“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.”
“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.”
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.
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 …
“It’s easy to fall into despair, especially during a pandemic. Hope holds power. Hope reaches into the very pores of our being.”
“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].”
“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.”
“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.”
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.
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 …
“It’s easy to fall into despair, especially during a pandemic. Hope holds power. Hope reaches into the very pores of our being.”
“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].”
“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.”
“A false new birth./ This too blue sky./ These red tulips with yellow pistils/ yawn open.”
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.
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,
Looking back on times of turmoil, art can give a lasting window into the most intimate thoughts and feelings experienced during that time.
“The closest and most intimate piece of me is my Muslim identity,” she said. “My written pieces open and knock on different doors in my mind and on different layers of the self.”
This has been done before, standing in line for a long time.
Think of Soviet women who queued for hours for bread.
In this painting, I portray an explosion of colors and human emotions at the moment Pandora opened the proverbial box.
DCTRENDING announces the COVID Poetry and Art Project, working in partnership with Mike Maggio to share pandemic-themed poetry and art by local writers and artists, as COVID-19 unites us in a time of collective trauma.
With sparkling prose and deeply built characters, Leila Rafei’s debut novel tells the story of Egypt’s 2011 revolution from three alternating perspectives.
This is theatre for the age of the Corona Virus: it takes place in your home, or your car, or honestly any place with good phone reception. What makes Human Resources truly wild, and genuinely fun, is the fact that it’s not on Zoom. It takes place on the telephone.
“One of the first steps to achieve equality is the recognition of women artists of the past. Knowing our past is the only way to build a better future for women artists and therefore it is crucial to acknowledge their work and raise awareness about them,” says French-born artist Laurence de Valmy.
Today, we share books of fiction and poetry written by Black authors. We’re inspired by the #BlackoutBestsellerlist movement, which aims to flood the bestseller lists with books by Black authors. (Your homework: Buy two books by Black authors. And buy them from a local, independent bookstore.)
In her latest novel, Redhead by the Side of the Road, no detail is too small for Anne Tyler. She’s at her best when she’s showing us the beauty in the ordinary, and reminding us how important it is to truly see ourselves.
During the COVID crisis, artists and arts organizations need our support. In our new blog, learn how to support local arts, find innovative programs and online programming started up during quarantine, & discover local artists.
