The Third-Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest

Enter your essay in Real Simple’s yearly contest.

 

Finish this sentence: “I never thought I’d. . .”

Have you ever taken a huge, surprising risk? Did you climb a mountain? Go back to school? Get married (again)? Tell us about it: Enter Real Simple’s Third-Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest and you could have your essay published in Real Simple; win round-trip tickets for two to New York City, hotel accommodations for two nights, tickets to a Broadway play, and a lunch with Real Simple editors; and receive a prize of $3,000.

To enter, send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a Microsoft Word document) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. Contest begins at 12:01 A.M. on June 1, 2010, and runs through 11:59 P.M. on September 24, 2010. Open to legal residents of the United States age 19 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited by law. (Entries will not be returned.)

See below for complete contest rules, plus frequently asked questions. You can also read last year’s winning essay, chosen from 6,970 entries: Beauty in Motion, by Andrea Avery, 33, of Phoenix, a 10th-grade English teacher in Paradise Valley and a part-time instructor at Arizona State University in Tempe. The winner of our first contest was A Witness to Grace, by Aldra Robinson.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q. How should I format my entry?
A. Essays should be submitted in English at a maximum of 1,500 words and typed and double-spaced on 8½-by-11-inch paper. Essays exceeding this length or handwritten may not be considered. If submitted by e-mail, we prefer that you send the essay in a Microsoft Word document; however, we will also consider essays that are pasted into the body of the e-mail itself.

Also be sure to include your name, address, and phone numbers (home, work, cell) in the body of the e-mail and on any copies or attachments of the essay itself.

Q. How do I submit my entry?
A. You have two options.

1. E-mail your submission to lifelessons@realsimple.com.
2. Mail your entry to the following address:
   Essay Contest
   Real Simple
   1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor
   New York, NY 10020

Each e-mail submission will receive a return message verifying that the essay was received. Please be aware that due to the volume of submissions, we cannot send verification that we have received your submission by mail.

Q. What happens if I go over the word limit?
A. Your essay can be excluded from consideration. And although there is no word minimum, we strongly encourage all contest participants to submit at least 1,000 words to maximize their chances of winning.

Q. Can I choose to remain anonymous?
A. Unfortunately, we cannot consider anonymous entries for this contest.

Q. My piece has been previously published. Will you consider it?
A. No. All entries must be original pieces of work and not be previously published.

Q. I am Canadian. Why can’t I enter?
A. We’re so sorry that we cannot consider essays submitted by our Canadian readers. Unfortunately, due to the rules that bind this particular contest, we can consider only legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 19 or older at the time of entry. But feel free to submit your story ideas and original essays for consideration to letters@realsimple.com, labeled ATTENTION: LIFE LESSONS.

Q. Should I send in photos or other memorabilia that relate to my essay?
A. Please don’t. The essays are judged on the following criteria: originality (25 percent), creativity (25 percent), use of language (25 percent), and appropriateness to contest theme (25 percent). No supporting materials will be considered, and they cannot be returned to you.

Q. Is there anything else you can tell me about how to stand out from the crowd?
A. Certainly. Here are a few pointers from the Real Simple editors who judge the contest.

• Stick to the theme of the contest. Sounds obvious, right? But every year we get many entries that diverge—sometimes wildly—from the stated topic. You may have an amazing essay in the bottom drawer of your desk, but if it doesn’t cover the contest theme, it’s not going to win.
• Check your spelling. Double-duh, or so you’d think. But as many as one in five entries has multiple misspellings.
• Don’t feel the need to parrot back the contest theme in your essay. For example, if the theme is “What was the most important day in your life?” try not to begin the piece with “The most important day of my life was…”
• Avoid clichés. (And please don’t try to work the phrase 'real simple' into your essay. It almost never works.)
• Try writing on a less-expected subject. Many submissions cover similar ground: pregnancies, weddings, divorces, illnesses. Many of these essays are superb. But you automatically stand out if you explore a more unconventional event. In one year’s batch of submissions, memorable writers described the following: a son leaving for his tour of duty; getting one’s braces off; and learning that an ex-wife was getting remarried.

 

Complete Contest Rules

1. HOW TO ENTER: This contest begins at 12:01 A.M. eastern time (ET) on June 1, 2010, and ends at 11:59 P.M. ET on September 24, 2010. To enter online, send your typed, double-spaced submission (1,500 words maximum, preferably in a Microsoft Word document) to lifelessons@realsimple.com. To enter via postal mail, submit your essay by mailing your entry to Essay Contest, Real Simple, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10020. Entries must be postmarked no later than September 24, 2010, and received no later than September 31, 2010. Limit one entry per person or e-mail account. Essays should be submitted in English at a maximum of 1,500 words and typed and double-spaced on 8½-by-11-inch paper. Essays exceeding this length or handwritten may not be considered. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, illegible, or incomplete entries; postage-due mail; or entries not received for any reason. Entries will not be acknowledged or returned. By entering, Entrant warrants that his or her entry (1) is original and does not infringe the intellectual-property rights of any third party, (2) has not been published in any medium, and (3) has not won an award.

2. JUDGING: All entries will be judged by Real Simple editors, based on the following criteria: originality (25 percent), creativity (25 percent), use of language (25 percent), and appropriateness to contest theme (25 percent). Incomplete and/or inaccurate entries and entries not complying with all rules are subject to disqualification. Decisions of judges are final and binding. Winner will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail after January 3, 2011.

3. ELIGIBILITY: Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, age 19 or older at time of entry (“Entrant(s)”). Void where prohibited by law. Employees of Sponsor and its promotional partners and their respective parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries and participating advertising and promotion agencies (including members of their immediate family and/or those living in the same household of each such employee) are not eligible.

4. PRIZE DESCRIPTION: One winner will receive $3,000, round-trip economy plane tickets for two to New York City from the airport closest to his or her primary residence, hotel accommodations for two nights (double occupancy), tickets to a Broadway play, lunch with Real Simple editors, and publication in Real Simple magazine. ALL TAXES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER. The prize is awarded without warranty, express or implied, of any kind. THE PRIZE IS NOT TRANSFERABLE.

5. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION: No transfer, assignment, or substitution of a prize permitted, except Sponsor reserves the right to substitute prize (or prize component) for an item of equal or greater value at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Nothing in these official contest rules shall obligate Sponsor to publish or otherwise use any entry submitted in connection with this Contest. All federal, state, and local laws and regulations apply. Entrants agree to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of Sponsor, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Contest. By entering, Entrant represents that any essay etc. and other materials submitted as part of Entrant’s contest entry are original and will not constitute defamation or an invasion of privacy or otherwise infringe upon the rights of any third party, and that the Entrant owns or has the rights to convey any and all right and title in such essay. In addition, by entering, Entrant grants to Sponsor a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to edit, publish, promote, and republish at any time in the future and otherwise use Entrant’s submitted essay, along with Entrant’s name, likeness, biographical information, and any other information provided by Entrant, in any and all media for possible editorial, promotional, or advertising purposes, without further permission, notice, or compensation (except where prohibited by law). Potential Winner, as a condition of receiving any prize, also may be required to sign and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, a Liability Release, and, where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and confirmation of a license as set forth above within 7 days following the date of first attempted notification, certifying, among other things, the following: (a) entry does not defame or invade the privacy of any party; (b) entry does not infringe upon the rights of any third party; and (c) the essay and other materials submitted are original and have never been published and entry has never won an award. Failure to comply with this deadline may result in forfeiture of the prize and selection of an alternate winner. Return of any prize/prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Acceptance of the prize constitutes permission for Sponsor and its agencies to use Winner’s name and/or likeness, biographical information, essay, and other materials submitted for advertising and promotional purposes without additional compensation, unless prohibited by law. By entering and/or accepting prize, Entrants and Winners agree to hold and assign Sponsor and its promotional partners, directors, officers, and employees harmless for liability, damages, or claims for injury or loss to any person or property, relating to, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, participation in this Contest, the acceptance and/or subsequent use or misuse or condition of any of the prizes awarded, or claims based on publicity rights, defamation, or invasion of privacy. False or deceptive entries or acts will render the Entrant ineligible. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the immediate and unrestricted right to disqualify any entrant or prize winner, if either commits or has committed any act or has been involved or becomes involved in any situation or occurrence which the Sponsor deems likely to subject the Sponsor, Entrant, or Winner to ridicule, scandal, or contempt or which reflects unfavorably upon the Sponsor in any way. If such information is discovered by Sponsor after a winner has received notice of his/her prize and before the prize is awarded, Sponsor may rescind the prize in its entirety. If a portion of his/her prize has already been awarded, Sponsor may withdraw the remainder of the prize that has been fulfilled. Decisions of the Sponsor are final and binding in all matters related to this paragraph. Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical or other error in the printing of the offer, administration of the contest, or in the announcement of the prize.

6. INTERNET: Sponsor is not responsible for lost or late entries nor for electronic-transmission errors resulting in omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operations or transmission, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to or alterations of entry materials, or for technical, network, telephone-equipment, electronic, computer, hardware, or software malfunctions or limitations of any kind, or inaccurate transmissions of or failure to receive entry information by Sponsor or presenter on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website or any combination thereof. If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Sponsor reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process and to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to select winners from eligible entries received as of the termination date. CAUTION: Any attempt by a contestant to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the game is a violation of criminal and civil laws and should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such contestant to the fullest extent of the law. If there is a dispute as to the identity of the Entrant, the prize will be awarded to the authorized account holder of the e-mail address. The “authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person to whom the e-mail address is assigned.

7. GOVERNING LAW: This Contest is governed by the internal laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws. All cases and claims pertaining to this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction in the City of New York, without recourse to class-action suits.

8. SEVERABILITY: If any provision of these Rules is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction or appointed arbitrator, such determination shall in no way affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision herein.

9. WINNER’S LIST: For Name(s) of Winner(s), log on to realsimple.com/lifelessonscontest after March 8, 2011, where Name(s) of Winner(s) will be available for a period of 60 days.

10. SPONSOR: The Sponsor of this Contest is Real Simple magazine, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 9th floor, New York, NY 10020.

 

Tampa Review Prize for Poetry Submission Guidelines

Guidelines for Submission to The Tampa Review Prize for Poetry

1. Manuscripts must be previously unpublished. Some or all of the poems in the collection may have appeared in periodicals, chapbooks, or anthologies, but these must be identified.
2. Manuscripts should be typed, with pages consecutively numbered. Clear photocopies are acceptable. Manuscripts must be at least 48 typed pages; we prefer a length of 60-100 pages but will also consider submissions falling outside this range.
3. When sending by mail, please submit the manuscript as loose pages held only by a removable clip or rubber band and enclosed in a standard file folder. Do not staple or bind your manuscript. Online submissions should follow guidelines provided there.
4. Printed entries should include a separate title page with author’s name, address, phone number, and e-mail address (if available). Online submissions guidelines are posted.
5. Entries must include a table of contents and a separate acknowledgments page (or pages) identifying prior publication credits.
6. Submissions must be postmarked (or electronically dated online) by the postmark deadline of December 31, 2010. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, but the University of Tampa Press must be notified immediately if the manuscript is accepted elsewhere.
7. Include a nonrefundable handling fee of $25 for each manuscript submitted. Make check or money order payable to “University of Tampa Press” when sent with mailed submissions. Online submissions are not complete until this fee has been sent using any major credit card via our secure online service, CCNow. (A small processing fee is added to online submissions.)
8. The winning entry will be announced in the subsequent spring, usually by May 15. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard for notification of receipt of manuscript, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope for notification of contest results by mail. No manuscripts will be returned; the paper will be recycled. Online submissions will be acknowledged by email. All contestants enclosing SASE or email address will be notified following the final selection of the winning manuscript.
9. Judging is conducted in accord with the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses Contest Code of Ethics by the editors of Tampa Review. Submissions are not accepted from current faculty or students at the University of Tampa. Editors will recuse themselves from judging entries from close friends and associates to avoid conflicts of interest.

Manuscripts should be mailed to:
The Tampa Review Prize for Poetry
University of Tampa Press
401 West Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606-1490

Online submissions should use this link: Tampa Review Prize Online Submissions

 

---

 We subscribe to the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Contest Code of Ethics:
"CLMP's community of independent literary publishers believes that ethical contests serve our shared goal: to connect writers and readers by publishing exceptional writing. We believe that intent to act ethically, clarity of guidelines, and transparency of process form the foundation of an ethical contest. To that end, we agree to (1) conduct our contests as ethically as possible and to address any unethical behavior on the part of our readers, judges, or editors; (2) to provide clear and specific contest guidelines defining conflict of interest for all parties involved; and (3) to make the mechanics of our selection process available to the public. This Code recognizes that different contest models produce different results, but that each model can be run ethically. We have adopted this Code to reinforce our integrity and dedication as a publishing community and to ensure that our contests contribute to a vibrant literary heritage."

V4YS Concert Review - Gil Scott-Heron - Live At New Morning, Paris (10/05/10)

 

Gil Scott-Heron (second set)

It's been almost 10 years.
We had to wait such a long time to have the immense pleasure of seeing Gil Scott-Heron back in France, in his beloved "New Morning" venue in central Paris.
So time has been passing by, the man has been going through his fair share of struggles, but him and his eternal talent have not "disappeared" as he joked during his hilarious intro speaches.
To add to the legendary tone of this very special evening, Gil was supported by long-time companions from "The Midnight Band" and "Amnesia Express" years, Glenn Turner (Keyboards, Harmonica), Brian Settles (Saxophone, Flute) & Tony Duncanson (Congas).
Together they offered two separate concerts in the same evening, each lasting just shy of 2 hours.

 

I attended both shows, each were identical as far as the tracklisting is concerned, focusing on classics with only "I'll Take Care Of You" from the recent album "I'm New Here".

Gil Scott-Heron (first set)

 1 Blue Collar
2 Winter In America
3 We Almost Lost Detroit - Work For Peace Medley
4 Three Miles Down
5 I'll Take Care Of You
6 Did You Hear What They Said
7 The Other Side (Part I, II & III)
8 The Bottle
9 "encore", don't remember which track it was, please help if you were there! 

Gil started alone on stage and after only three notes from his unseparable Rhodes Keyboards and the first two lines from "Blue Collar", if anybody in the audience still had any doubt, they were reassured : Gil is really back.
His unique deep & hoarse voice still carries the same amount of emotions than it did 10, 20 or 30 years ago. Even more touching was the genuineness of his interpretation (for each track of the show). He's been singing these classics a million times, but he still truly "feels" his decades-old socially-conscious lyrics and he should as, for most of them, they sadly still are particularly relevant these days.  
"Winter In America" was also sung alone at the Rhodes and introduced with a tale he made classic over the years, the "meeting between the seasons". The band came on stage for the medley blending one of my favorite Gil's song, "We Almost Lost Detroit", with "Work For Peace".
Making the audience laugh between each song with his always well-found quips about different subjects (his digression about the icelandic volcano was particularly funny), Gil also had us participate to help singing the easy chorus from the beautiful song "Three Miles Down" depicting the miners terrible work environment(audio below).

 

Brian Settles

Glenn Turner

 His band stood up to his standard : flute and tenor sax solos full of sensibility from Brian Settles, energetic harmonica parts from Glenn Turner or the final crazy 7-or 8-mn long congas impro in the middle of "The Bottle" by Tony Duncanson (reminding me of live explosions from the late Ray Barretto) were all brilliant.

 

Not much to add after such a fantastic moment, ah yes, something I was wondering yesterday night : if there were more Gil's, the world would surely be a better place!

Below a few treats : videos of the medley  "We Almost Lost Detroit-Work For Peace" from the second set and audio streaming of "Three Miles Down". Hope you'll like it!

Part 1 :

Part 2 :

"Three Miles Down", with a little help of the New Morning audience, the superb lyrics (not the easy chorus!) can be found (here) :

A few add-ons :

- If you want to know more about Gil's work, I suggest you watch the great 1-h long documentary done by the Bbc a few years back, youtube streaming here.

- If you're into "socially-conscious" soul/funk, you may also enjoy listening to our recent "Lyrics Do Matter" selection/podcast assembling some of our favorite tracks in that space.

- Finally for the french fans who missed the show yesterday, be aware that Gil will be performing early July at Gilles Peterson's Worldwide Festival in Sète, and in early september in Paris at La Villette Jazz Festival (tickets should be on sale in June).

 

 

 

Published by JmSelector

Libellés : Gil Scott-heron, V4YS Concert Review

 

Slam Poetry - Zimbabwe

Play in either Real OR Windows Media players

 

The Strand reports from Harare, in Zimbabwe, where some of the most radical and political words are spilling out of the many poetry cafés in the city.

We hear why 'slam poetry' is so popular in Zimbabwe these days and sample some performances.

taking the microphone

 

10 out of 10, an appreciative audience votes

 

Photo's by kind permission of Mandla Ncube of click www.zimbabwearts.org

Find the click House of Hunger Poetry Slam page on Facebook.

_______________________________________

16 Days Concert 2009

>via: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEwZITdjmME

Sistaz Open Mic at The Book Cafe

_______________________________________

House of Hunger Poetry Slam at 5 - 'Re-Birth'

Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City: Stories of Dispossession and Defiance from New Orleans

reviewed by Assaf Meshulam — August 23, 2010

 

Title: Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City: Stories of Dispossession and Defiance from New Orleans
Author(s): Kristen L. Buras, Jim Randels, Kalamu ya Salaam, and Students at the Center
Publisher: Teachers College Press, New York
ISBN: 0807750905, Pages: 208, Year: 2010
Search for book at Amazon.com

Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City is an exceptional work of collaboration between urban high-school students, their teachers, and leading scholars and social activists. The book compellingly illuminates Freirian liberatory pedagogy at work, on the one hand, and the destructive forces of neoliberalism in urban (un)development and educational policies, on the other. An expansion on Kristen Buras’ previous work with Michael Apple in The Subaltern Speak (2006), this powerful book shows not only that the subaltern can and do speak, but also what has been done to silence their cogent voices and how they can resist this. At its heart are the evocative and provocative essays of students and teachers in a critical writing program called “Students at the Center” (SAC), launched in 1996 in New Orleans high schools. The intimate and revealing narratives offer insight into the writers’ lives, schools, neighborhoods, and city, while vividly exposing how New Orleans became a neoliberal “experimental arena” after Hurricane Katrina on the foundation of the appalling racism and poverty that has long plagued the city. Building on Harvey’s (2006) conceptualization of “accumulation by dispossession” and Harris’ (1995) “whiteness as property,” the book explores class and racial dimensions of the transformation and restructuring of the public education system in New Orleans and the on-going struggles for justice and liberation of marginalized groups. Neoliberal reforms accelerated the attack on everything “public” following Katrina, particularly education, with policies decentralizing the public system, pushing to transform all public schools into selective admission charter schools, and ousting almost all unionized teachers, replaced largely by uncertified, inexperienced Teach For America teachers. The tremendous power of this book is the unique historical and spatial context of New Orleans, both as a site of racial and economic oppression and neglect, which intensified after Katrina, and as the site of a long tradition of social resistance to this.

 

Buras begins with a deep description of SAC, based on her research in two schools offering the program.  She analyzes SAC’s work as exemplary of Freirian pedagogy in the context of the struggles over education in New Orleans, with its student participants “engag[ing] in historically informed writing initiatives aimed at transforming their schools and communities” (p. 8). Chapters 2, 3, and 4 then each present a set of personal accounts written by SAC students and teachers, each chapter centered around a different theme. The essays are followed by commentary and analysis from critical educators and activists, who reflect on the writers’ experiences and contextualize them in relation to pedagogy and policy-making.

 

Chapter 2 explores SAC’s beginnings and development as a liberatory education program. In her commentary, Adrienne Dixson frames the five accounts presented here in Critical Race Theory terms, depicting them as counterstorytelling, an important tool for uncovering and understanding social injustice and inequality. As Buras notes, SAC has developed “neo-griots,” “young storytellers of color” who narrate the racialized struggles in the city. Maisha Fisher, the second commentator, sets SAC’s work in the context of black activism, emphasizing the potency of activism and writing as an act of reclamation.

 

The gripping essays chosen for Chapter 3 raise the racial dimensions of the neoliberal reform in New Orleans, which has perpetuated the long history of disinvestment in communities of color in the city. These testimonials shed light on the long-term aftermath of Katrina for New Orleans’ residents. In the striking words of student writer Maria Hernandez, “I’ve lost my home, my friends, and my school. … But the worst part of it all is that the public officials—both elected and hired—who are supposed to be looking out for my education have failed me even worse than the ones who abandoned me in the Superdome. … [W]e’re still being abandoned by local, state, and federal officials” (p. 86). Commenting on this account and two others, Michael Apple describes how language has been used to mask dominant groups’ responsibility for the social disaster that exploded with Katrina, in its labeling as a “natural disaster” and the market’s presentation as the ultimate solution for the transparent and dehumanized victims. Apple relates to the part played in the “whitening” of New Orleans by the neoliberal ideology of the free market and consumer choice—the “desocializing sensibility” that has eliminated collective responsibility for social justice, replaced by an individualistic consumer identity. Pauline Lipman, in her commentary, shows how the processes underway in New Orleans are happening in other urban settings, extending the discussion of “accumulation by dispossession” to the case of Chicago.

 

Chapter 4 focuses on resistance to the educational reforms in New Orleans. The voices that “speak out” in this chapter offer a vision of change, where the curriculum is reconstructed to not only reflect all students’ experiences, but also challenge the structural transformation of public schools under neoliberalism and its destructive effect on social communities. Commentator Wayne Au describes the paradox of public schooling: reproducing inequalities while creating space to resist them. Au points to SAC as a concrete example of the possibility of successful critical consciousness and social-justice-oriented programs in schools, of “critical praxis.” Such programs, he urges, should replace tracking and testing, which lead to class- and race-based stratification in public schooling.

 

Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City not only provides a platform for counterstorytelling, but, mirroring the SAC program, also facilitates what Robin Kelley describes as “careful listening” to the stories (p. xii). Seeking an understanding of the complex social processes at work, the book creates a safe space in which the subjective account transcends the individual and the local, and the array of unjust power relations are exposed. So successfully accomplished by SAC, this enables the storyteller to liberate him/herself from the destructive effects of these power relations, to “reclaim [the] sense of self” (p. 53), to partake in liberating education. Only two issues particularly stood out as warranting further elaboration, both arising in the context of one of the schools researched for this book. Prior to Katrina, Eleanor McMain Secondary School had been a selective admissions school; but unlike the predominant trend in New Orleans public schools, it thereafter became an open-access school. Jim Randels, a SAC founder and teacher and co-author of the book, describes this change as “a major identity shift” (p. 27). A more developed discussion of this unique and intriguing transformation could have been significantly informative with regard to many of the themes and processes analyzed in the book. The second aspect of the school that might have benefitted from deeper discussion is the Asian-American (mostly Vietnamese-American) component of the school’s student body, which, along with African-American students, comprises the majority of the student population. Little attention is given in the book to the former group in the consideration of racialization processes and racial identity. Exploring the experiences of students from this community could have broadened, and nuanced, the intricate understanding of racial formation and counter-majoritarian resistance in the book.

 

In Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City, the story of the relentless neoliberal siege on public education in New Orleans eloquently unfolds to show how this has become “the most significant episode of racial marginalization, removal, and state disinvestment in recent U.S. history” (p. 14). The book provokes and advances consideration of a socially just reconstruction of public schooling. It shows our deafness to the subaltern’s voice to be the systematic, intended consequence (and objective) of neoliberal agendas and, hence, the importance of understanding the macroeconomics and sociopolitical contexts that generate these policies (Anyon, 2005).  

 

This important book is invaluable and imperative reading not only for educators, but for anyone interested in real democratic, social-justice-oriented change, the interface of race and school, and the destructive forces of neoliberalism. Rarely do those engaged in educational policy and reform listen—or have the opportunity to listen—to the voices of racially and economically marginalized groups. As Buras notes, it is in this context of lack of voice and cultural recognition that the counter-storytelling in Pedagogy, Policy, and the Privatized City is so vital: the stories of the experiences of the oppressed in New Orleans force educators, policymakers, and activists alike to critically reconsider neoliberal educational policies and urban development projects in general and their racial and social implications.  In the words of co-authors Jim Randels and Kalamu ya Salaam, the story of New Orleans told in this book “is not a story that only those in power will tell. … Without this full picture, our public education, our culture, our souls cannot continue to grow” (p. 16).

 

References

 

Anyon, J. (2005). Radical possibilities: Public policy, urban education, and a new social movement. New York: Routledge.

 

Apple, M. W., & Buras, K. L. (Eds). (2006). The subaltern speak: Curriculum, power and educational struggles. New York: Routledge.

 

Harris, C. I. (1995). Whiteness as property. In K. Crenshaw, N. Gotanda, G. Peller & K. Thomas (Eds.), Critical race theory: The key writings that formed the movement (pp. 276-291). New York: New Press.

 

Harvey, D. (2006). Spaces of global capitalism: Towards a theory of uneven geographical development. New York: Verso.

 

 

Literary Events in NYC For September 6-12, 2010

Tuesday, 9/7/10 
Who: Terry McMillan 
What: Getting To Happy 
Where: Barnes & Noble, Union Square

33 East 17th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 253-0810

Time: 7PM

Friday, 9/10/10 
Who: Terry McMillan 
What: Getting To Happy
Where: Hueman Bookstore
319 Frederick Douglass Boulevard
New York City, NY 10027
(212) 665-7400
Time: 6-8PM

Who: Danielle Evans, Tayari Jones,Ta-Nehisi Coates and Jeffery Renard Allen
What: ringShout: A Place for Black Literature
Location: Littlefield, 622 Degraw St. (between 3rd and 4th Aves.) Brooklyn
Time: 7–9 PM
Price: $5 (suggested donation)

Sunday, 9/12/10
What: Brooklyn Book Festival 
Where: BROOKLYN BOROUGH HALL
209 JORALEMON STREET
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11201

10AM: Colson Whitehead (Sag Harbor) participates in It’s Only Rock ’n’ Roll (But I Like It). 
Where: St. Francis College Auditorium

10AM: Farai Chideya (Kiss the Sky) participates in Youth Is a Foreign Country.
Where:  Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom


11AM: Marlon James (The Book of Night Women), Elizabeth Nunez (Anna In-Between) participate in Mothers and Daughters.
Where: Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom


11AM: Donna Hill (Getting Hers) participates in Wrong Turns.
Where: ST. FRANCIS READING ROOM

11AM: Tanya Wright (Butterfly Rising) participates in Next Texts: Five Debut Novelists. 
Where: ST. FRANCIS MCARDLE HALL

12PM: Marlon James (The Book of Night Women) and Bernice L. McFadden (Glorious) participate in Past Is Not Past.
Where: Brooklyn BOROUGH HALL COURTROOM 


12PM: Ta-Nehisi Coates (The Beautiful Struggle) participates in Pop Life: Music, Memory, and America’s Coming of Age.
Where: ST. FRANCIS MARONEY SCREENING ROOM

1PM: Thomas Chatterton Williams (Losing My Cool). participates in The Problem with Music.
Where: ST. FRANCIS MARONEY SCREENING ROOM


1PM: Charles Fuller (Snatch) participates in About a Boy.
Where: THE YOUTH STOOP


3PM: Donna Hill (Private Lessons) participates in Romancing the Novel.
Where: ST. FRANCIS MARONEY SCREENING ROOM

4PM: Jabari Asim (A Taste of Honey) participates in The World in Fiction.
Where: BOROUGH HALL COURTROOM


5PM: Venus Williams in conversation.  
Where: MAIN STAGE

5PM: Martha Southgate (Third Girl from the Left) participates in NBCC “Name that Author”.

Where: ST FRANCIS MARONEY SCREENING ROOM

5PM: Maaza Mengiste (Beneath the Lion’s Gaze) participates in Border Crossings.

Where: INTERNATIONAL STAGE

Posted by Shalema

Boats spray water on Mariner Energy's Vermilion Oil Platform 380 after it exploded in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, 09/02/10. (photo: AP)

Will Latest Gulf Explosion Lead to Congressional Action?

By McKay Coppins, Newsweek

 

Latest oil platform explosion in Gulf could revive push for action in Congress.

n oil platform about 100 miles south of the Louisiana coast exploded this morning, reportedly throwing 13 workers into the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard helicopters are now on the scene "actively pulling them out of the water," Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesau tells USA Today. The owner of the platform said no injuries were reported.

The platform differs from the BP rig that exploded earlier this summer, east of the current disaster site, in that it doesn’t actually drill for oil, is fixed rather than floating, and is used primarily for oil production. Mariner Energy, the company that owns the platform, saw its shares drop 5 percent this morning on news of the accident.

Mariner said in a statement that it was working with "regulatory authorities" in the aftermath of the incident, that the cause was not known, and that an investigation will be undertaken. The company said that in the last week of August "production at the facility averaged approximately 9.2 million cubic feet of natural gas per day and 1,400 barrels of oil and condensate."

All the early reports indicate that this accident is unlikely to result in the sort of environmental catastrophe BP caused with the explosion of its Deepwater Horizon rig. Still, it could give momentum to the environmental lobby, only weeks after its hopes for comprehensive climate legislation were snuffed out by uncompromising Republicans and disorganized Democrats in Congress. As Tim Warman, an executive director at the National Wildlife Federation, will point out in the pages of next week's issue of NEWSWEEK, this accident is hardly an anomaly. According to a report recently published by the organization, there were more than 1,400 offshore-oil-related accidents from 2000 to 2007 alone, killing 41 people.

"These disasters demonstrate a pattern of feeding America's addiction to oil, leaving in their wake sacrifice zones that affect communities, local economies, and our landscapes," the report states.

Of course, this kind of tough talk has been commonplace since the BP spill in late April. But add the drama unfolding today to this summer's onshore pipeline accidents in Michigan and Utah, and voters might actually start to put some pressure on Congress to take on the issue.

Then again, Mariner lucked out in that this explosion took place just before Labor Day weekend, and could very likely be forgotten by Tuesday, when people start watching and reading the news again. It may sound cynical, but how many of the incidents listed in the NWF report have you heard of?

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Someday We'll All Be Free" feat Bilal

<p>Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Someday We'll All Be Free" feat Bilal from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.</p>

Download this track for FREE!:

miguelatwood-ferguson.bandcamp.com/track/some-day-well-all-be-free-feat-bilal

Recorded live in Los Angeles at Grand Performances, California Plaza July 23, 2010. 

Produced by: 
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson 

Co-Produced by:
Andrew Lojero 

Recording & Mixing Engineer: 
Benjamin Tierney 

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble:
Bilal (vocals) 
Flying Lotus (laptop) 
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (violin) 
Evan Francis (flute) 
Dontae Winslow (trumpet) 
Joey Dosik (alto sax) 
Kamasi Washington (tenor sax) 
Garrett Smith (trombone) 
Rebekah Raff (harp) 
Marcel Camargo (guitar) 
Brandon Coleman (keys) 
Stephen 'Thundercat' Bruner (bass) 
Chris 'Daddy' Dave (drums) 
Nikki Campbell (percussion)

Directed and Edited by:
Greg Ponstingl

Camera Crew:
Alex Meader
Conner Hair
Grace Oh
Greg Ponstingl
Theo Jemison
Todd Mazer

Photos:
Azul Amaral
Mike Park

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Drips/Take Notice" feat Flying Lotus

<p>Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble "Drips/Take Notice" feat Flying Lotus from Miguel Atwood-Ferguson on Vimeo.</p>

DOWNLOAD THE TRACK HERE:
miguelatwood-ferguson.bandcamp.com/track/drips-take-notice

Recorded live in Los Angeles at Grand Performances, California Plaza July 23, 2010.

Produced by:
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

Co-Produced by:
Andrew Lojero

Recording Engineer:
Benjamin Tierney

MIxed by:
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Benjamin Tierney

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson Ensemble:
Flying Lotus (laptop)
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson (violin, arrangement)
Evan Francis (flute)
Dontae Winslow (trumpet)
Joey Dosik (alto sax)
Kamasi Washington (tenor sax)
Garrett Smith (trombone)
Rebekah Raff (harp)
Marcel Camargo (guitar)
Brandon Coleman (keys)
Stephen 'Thundercat' Bruner (bass)
Chris 'Daddy' Dave (drums)
Nikki Campbell (percussion)

Directed and Edited by:
Greg Ponstingl

Camera Crew:
Alex Meader
Conner Hair
Grace Oh
Greg Ponstingl
Theo Jemison
Todd Mazer

Photos:
Azul Amaral
Mike Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

<p>Cultures of Resistance: Hands Off Gaza from Cultures of Resistance on Vimeo.</p>

New York City
culturesofresistance.org

Worldwide, people from all walks of life are finding creative ways to oppose war and promote peace, justice, and sustainability. Culture, including film, music and food, is fertile terrain for this struggle. Education that nourishes a critical mind and fortifies the soul is just as essential. CULTURES OF RESISTANCE was established to identify and support international and diverse initiatives that embody these values, and to fortify an international network of activists and agitators, educators and artists, insurgent musicians, guerilla filmmakers, vanguard gardeners and gourmands.

CULTURES OF RESISTANCE is a project, a campaign, a mission, and a living, breathing, growing network. Our collective of activists, agitators, artists, and dreamers is primarily focused on issues of peace and justice in the global south, and we are especially interested in supporting organizations and activists around the world who are working toward international solidarity and social justice.

The Morton Marr Poetry Prize

The Morton Marr Poetry Prize is an endowment by Marilyn Klepak of Dallas in honor of her father, whose love of poetry has encouraged her to pass this love on to others. Generous supplemental donations were also provided by Mr. and Mrs. David T. Searls, Jr. The first prize is $1,000 and the second place prize is $500. Both prizes earn publication in Southwest Review pages. Judging for 2009 was Dan Chiasson.

To see the 2009 winners, click here.

To see the 2008 winners, click here.

RULES: This contest is open to writers who have not yet published a first book of poetry. Contestants may submit no more than six, previously unpublished poems in a "traditional" form (e.g. sonnet, sestina, villanelle, rhymed stanzas, blank verse, etc.). Poems should be printed blank with name and address information only on a cover sheet or letter. (If work is submitted online, please omit the author's name from the final "submission content text area"). There is a $5.00 per poem entry/handling fee. Postmarked deadline for entry is September 30, 2010. Submissions will not be returned. For notification of winning poems, include a SASE. Winners will be announced in December. Entries should be addressed to: The Morton Marr Poetry Prize,  Southwest Review, P.O. Box 750374, Dallas, TX 75275-0374.

click here to pay your Marr entry fee with a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card.

click here to submit your Marr poem(s) by email.

NOTE: Your Marr entry is not complete until you have completed both of the above steps.
 

To submit your work for regular publication, click here.

---

Southern Methodist University
PO Box 750374 . Dallas TX 75275-0374
214-768-1037 .  Fax 214-768-1408
Email: swr@smu.edu
Copyright Southwest Review 2010