My Hometown, Durham NC, is surrounded. Besieged. I’m stuck in the epicenter of a battleground state, targeted from all directions by the Superspreader presidential campaign. At least, that’s how it feels. Yesterday I made a list of all the visits and rallies in North Carolina by principals of the Republican presidential campaign during the last two … Continue reading Superspreader Campaign: target, Durham NC
Diane Di Prima was an anarchist feminist Beatnik poet, who died this past weekend at 86, in San Francisco. I didn’t really follow her work or career. But I was an early long-distance fan of the Beats, and one of her poems, part of a series of “Revolutionary Letters,” caught my attention. For my second … Continue reading A Passing Ode to Beat Poet Diane di Prima
English-speaking Quakers today are in dire need of some new “spiritual” books, and I have a top candidate to recommend here. It is John Calvi’s How far Have You Traveled? Amid all the wonderful stuff that’s in it, some of what makes Calvi’s book so excellent is what’s not in it. For example — and … Continue reading John Calvi: Boon Companion for Spiritual Travel
A year ago, on October 10, 2019, I had a stroke. And I saw a vision of my future. It started in the living room, about 7AM. I was in my battered recliner, reading newspapers on an Ipad. Across from me, on our long couch, grandson Calvin was stirring. His mom worked nights at Waffle … Continue reading A Whole Year In One Stroke
After last Saturday’s SAYMA Representative Meeting, Sharon Smith celebrated in a circular email: How many people do you know, who can say they survived not just one, but two Quaker lynchings? That’s the way I feel today, after that botched attempt yesterday. I am so proud of me . . . lol But this was … Continue reading SAYMA Update: After the “Lynching” that Wasn’t