. who am i? i am hi-posting, cold-lamping pimp strut, ho dancing tip cup, flow vibe'ing rims up, sun rising. i am sips of Mississippi brown deltas of my ances-tree roots like red ribbons flung in 7 Sargasso Seas eclipsed sun continents w/ sailboats n' clipper ships piled over from tip to lip floating fortresses cruising correctionals sinking graves afro-intellectuals i recite all the rivers sing green Savannah's intone cool timbre symphon'ize Saturn's sierras. i summon the stars to shine rope the moon to the tides cry canvas for the painters and confess the night sky. rhapsodize tectonic rocks 2 slip, shift, and pop seeding the ruptured distress where flowers flourish and fruits harvest in her breasts. rushing to the last words running to first myself every pause, a n...

1. New Dramatists Deadline: July 29th Website: http://newdramatists.org/how/apply-residency 2014 Admissions Procedural Changes: -The admissions window opens on July 1 at 10am (EST) and closes on July 29 at 5pm. -Upload a stand-alone Title Page for each play with your full name and contact information. -We strongly encourage you to submit your materials as PDFs.We will also accept the following formats: .txt, .doc, .docx, .rtf. -Please do not put any identifying information in the script. Identifying information includes: your name, contact information, theatres that have workshopped or produced your plays, your agent, special thanks, actors/production crew involved, etc. -Every script page must be numbered. -Every script page must include the play’s title. -Submit a one page Letter of Intent responding to the following question: New Dramatists was founded on the premise that writers are each other’s greatest resource. If granted a New Dramatists residency, what do you see as the benefi...