Dreaming Abolition from DC to Palestine
A teach-in aimed to help DC-based activists connect with the Palestinian struggle
“I didn't see any Native theatre, but I saw Native people made fun of. And so what that does to your consciousness? There's just so much work that has to be done to remove that, before you can go forward, and celebrate, and have joy.”
“I could go to Shakespeare rehearsal [as a kid],” Sayet told me, “but I couldn't go to Mohegan language class. There was no opportunity for me to learn my language, because it was something that society has said should be destroyed.”
Sistah Joy Alford: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
“As a woman/poet of color, I have always written about social issues, primarily social justice/injustice issues. There remains much about the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises that is directly related to inequity in this country. My poems continue to reflect the various realities that impact Black and Brown people disproportionately.”
Kathy Cable Smaltz: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
I think this has driven me to read even more and to enjoy poetry the most of all. I can still listen to poets read their words and feel tethered to the world in a way that makes me feel there is hope.
Linda Ankrah-Dove: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
The City of Good Death ... Where the Past Haunts Everyone
The City of Good Death opens with the discovery of a mysterious body by two boatmen on the Ganges river, in the holy Indian city of Kashi, where everyone knows three basic facts: dying in the holy city promises freedom from rebirth …
Lynne Smokler Grossman: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
“It’s easy to fall into despair, especially during a pandemic. Hope holds power. Hope reaches into the very pores of our being.”
Pamela Murray Winters: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
“For those of us who are naturally inclined toward making art, we’re made ever more aware of what a powerful elixir it is [during the pandemic].”
Sally Toner: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Zeina Azzam: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
“We need to express ourselves during these difficult times, and to do so creatively nourishes our souls. We can understand the world around us at face value … But the arts offer us a new way to make sense of our reality.”
Susan Notar: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
“A false new birth./ This too blue sky./ These red tulips with yellow pistils/ yawn open.”
Mike Maggio: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Art for art’s sake: yes, there is something to say about that. But art for humanity’s sake: that is how we must make use of our talents.
Bettina Brunner: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Hiram Larew: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
What we need now/ is glow…/ The sort of night that embers make
Kim Drew Wright: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Sometimes justice is an endless search of blur/ while they come at you in a slow, stupid/ lumber with dead, dead eyes — crumbling/ arms outreached as if in embrace./ Like on that show The Walking Dead.
Lydia Lawrence: the COVID Poetry & Art Project
Looking back on times of turmoil, art can give a lasting window into the most intimate thoughts and feelings experienced during that time.