Category Archives: Announcement
Islamic Science Fiction
A Mosque Among The Stars is a volume of Islamic SF published in 2007. The editors have decided to out it out under a CC license and give it away. I’ve been obsessed with the trappings of Islam for decades and am always on the lookout for stuff like this.
Go get it! http://islamscifi.com/a-mosque-among-the-stars-available-for-free/
And be sure to check out the site, islamscifi.com!
Watch my great friend Robb Kunz describing his object installation at Seattle’s Frye Art Museum.
It’s floating in the reflecting pool in front of the museum & plays music by Jherek Bischof and has its own security guard.
“What Comes After The Hipster”
“Zeynep Arsel, Assistant Professor of Marketing at John Molson School of Business, Concordia University:
I think seeing hipster as a narrative, rather than a distinct group of people, is a great way to understand how urban middle class identities are constructed and how postmodern class distinctions are established. The mythology of hipster is an extremely fragmented, occasionally contradictory, frequently derogatory narrative about a subculture that may or may not exist. But it doesn’t matter, because regardless, we are using this narrative to make sense (and express) our identities. By frequently othering hipsters as superficial trend-seekers that seem to do things “for the wrong reasons,” we are also authenticating our own acts that might actually mirror those of this group. Thus, a seemingly autoimmune reaction to our own consumption acts serves us to mark the boundaries of our more authentic identities from the other groups that we deem as more consumerist, superficial and inauthentic.”
A really great collection of thoughts on Us vs Them… from,
http://flavorwire.com/269261/what-comes-after-the-hipster-we-ask-the-experts?all=1
Angela Y. Davis in Paris…
This is a fascinating essay on social activist Angela Y. Davis’ early life in France and Birmingham, Alabama. I met her once in the 1980s; gave her flowers and sat at her feet while crypto-klansman protested her presence. I was as mesmerized by her choice of fancy Reebok sneakers, her winks, and her smile as I was by her lecture. The Lady is a marvel.
http://www.thenation.com/article/166784/dreaming-french-angela-davis
More on the life of Professor Davis at wikipedia or your local public library…
