speaking up speaking out

Peace family,> > Monday July 30, 2006, 9 am 103.5> I will be featured on the Richard Brown Show (the only Black progressive radio show in NC). I will be reading poetry and engaging in a conversation about ideals of beauty and Black girls. Click on the link below to listen to the streaming audio or to find out about more information on Richard Brown.> > light,> e!

Because Everybody Deserves a Cool Breeze!!!

Hey everyone,

I am smiling
because you care...

thank you to everyone who donated money, a fan, or kind words of encouragement. To date, over 100.00 has been raised and we may be getting a heafty donation from a school in the community.

love and light,
e!

this weekend

Greetings sistas,

We are moving and grooving and vibing with the community... Here's what's happening!!!

Saturday
morning after the healing session-
Canvasing: Alexis created a dope flyer for us to get out and give to the beautiful people in the Fayetteville street area!

evening-
VOX Retreat: Alexis, Zach, Nancy, and I will be presenting an interactive workshop on Black Women, Body Politics, and Activism!


Sunday 2pm at Francesca's
listen and share ideas/dreams/visions about multimedia projects incorporating visual and performing arts.

Monday
Afiya, Alexis, and Nancy will attend the Fayetteville St. community meeting and begin to solidify that relationship.

questions? please let us know.
oh, and feel free to respond to the writing prompts...your words and your voice make change happen.

e!

Loving what makes us us

So there was a specific request made today that the artistic rresponse group send out beautiful Birthday, anniversary, special day or moment cards. I think this is important for our sustainance. keeping in mind that we are not task driven, we are truly getting to know each other. Something to think about and begin to generate. I think I have lots of birthdays registered in that Birthday thing that I sent out I'mma see what I can come up with!!!
Lovin y'all
N

i am WRITING because we are FLYERING

Hey ladies,
so according to our timeline we're sposed to be flyering this coming saturday between the know bookstore and Kerr Drugs. I have an idea! What if we use the awesome writing prompt that Afiya used at our big group meeting last month to let our new folks know who we are!

eg. I am HUSTLING
because we are HUNGRY FOR CHANGE
I am HOPEFUL
because we are BEAUTIFUL
I am HURTING
because we are NOT TALKING ABOUT ABUSE
(or whatever better stuff we think of)
and then UBUNTU with a brief blurb and a link to the main blog)

hope to hear your awesome ideas soon!
love
alexis

So it is better to... Proclaim!!

So sistas,

I have been thinking of ways we can create dialogue for future activist/body installation/performance art. Here is one idea I am using with some dynamic young writers!

The Personal is Political: Writing Your Manifesta!

Take a look at the following information that read online and then try writing your own manifesta!! And then post to the blog or send them to me at goldendharma@yahoo.com or goldendharma.blogspot.com. Feel free to contact me if you want and or need more information.

peace and luv,
e!

http://wrt.syr.edu/pub/handbook/manifesta.html

The manifesta/o is the part of the zine where you define your purpose in writing the zine. Why is your topic important to you? Why should it be important to your reader? Why did you decide to write on it? What is the title of your zine? Why did you choose this title? How do you locate yourself in relation to your topic? Where does it fit in subculture pop culture? How does is challenge hegemonic popular culture?

One of the most important aspects of your manifesta/o is your voice. The manifesta/o is not a place where you outline your zine, but rather one where you engage with the (sub)cultural (and personal) importance, intervention and possibilities of your topic. As we discussed in class, manifesta/os are infused with a sense of purpose and passion–you need to make your reader care about your topic, and provide her/him with enough information so that s/he can understand why you care about it.

Be careful–the manifesta/o is not a rant. A rant is a diatribe against something which frustrates or angers you. A manifesta/o is a mission statement that articulates your position and your passion for your topic.

When you put your manifesto in your zine you will be altering its format–you are welcome to handwrite it, to add artwork, to cut and paste.

Format: It’s your manifesta/o–you decide. You must have a title.
it can be a poem, story, play, essay, song or a combination of literary genres.

tasks tasks tasks, oh my

Task List...

1. flyer for black august day at stagville
2. flyer for fayetteville programs - Nikki, Emily
3. AR block party liason- Mama Nancy
4. Multi-media performance- ebony
5. Workshop/University liason- Mama Nancy(local)
Workshop liason (world-wide)
6. So it is better to write...- Zach and Michelle
7. Community contacts- Mama Nancy, Afiya, ebony
8. Development- ebony (i will draft the first donations letter and ask for assistance from the group later)
9. Community Feedback form- (Shirlette mentioned this but needs help with creating a form with a wholistic emphasis)

This just seems like the tip of the iceberg please add what i missed.

peace and love and light
e!

7/11 Artistic Response Meeting Report

aka revolution is:
famlihood
loverliness
growth
fluidity
now!
(thanks to the dope one word revolution exercise that wrapped our meeting up)

So we had a great meeting (imagine the beauty of Dannette, Afiya, Shirlette, Kai, Zach, Kia, Alexis, Nancy, Naima, Sekou, Assata in the park with a ride by hello from Serena's husband Joe and a superfly hello from queer youth leader Andres! Yes!)

Here is what we're up to (please check-in about what you said you help with by next Tuesday (7/18....also feel free to post your dope haikus from the meeting!)

Everyone present: will check in with another Artistic Response person about roles, vision and participation.

Nancy: will talk to Rachel about scheduling a NEED workshop as a healing session, and will attend a Fayettville Street Committee meeting (along with Afiya)

Afiya: will attend a Fayettville Street Committee meeting, a Neighborhood Organization meeting and a PAC meeting and will be organizing a brainstorming/dream-sharing session for the NEED/survival multimedia performance for this Sunday afternoon (exact time and place to be announced)

Shirlette and Dannette: (i love how that rhymes) will be creating a comprehensive evaluation/feedback sheet to be handed out at the UBUNTU NEED workshop

Zach: will be organizing (along with Michelle) an (it is better to write!) fieldtrip to Stagville Plantation, complete with writing and performing rituals designed to allow us to reclaim that space and meet some ancestors (see the timeline for a date which will be floated to the group at tomorrow/Weds big group meeting

Ebony: is officially an artistic response point person for six months (starting today) and will do this week's large group meeting report-back/update, she will also post a list of Artistic Response tasks to the blog

Alexis: is officially an artistic response point person for six months (starting today) and will make this very post, email nancy the SESF NEED proposal for use in the fall college tour packet and be blissful that she knows you ladies.

If you couldn't make the meeting feel free to post announcements, ways that you want to get involved and haikus about how you be/what revolution means to you in one word....or anything at all.

Love and love and love,
Alexis

p.s. Shirlette's band MOSADI is playing in Raleigh at place called "White Collar Crime" tomorrow (weds) night at 10:30 pm...join the caravan to roll-out there after (or during..for that matter) tomorow's big group meeting.

i think....

What follows is the writing prompt from the need for speed ice-cream pre-game.

If you participated and want to share all or part of what you wrote please post it by clicking on comments. If you did not participate and want to write something to share we would love to hear from you.

I think my hair is....
I think my lips are...
I think my nose is...
I think my hips are...
I think my feet are...
I think my skin color is....

Looking forward to your brilliance!
love,
alexis
p.s. see you on Monday at 5:30 at Trinity Park for "It is better to Write!"

your powers

Hey ladies,
Thanks for an amazing meeting last night. We are powerful and we have each other. So we have everything that we need. When the revolutionary struggle comes down to lazer tag and speed racing to a future of justice we will be prepared!
As Ebony suggested last night, it's time to express your desire for our upcoming world takeover!
Click on comments and tell us what you're interested in doing. (Feel free to look at the comments section on the Need for Speed post for the task descriptions.) Also if you are one of the many people with specific community contacts please list what those contacts are (i.e. Hayti, MacDougal Terrace, Bennett College)!

What I remember as far as desires/roles:
Nikki-technological stuff (how to post the wav. file of us singing "courage sister" to this blog), flyer layout and design, multimedia tech stuff, connections to Katrina community

Michelle-block party laising (and getting on down the road), working with zach on beautiful and historically rich places to write and connections for a (well funded) multi-media performance event

Afiya-dreams for a multimedia event, community contacts and the desire to work together

Emily-some community contacts, spanish translation

Zach-documenting the process, finding lovely places to write with Michelle and finding lovely places to go in the world

Dannette-a gift and sensitivity for coordination, artistic creative non-process stuff

Nancy-campus work coordination (in concert with the NO screening/MARC workshop effort)

Ebony-pushing the process of creating performances, writing prompts and community contacts

Alexis-has not defined a role...but intends to keep starting things, to perform, to facilitate, to interview and to process and to communicate.

Please amend and add to and clarify and correct these posts with your specific comments. Looking forward to seeing your posts!
love,
alexis

Arts Timeline from Now til the Block Party

Artistic Response Tentative Calendar
Or the most ambitious arts activism schedule known to woman!!!

Calendar
July
Friday 7: Ice Cream Social/Strategy Meeting (women of color)
Go-Karts (whole group)

Monday 10: It is Better to Write: Park on Trinity (whole group)

Tuesday 11: Artistic Response Meeting 6 pm Park on Trinity (everybody!)

Wednesday 12: UBUNTU Meeting (whole group)

Tuesday 18: blog site check-in (whole group)

Saturday 22: Canvasing (whole group)

Tuesday 25: Community Interviews/Installation (women of color)

August

Tuesday 1: Interactive Workshop/ Interviews (women of color)

Tuesday 8: Artistic Response Meeting (whole group)

Sunday 13: Black August/It is Better to Write: Stagville Plantation (whole group)

Tuesday 15: blog site check in about tasks and Canvasing (whole group)

Sunday 20: Hiking (women of color)

Tuesday 22: Interactive Workshop/ Community Interviews (women of color)

Tuesday 29: Block Party Canvasing (whole group)\

September

Saturday 9: Block Party (yiiiiiiipeeeee!!!!)
(interactive workshop in fayeteville community following from the block party to be planned)

Artistic Response Meeting Tues July 11th

Hey Artistic Response Family!!!!
We are having an Artistic Response Meeting on
Tuesday July 11
6 pm
Trinity Park (corner of Trinity and Watt)

peace and luv,e!

p.s. click on comments for a preview of the agenda

NEED for Speed!!!

oh love...
As part of the "women of color NEED each other love-up, celebrate ourselves festival"... which will be going on from now until forever...ALL WOMYN OF COLOR ARE INVITED TO COME GO-KARTING! Hooray! Feel free to foward this to other folks who identify as women or girls of color (or as transformational divas of color who may choose to be women or girls this Friday evening) and come to Alexis and Jurina's house to carpool to the racetrack by 7 (email alexispauline@gmail.com for directions).
or meet us at Frankies Fun Park, 11190 Fun Park Drive Raleigh 27617 919-433-7888

NOTE: If you are interested in being part of a strategizing meeting about the in-process series of community based poetic movement performance/workshop/interviews provoked by our NEED to create a world where women of color are free, come have ice cream at A and J's house at 4:30. Please indicate in your invitation response which part(s) of the event we can expect you for!
love,

alexisebonynancyzach

p.s. click on comments for a preview of the agenda from ebony (the golden)

Welcome!

For those of us who are committed to creating the world that we NEED...

For those of us who use love as a medium...

For those of us who believe that change is possible...

For those of use who know that we can sustain each other for revolution...

This is our space! Look here for announcements about a particular love movement being sparked in Durham in response to a world of racist, sexist and economic violence. Look here for writing prompts that can provoke a new world. Look here for updates on when and how we'll be getting together to love each other up, dance, sing, move, hug, brainstrom, and build. Write here. Right here.
much love,
UBUNTU Artistic Response Crew and NEED