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A number of possible venues for activism have been emerging from our conversations (giving feedback to the Mural Arts Program, and/or offering an alternative form of art-making in some of the neighborhoods we visited on our tour? working with YASP on a door-to-door campaign? advocating for the future of Perry House? what other activism is likely to emerge during the next 6 weeks, as we spend time inside The Cannery?).

We would like you to 1) structure your final work in this 360°around one of these actions and also 2) find some way to present those projects to the larger bi-co community (or beyond it). A number of these will need advance work (especially if we are to co-ordinate w/ others outside the bi-co), so we'd like to begin brainstorming together the directions in which we might go, both individually and collectively.

By 5 p.m.on  Sun, Oct. 21 (the day we return from break): please post AS A COMMENT TO THIS POST a short description of the sort of activism which interests you, and any ideas you have about what particular form this action might take.

We will then begin having shared conversations about when and how to move forward ….

Here is what I focused on (sound, sight, thoughts) this damp, misty morning. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet." Writing or speaking a word too many times can make it look or sound strange- wrong. What is in a name?

"Deo, Demeter, the grain-mother, and her daughter/self Kore the Maiden called Persephone, raped by the Godfather's brother and buried to rise again, are myth-images of this relationship, recognized by 'primitive' farmers as fundamental. It is still fundamental, but can be completely ignored by a modem city dweller whose actual experience of plants is limited to florists' daisies and supermarket beans. The igno­rance of the urban poor is blameless; the arrogant ignorance of the urban educated,...is inex­cusable. There is no excuse for deforestation, for acid rain, or for the hunger of two-thirds of the children of the earth."

This excerpt from Le Guin's forward to "Vaster Than Empires..." made me think about my recent move from Seattle to Walla Walla. Seattle feels more connected to nature and ecology than many cities I have been to (it is surrounded by lakes, is on Puget Sound, is framed by mountains) however I have a new awareness about food in Walla Walla that I did not have before. The Palouse stretches forever in one direction, vineyards and farms are everywhere in the other direction. Down the road is the Montiellet Fromagerie goat cheese farm, my 90-year-old neighbor leaves us home-grown tomatoes on the front porch, and three days a week for over half the year there is a farmers market within walking distance with fresh vegitables, fruits, cheeses, baked goods, grains, and meals. 

 I agree with Meeker's idea that genre is a continuum. I don't feel that you can really distinctly separate one from another - because if you do - you may miss a few intrinsic overlaps. With respect to which genre may be most hopeful and the kind of stories that may initiate greater interest in the future of the environment - there is no restriction here. Storytelling is a powerful form of communication and any form of storytelling that inherently delivers a message will work in initiating greater interest in a subject. Preference in the medium of communication through storytelling may also need to be modified as per the interests of various peoples. Little children, of course, would want a short, simple, and relatable story. Adults may prefer more realistic tones perhaps with more complexity. I, however, prefer nonfiction. I would rather read Ishmael Beah's memior - A Long Way Gone than read a fictional story about a similar experience. I would rather read William Kamkwamba's - The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, than read a fictitious portrayal of a similar event. I also enjoy and am moved when learning about critical current day issues through film and interview. I would rather watch the film "Elemental" - (http://www.elementalthefilm.com/) - a film devoted to sharing the stories of environmental abuse and other troubles from three continents) than read a depressing newspaper article on a similar subject.

have begun to send me the LOVELIEST poems about nature.
I figured: why not share?
Here are two of the most recent:

Hi everyone- this is the link to the This American Life podcast I was talking about earlier in Voice class about the law passed in Alabama:  http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/456/reap-what-you-sow

I also found another one that looked interesting while looking through the archives: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/414/right-to-remain-silent

I haven't fully listened yet but sounds like it might be relevant to our silence class!

three things that prompted this post:

1. something that happened this summer:  After a three day paddle around a lake, a fourteen year-old shared a story about her adventure during Meeting.  She said that one morning she woke up with the sun and went to stand on a rock which overlooked the lake.  It was windy, and she spread her arms out like bird.  She said that she felt “so solid” and after lamenting about the problems of the world, she finished with: “I wish that more people could stand with me on that rock in the wind to feel the simple power that is just enough.”

After today's carousel activity, I'm finding myself resisting the urge to relate to the texts we're reading. This whole conversation about empathy shook me up a little because I feel like the best way I learn is by trying to relate the texts to my own life. I try to find connections that I can make to others because too much theory can overwhelm me.

I still don't really know if I agree with Sommer's idea that we shouldn't try to look at things in a more universalist lense. I understand what she's saying and agree with her to some extent, but I don't know if I'm willing to change the way I learn and think about things because it's problematic (in her eyes). I feel like in my last post for this class where I was making a connection (or empathizing as Sommer would probably say), I wasn't necessarily trying to relate to my experiences of hardship to Rigoberta or the Quiché. Or maybe I was. I don't know. I was trying to connect my experiences to my mom, who could probably relate more to Rigoberta's stories or horror and hardship than I ever could. I suppose my mom's life story (or any story told by a refugee escaping genocide) would be more worthy of relating to Rigoberta's. I think when I posted that I was just too homesick and missed my mom... I'm so ready for Fall Break.