Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Kin,
Over the past eight years (!) the East Side Freedom Library has been a place for the telling of stories which have been ignored, even denied, by the dominant narrative. We have supported and encouraged the uses of poetry, fiction, memoir, oral history, visual art, dance, film, music, even powerpoint, as vehicles to tell stories which center the experiences of workers, immigrants, indigenous peoples, women, GLBT+ neighbors, neighbors with disabilities, and more. There are so many of these stories and so much work for us—and you—to do.
This past month we ventured into new territory. Our friend Alison Morse convened a writing workshop she entitled “Stories We Wear” in which a number of ESFL’s community members explored their relationships to the clothing we wear—who makes it and under what conditions—as the basis for writing experiments. Some were courageous enough to not only read their work publicly but also to allow it to be recorded and shared. We urge you to take 16 minutes of your time to watch, listen, and think.
In partnership with the Twin Cities Japanese American Citizens League, we convened a panel which discussed “Nikkei with Disabilities,” in which scholar-activist (and ESFL Board member) Selena Moon shared her research into the experiences of disabled Japanese-Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. Selena is the first scholar to explore these experiences, and respondents and audience members joined us from as far away as Hawaii. (Ah, the wonders of Zoom!) You can watch a video of the conversation here. We also encourage you to read our latest blog post, “In Defense of Curb Cuts,” written by our Board’s first chairperson, Tom O’Connell.
Yes, while grounded in the communities of our beloved East Side, our work often has a wide reach. We have just learned that poet Mai Der Vang, who, a few months ago discussed her book YELLOW RAIN with our dear friend Kao Kalia Yang, was selected a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in poetry! We salute her and her Twin Cities publisher, Gray Wolf Press.
While we invite you to look back at videos of other inspiring and informative past programs and blogs, we especially invite you to attend (some in person, most online) upcoming programs so that you can take part in the rich conversations they generate. Your participation will make the conversation all the richer.
Love and Solidarity,
Beth Cleary and Peter Rachleff