Among the many Syrian dead, another writer & family, via Al Jazeera: Syrian writer Ibrahim al-Kharit and his son killed by government troops in eastern city of Deir Az-Zor, activists say September 28, 2012 – 17:47 Syrian writer Ibrahim al-Kharit and his son Sumar were killed by government troops in the eastern city of Deir Az-zor, opposition activists and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. They … Read more Ibrahim al-Kharit (1943-2012)
RRM at Caffè Lena December 2011 [phot0 Caroline Isachsen] After the very successful premiere of her & Miles Joris-Peyrafitte’s film “Mirage” (here) Nicole Peyrafitte will (in her own words) “be switching robes on Sunday September 30, 4PM for a much anticipated gig with Michael Bisio. The beautiful Lower Manhattan 6BC Garden will provide an incredible setting to perform a new installment of Remember-Reflect-Mark, a site/theme specific series of performances that generates music, voice & markings. The first installment of R-R-M was … Read more Nicole Peyrafitte Live!
Via the Dutch online magazine Filosofie: ‘ALL OF THESE PEOPLE COME HERE FOR PHILOSOPHY?’ Foreign philosophers often react with surprise: why is philosophy so popular in the Netherlands? Dutch philosophers write bestsellers, the “philosophical cafes” are full, and the Month of Philosophy is flourishing. Does it have something to do with the national character of the Dutch? And does this say anything about the quest for meaning in the … Read more Spinoza Lived Here
Via The Electronic Intifada, the opening paras of the following piece by Abraham Greenhouse, a longtime Palestine solidarity and BDS activist based in New York City. Posting on Face Book yesterday on the Egyptian journalist arrested for modifying the anti-Muslin hate-advertisement seen below, brought in a lot of commentary, some of it puzzling. Yes, these activist stickers are “illegal” as they deface the private property of those who paid to … Read more Resistance that Sticks
I followed the Judith Butler debate in the German newspapers these past 6 weeks or so, but didn’t post on it. The following article from Muzzlewatch however is worth calling attention to as it is a good summary of the craven & unwarranted opposition to Butler being given the Adorno prize: Why Judith Butler had to be shut down Posted on September 25 2012 by Cecilie Surasky under Anti-semitism , Censorship , Educational Institutions. The announcement of a … Read more Butler Adorn’od
The Guardian, as so often, has interesting material on dead poets & live languages. The first concerns Keats as opium addict (vide new biography by Nicholas Roe) & the second, Nigeria’s strong, very alive & quickly evolving pidgin: John Keats was an opium addict, claims a new biography of the poet The author of Ode to a Nightingale wrote his greatest poems with the aid of opium, believes Prof Nicholas Roe … Read more Dead Poets & Live Language: scatter my brain yet ginger my swagger
Excellent analysis & overview of the situation in Syria, & the equilibrium or lack thereof between the various factions of the anti-Assad forces by Ammar Abduhamid on his “Syrian Revolution Digest” blog. Very worthwhile reading in toto, though it is quite long. Opening paragraphs below: The Shredded Tapestry: The State of Syria Today A Trip Report (Turkey, August 10-30) Background The trip was arranged for the purpose of … Read more Syria: The Shredded Tapestry
Come to the park! TODAY Friday, September 21 – at the Free University in Madison Square Park from 3pm to 4pm: Poetry Reading with: Ammiel Alcalay, Ana Božičević, David Henderson, Pierre Joris, Sara Jane Stoner, Simone White! The event will be located on the west side of the park, about midway up, in the vicinity of 25th St & 5th Avenue. The location is indicated by the letter “R” on the … Read more Free University Poetry Reading
Fascinating review of Cole Swensen and David St. John’s American Hybrid anthology by Peter Riley in the British Fortnightly Review; first paras below: IT CAN BE very difficult dealing as a reviewer with a body of poetry with which you feel you have been involved. This anthology collects poets mostly active from the 1990s to the present, with a few senior figures added, in what most people would recognise as a … Read more Peter Riley Reviews American Hybrid
Saturday September 22 FILM PREMIERE BASIL KING : MIRAGE a film co-directed by Nicole Peyrafitte & Miles Joris-Peyrafitte at Anthology Film Archives 32 2nd Ave – NYC Basil King: Mirage Trailer from miles joris-peyrafitte on Vimeo. Saturday September 22 FILM PREMIERE BASIL KING: MIRAGE We are really exited about the premiere of our 22 mn documentary film on painter & poet Basil King at Anthology Film Archive. This is a family affair since Miles & I … Read more Basil King: Mirage & More