It was always so hot, and everyone was so polite, and everything was all surface but underneath it was like a bomb waiting to go off. I always felt that way about the South, that beneath the smiles and southern hospitality and politeness were a lot of guns and liquor and secrets. ―James McBride, The … Continue reading Quote for Today: James McBride
racism
Quote for Today: Albert Einstein
What a sad era when it is easier to smash an atom than a prejudice. -Albert Einstein Public Domain Image via Pixabay
Quote for Today: Philipp Meyer
When we think of the myth of the settling of the West, this is our creation myth. But because we think of it as mythology, not as real people interacting with other real people, we ignore the cost of human lives and blood. --Philipp Meyer Public Domain Image via Pixabay
Dawn without Memory: ISIS in Palmyra
Last May, the Islamic State took the ancient city of Palmyra. Why should we care that it is being destroyed? ISIS doesn't have a good track record with UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Nimrud, Nineveh, and now Palmyra have been destroyed under its rule, creating a storm of publicity and engendering hate and fear. Explosives and … Continue reading Dawn without Memory: ISIS in Palmyra
The Tragedy of Roots: To a Dancer by Katherine McDaniel
Dance can circumvent words and create bonds across cultures. Could we allow the empathy it creates guide our daily lives? To a Dancer is a poem I wrote for a variety show that took place last weekend here in Houston, Mosaic Hub's Chocolate Soiree. It was lovely to be able to read my work for a … Continue reading The Tragedy of Roots: To a Dancer by Katherine McDaniel
Quote for Today: Malcolm X
Because you can't hate the roots of a tree, and not hate the tree. You can't hate your origin and not end up hating yourself. ―Malcolm X, 1965
Reacting to Fear: Mary Engelbreit’s In the USA
Creativity can help us through uncomfortable emotions and thoughts. What happens when these personal visions strike a nerve with others? Mary Engelbreit is a children's book illustrator and author from St. Louis, MO, USA, who started her career as a designer of greeting cards. Her delightful books of brain teasers, projects and recipes for kids, her fairytales and … Continue reading Reacting to Fear: Mary Engelbreit’s In the USA
Be It Ever So Humble: The Southern Shotgun House
Society has a tendency to write off working class neighborhoods as lacking in creativity and artistry. Are we missing something? Vernacular architecture is that which uses local construction materials to create structures that fulfill local needs and reflect local traditions, rather than shipping in materials and designs to create something more cosmopolitan. There is often … Continue reading Be It Ever So Humble: The Southern Shotgun House
There Ain’t No Place That Far: Disney’s Song of the South, 1946
History is not dead, but is constantly reinterpreted through the arts. Can we relate to earlier interpretations despite their controversy? Song of the South, produced by Walt Disney for RKO Pictures in 1946, was one of the first films to combine live action with animation, allowing actors to interact with imaginary characters. Audiences had been delighted the … Continue reading There Ain’t No Place That Far: Disney’s Song of the South, 1946
When the Spirit Moves: Creativity and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech
Fifty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and uttered words that continue to reverberate in the American consciousness and beyond. That speech, delivered August 28, 1963, was not the speech King had prepared. At the prompting of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, he began to speak extemporaneously … Continue reading When the Spirit Moves: Creativity and Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream Speech