Monday, October 10, 2005
Temper That Heart (the links are fixed!)I've realized that I'm becoming angry again. I'm not surprised; I'm
missing S badly and it seems when I do I lash out at those around me,
even those I don't actually know. I've gotten snippy in comments on
other blogs (not here, because my snippy comment to one wingnut was
appropriate, thank you very much!), and that's not good. I need to find
myself again. This afternoon I'm meeting with my former co-workers at
the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. We're hoping to find a new location
for a workshop that I'll facilitate. Their workshops are brilliant,
really. They are free and open to all adults in the city. They're held
in neighborhood locations that don't require much travel for the
writers. They're based on the idea that "every person is a philosopher"
and all work is valid. As a facilitator, I won't "teach" but rather
make a safe place for everyone to share their poetry, prose, rants,
snippets without fear of ridicule. Later, work by every writer who
participates will be published in NWA's quarterly magazine, the Journal of Ordinary Thought,
should they want to be published. This little magazine has won two
Illinois Arts Council Literary Awards (one when I was ED), going
against well-known journals like Another Chicago Magazine and Rhino.
And in support of this magazine and the workshop, our group will host
readings that are free and open to the public, where writers can meet
one another, exchange ideas, and share their work with family, friends,
and strangers. Cool, huh? 11:55:41 AM | As usual, there's some fine writing floating through cyberspace: Sam at Feral on loss and laundry (beautiful); Clayton at Operation Eden on Charity Hospital, New Orleans, and the "Third World version" of America; Rob at Realtique on cleaning house, rescuing pets, and being harassed by NOPD; Harry Connick, Jr. at Habitat for Humanity on humanely rebuilding New Orleans; Yan at Glutter on dissent and censorship, American-style; Joe the Heretik on the "Tragedy of the Real" in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan; and a shout-out to Daniel at All the Kings Horses, whose name and writing I came across at n+1. Last night I saw Bill Maher's Real Time and Salman Rushdie asked what the difference was between yellow and orange fear, the daily alerts put out by what Rushdie calls Bush's "Ministry of False Alarms." I was shocked to find myself agreeing with nearly everything Andrew "Sully" Sullivan said. Ann Coulter was on too, but really, is there anything to say about her that hasn't already been said? The fact that she's still invited to be on television shows all that's wrong with our country. I need to erase her face from my memory if I'm ever to get past this angry phase. Temper that heart, girl! 
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Last update: 11/3/05; 6:51:35 PM .
