Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Writing New Lives, Writing New Worlds, A. Zed

Amplify: A Journal of Writing-as-Activism

Creative nonfiction. Children are learning to write their letters. Adults are learning to write their feelings. All of us are learning to write our stories, and thereby release some of the trauma circling through our world.

Challenging White Fragility Through Black Feminist Political Poetry, Langley Leverett

Honors Theses

Due to overwhelming patriarchal hegemonies that women – white women, rich women, young women, and cis women – continue to uphold, feminism struggles to serve all women justly. To combat this negligence in feminism’s fourth-wave movement, I will use this thesis to highlight ways that Black feminist poets have not only shaped feminist theory through their own contributions, but also have prolonged and saved the livelihood of both gender and racial equality. With a strong emphasis on Intersectional Feminism, I will explore the ways in which women can be united against tokenistic power, beginning with the inspiration from three voices: …

For [Redacted], Lalini Shanela Ranaraja

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

This poem was written following the attempts of a close friend and myself to create awareness for the ongoing genocide in Tigray, Ethiopia in particular, and in reaction to activism in the age of social media in general. The digital age and related phenomena, such as hashtag activism and cancel culture, has enabled certain social justice movements to gain rapid traction while other equally worthy movements struggle to find a foothold. Simultaneously, standards of accountability and ethics continue to decline among global news media, with non-Western countries such as Ethiopia and my own home country of Sri Lanka bearing the …

Treatise, Scripture, Manifesto: Reckoning With "Love Cake", Lalini Shanela Ranaraja

Audre Lorde Writing Prize

This essay was written in response to Sri Lankan-American writer and activist Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha's poetry collection Love Cake, as part of a directed study I undertook in Spring 2021. A goal of the directed study, titled "The Empire Writes Back" was to engage with and build upon work by writers from South Asia and the diaspora, of which Piepzna-Samarasinha is a vocal member. In this essay, I explore not only the sense of connection I feel with this poet and her body of work as a result of shared experiences of otherness, trauma, and nationhood, but also …

The View From Somewhere: A Review, Robert S. Boynton

RadioDoc Review

Lewis Raven Wallace was fired from Marketplace for questioning the mainstream media's conception of journalistic neutrality. He developed his critique in his 2019 book, The View From Somewhere: Undoing the Myth of Journalistic Objectivity, a podcast of the same name, and in several ancillary products. Wallace concludes that “objectivity is a false ideal that upholds the status quo”, and news judgement has less to do with objective criteria than with “who controls the narrative, whose narratives matter, and how the appearance of mattering is created in a society rife with entrenched inequality”.

A Glitch In The Garden, Shelby Forma, Daisy Sheps, Elisar Haydar, Samuel Phippen, Robyn Miller, Téa Smith

Creative Humanities

Kai, a kid searching for a place to call home, stumbles upon a desert city with a secret— An amazing community garden! With the help of gardeners Cameron and Riley, Kai learns that strongest roots are grown with help from the old and the new.

Two Poems By Maureen Hynes, Maureen Hynes

The Goose

Poetry by Maureen Hynes.

Environmental Art And Activism: Editors’ Notebook, Alec Follett, Melanie Dennis Unrau

The Goose

Editorial introduction to the special issue on environmental art and activism, The Goose, volume 17, issue 2 (2019).

Writer As Activist, Activist As Writer, Marybeth Holleman

The Goose

This brief essay describes the quandry and found guidelines of balancing art and activism, specifically as a writer. Examples come from the author's own work.

Proof Positive, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

This poem is an exploration of the aftermath of sexual assault and the myriad factors which determine how women, especially women of colour and Asian women, cope with that aftermath. I am particularly concerned with how the testimony and literature of Asian women can prompt other Asian women to unravel their own stories by reflecting these stories back to them and giving them a medium through which to have this confrontation. With this piece I attempt to communicate that the act of confronting and sharing trauma is a continuous and absolutely vital process for survivors of sexual assault.

Womxn Of Color In Print Subculture: 1970-2018, Lenora Yee

Summer Research

My research is rooted in the archival analysis of primary alternative print mediums produced by womxn of color collectives. Through the exploration of numerous databases and archives, I analyzed and explored the different ways in which the written word was, and continues to be, utilized by womxn of color as a site for activism. Focusing on the work of five different womxn of color collectives spanning from 1970-2018, I evaluated works by the collectives Asian Lesbians of the East Coast (ALOEC), Las Buenas Amigas (LBA), The Groit Press (African Ancestral Lesbians), the book #NotYourPrincess Voices of Native American Women and …

Freedom, Lalini Shanela Ranaraja

Vázquez-Valarezo Poetry Award

This poem explores the darker side of Facebook's role in sparking online activism and social movements.

A Visit To The Doctor: Preparation For Activism, Simone Watson

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Civil Rights Gone Wrong: Racial Nostalgia, Historical Memory, And The Boston Busing Crisis In Contemporary Children’S Literature, Lynnell L. Thomas

American Studies Faculty Publication Series

On May 14, 2014, three white Boston city councilors refused to vote to approve a resolution honoring the sixtieth anniversary of Brown v. the Board of Education because, as one remarked, “I didn’t want to get into a debate regarding forced busing in Boston.” Against the recent national proliferation of celebrations of civil rights milestones and legislation, the controversy surrounding the fortieth anniversary of the court decision that mandated busing to desegregate Boston public schools speaks volumes about the historical memory of Boston’s civil rights movement. Two highly acclaimed contemporary works of children’s literature set during or inspired by Boston’s …

Empathy And Moral Laziness, Kathie Jenni

Animal Studies Journal

In The Empathy Exams Leslie Jamison offers an unusual perspective: ‘Empathy isn’t just something that happens to us – a meteor shower of synapses firing across the brain – it’s also a choice we make: to pay attention, to extend ourselves. It’s made of exertion, that dowdier cousin of impulse’ (23). This essay is dedicated to elaborating that crucial observation. A vast amount of recent research concerns empathy – in evolutionary biology, neurobiology, moral psychology, and ethics. I want to extend these investigations by exploring the degree to which individuals can control our empathy: for whom and what we feel …

In Solidarity: Collaborations In Lgbtq+ Activism, Lisa M. Tillmann Ph.D., Kathryn L. Norsworthy

Faculty Publications

What follows is a fictional account. Our “characters” bear our real names; the other eight are composites of students we have taught and from whom we have learned; activists with whom we have worked; and staff, faculty, and administrators we have trained in venues such as Safe Zone. We portray our ally (Lisa)-lesbian (Kathryn) relationship this way for two reasons: one, we had not secured permission from real students, colleagues, or community members to represent their lives and experiences, and two, we seek a way to show our partnership, both personal and professional since 2000, in action. To each of …

Finding Your Own Voice: Braxton Interviews Cortez, Joanne Braxton

Joanne Braxton

In A Land Of Plenty: A Don West Reader, Don West, Constance Adams West

Copyright-Free Books

Rooted in a particular place, the South and especially the Appalachian hills; in a long time, with poems dating from as early as 1932 and as late as 1981; and in the wide experience of a man who has been a farmer, lineman, preacher, organizer, deck hand, professor, and journalist. Land of Plenty is about America over the last half a century. It is about miners, freedom, racism, sharecroppers, family, love, loss, the South, laughter, labor, hunger, and heroism...Constance Adams West's spare illustrations make Land of Plenty still more beautiful." -Dave Roediger, Dept. of History, Northwestern U.

Risd Press November 2, 1973, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

RISD press was a student newspaper published weekly in the early 1970s, a self-described attempt at consolidating all the information outlets of the school, including the previous student newspaper, Montage. Beginning in September 1973, RISD press included the Brown Daily Herald’s weekly issue of Fresh Fruit as an insert. The issue of November 2, 1973 included an article about the Ad Hoc Committee to study curriculum at RISD. There was an interview with the photographer Andre Kertesz and an article about the RISD Architectural Studies Division. A poem, a short story and events for RISD students were also mentioned. Club …

Risd Press October 26, 1973, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

RISD press was a student newspaper published weekly in the early 1970s, a self-described attempt at consolidating into one digestible pile all the information outlets of the school, including the previous student newspaper, Montage. Beginning in September 1973, RISD press included the Brown Daily Herald’s weekly issue of Fresh Fruit as an insert. The issue of October 26, 1973 included an article about the Industrial Design faculty and projects they were working on. An art exhibit at Woods-Gerry by Carol and Michael Ashcraft was reviewed. An article about some additions to the Pilavin Collection at the RISD Museum of Art …

Risd Press October 5, 1973, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

RISD press was a student newspaper published weekly in the early 1970s, a self-described attempt at consolidating all the information outlets of the school, including the previous student newspaper, Montage. Beginning in September 1973, RISD press included the Brown Daily Herald’s weekly issue of Fresh Fruit as an insert. The issue of October 5, 1973 had an article about the RISD television and video studies and the set-up in the RISD auditorium. There was an article about unions for students and women at colleges who filed a sex discrimination suit against Tufts University. Also, an article about 3 photographers at …

Risd Press April 27, 1973, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

RISD press was a student newspaper published weekly in the early 1970s, a self-described attempt at consolidating all the information outlets of the school, including the previous student newspaper, Montage. The issue of April 27, 1973 had an article about the firing of Harry Beckwith, RISD faculty in the Graphic Design department. There also was an article from the Dean Randolph, dean of students at RISD who was leaving RISD because of the way Beckwith's firing was handled. The RISD President also wrote an article on why Harry Beckwith was fired. Comics, a recipe and events for RISD students were …

Montage October 18, 1972, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

Montage was a student-published, bi-weekly newspaper written in the early 1970s. The issue of October 18, 1972 had an article about an open house at the RISD Campus Assistance Center on October 26, 1972. A women's lib multiple choice quiz, RISD Museum news and a game were also in this issue. Events of interest to RISD students and classifieds were also included.

Risd Rag March 9, 1972, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

The RISD Rag was a student publication released in the spring of 1972, first on a monthly basis and later on a bi-weekly basis. The issue of March 9, 1972 included a letter to the editor about a RISD student who decided to leave because of the structure of courses at RISD. Photos, letters to the editor and articles about student activism were also included.

Risd Rag January 1972, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

The RISD Rag was a student publication released in the spring of 1972, first on a monthly basis and later on a bi-weekly basis. The issue of January 1972 included an article about the local food co-ops, and the lack of diversity in the RISD faculty and at the RISD Museum. Support was wanted for farm workers and there was an appeal for a sick child. Voter registration information was listed for each state and parking ticket information for Providence was provided. Recipes, an art exhibit review, the Franklin Mint Bicentennial Medal Design contest and comics were also in this …

Risd Paper November 30, 1970, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

This student-run weekly newspaper was known simply as R.I.S.D., or RISD Paper. The RISD Paper ran through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. The issue of November 30, 1970 had a short article about the RISD Museum Committee updates. Birth control information from ARS International, student activism in Washington, DC, a calendar of events for RISD students, and letters were also included.

Risd Paper November 26, 1970, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

This student-run weekly newspaper was known simply as R.I.S.D., or RISD Paper. The RISD Paper ran through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. The issue of November 26, 1970 included an interview with Gordy Allen, head of RISD student affairs. There also were articles about Black art with Barry Gaither and RISD student board and constitution and the Strike Committee. Poems, photos of musicans at the RISD farm, and a calendar of events for RISD students were also included.

Free Risd! Newspaper April 15, 1970, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

The Free RISD! Newspaper was a community-created newspaper meant to take the place of the RISD Extra, a newspaper that itself was published sometime in the late '60s or early '70s, no issues of which exist today. A single issue of the Free RISD! Newspaper is held by the archives; it covers the end of Extra, issues of separation between the RISD museum and its student body, issues of feminism, letters to the editor, a calendar of events, and some advertisements. Higher resolution scans and the physical documents can be requested at the archives.

Risd Paper March 23, 1970, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

This student-run weekly newspaper was known simply as R.I.S.D., or RISD Paper. The RISD Paper ran through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. The issue of March 23, 1970 included some articles about student activism. RISD students demanded an increase in scholarships and a tuition freeze for four years. There was information about the members of the board of trustees. There was a plea to offer 30 full scholarships to needy students from Rhode Island.

Risd Paper February 26, 1970, Students Of Risd, Risd Archives

All Student Newspapers

This student-run weekly newspaper was known simply as R.I.S.D., or RISD Paper. The RISD Paper ran through the late 1960s and into the 1970s. The issue of February 26, 1970 included articles about student activism and the RISD Concerned Community Manifesto. The Take a Break schedule was posted with events and a masquerade ball. There also was a calendar of events for RISD students.