Michael Simms: God, Poetry and Trauma
In the 19th century, if you asked a scientist whether he believed in God, he would have answered, ‘Of course, I don’t believe in God, I’m a scientist.” But if you ask a scientist today whether he believes in God, he would answer, “Of course, I believe in God, I’m a scientist.”
Ruth L. Schwartz: Love Letters from the Late Edge
two women, neither of us young, one of us frankly old,
walking our joy like a large animal
around a city lake
Michael Simms: Satan and the Snowman
I don’t have relationships,
the old drunk explained
with surprising wisdom,
I take hostages.
Myths and Facts About Male Sexual Abuse and Assault
Cultural myths surrounding the sexual abuse and assault of boys and men can be serious obstacles to understanding and healing, so it’s important to learn just how wrong they are.
Michael Simms: Writing Prompt #7 | Jumping into the Mud
Here’s an exercise which I call Jumping into the Mud although it’s sometimes called by the more prosaic name automatic writing. The exercise helps to loosen my imagination, and sometimes a decent poem results as well.
Video: Balcony
In a neighbourhood rife with racial tension, a local girl falls for a recent immigrant who is the victim of prejudice and shame.
George Monbiot: The Unlearning
Boarding school, a peculiarly British form of abuse, has devastating impacts not only on the boarders, but on those they grow up to dominate.
Video: Birdie
Directed by Shelly Lauman, “Birdie” is a drama about a woman walking alone in a train station who finds herself part of a sinister game after returning the smallest of gestures to a young man.
Michael Simms: Swamp Thing
The next morning I rode my bicycle to Wolf Corner where coyotes and dogs were
Hung on a wooden rack to discourage coyotes
Adrie Kusserow: Bus Station, Kampala, Uganda
For Willem, age 3 . We are lost. . Holding you tight, the drunks pawing me . as I weave through the stalls sticky with beer and urine . looking … Continue reading
Adrie Kusserow: Jesus, Immaculee and the Pig
Essex, Vermont This is where Jesus dumped Immaculee before wandering off to tend another flock of clouds, down in the psych ward, clutching her bible and scattered papers, preaching to … Continue reading
Laure-Anne Bosselaar: The Pallor of Survival
I’m lucky: autumn is flawless today, sidewalks freckled rust and red, and the sun gentle. I’ll take the back streets to … Continue reading
Video: Cross My Heart
. An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. This film explores the culture … Continue reading
Jake Johnson: From Lack of Paid Maternity Leave to ‘Hell’ of Student Debt, North Korea Catalog of US Rights Violations Makes Convincing Case
US “can never camouflage its true identity as the gross violator of human rights,” Pyongyang says. Just as U.S. President Donald Trump was preparing to lambast North Korea as “a … Continue reading
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