Category: Poiesis

by jad

Mamdani, Marx, and the Architect Bee

There’s going to be a lot of ink spilled on the meaning of Mamdani: is he or isn’t he, will he or won’t he, can he or can’t he, etc. Much of this will be less about Mamdani himself and more about what he has come to symbolize. So, what has he come to symbolize? The return of class politics? The revenge of multiculturalism? Is this when September ends? Someone wake up Billie Joe. I read an article from an Italian network of communists that describe Mamdani’s promises as both unrealistic and less revolutionary than a Christian Democrat in the … Continue reading “Mamdani, Marx, and the Architect Bee” →

by jad

Election Night and the Metaphysics of the Movement

The next 24 hours are going to be electric for a lot of people across the country; many will be celebrating a hard-won victory, having talked the talk and walked the walk under a crimson banner for a long time. I’d also guess that a good number will finally find the courage to google “democratic socialism” and join the movement. The next 24 months might bring many more highs and just as many lows. Some might look back at this evening with bitter disappointment, as lofty expectations are inevitably dashed against the rocks of compromise. Many will withdraw altogether, but … Continue reading “Election Night and the Metaphysics of the Movement” →

by jad

Altogether Ooky (Soap Kills and Songs of Grief)

Altogether ooky. x ليه زعلان ليه؟ أنا مش زعلانه ليه خيفان ليه؟ أنا مش خيفانه و ليه، وليه منك رجال و ليه؟ منك رجال و ليه؟ منك رجال و ليه؟ x Violent Are the streets in town And your words and your thoughts Hopelessly drown. (Soap Kills – Violence) x

by jad

Spooky Season and My Father’s Dying Days

I guess I wasn’t really actively thinking about it much last year, but the reality is, spooky season will always coincide with my father’s dying days and final demise from now on. That puts a different spin on every memento mori of this time. It was actually my dad’s birthday on Sunday, but I didn’t know what to think of that. All I can think about is that we never really made much of thing of it while he was alive. So, now what? x Soon, it will be 1 year since, in just less than 1 month. And soon … Continue reading “Spooky Season and My Father’s Dying Days” →

by jad

My First DSLR (and a Cat in Raw Format)

So I got myself my first DSLR. Nothing fancy. Just an old 2013-era Canon Rebel off of eBay. I wanted something small and light that had a line-in jack and a good range of lenses with a sensor size that’s decent enough to dedicate to work projects without any extra bells and whistles. I’m happy with what I got. I paired it with a dirt cheap Yongnuo 50mm lens that I used here; I think I’m good to go. I’ve been keeping a firewall between my photography hobby and what I do at work for the last couple of years; … Continue reading “My First DSLR (and a Cat in Raw Format)” →

by jad

Two Wolves at the Arundhati Roy Lecture

We went out to see the formidable Arundhati Roy speak at the opening night of @seattleartsandlectures yesterday. This was thanks to a generous gift of two tickets and two books from a dear friend and colleague whom we only realized once we walked in is an SAL patron. So, the seats were pretty good. She’d offered me the tickets after hearing me wax passionately about how Roy’s famous speech on “the other 9/11” had become a pillar I built my worldview on since I first read it in college. I think I’ve paraphrased her comments about Palestine in that piece … Continue reading “Two Wolves at the Arundhati Roy Lecture” →

by jad

The Mundane Places We Have Left

I saw this Reel the other day of a guy getting in and out of bed on loop as the voices of anxiety and the fear of starvation take turns convincing him to stay put and/or get up and at ’em, and I couldn’t think of a better synecdoche of my energy since settling back into the flow of things here. There’s so much to do and so little motivation to do it, and yet we must, we must — muss es sein? es muss sein! — infinitely recurring, forever. x It feels like the avenues for maneuvering are narrowing … Continue reading “The Mundane Places We Have Left” →

by jad

Half-Frames

These are my first four half-frames from last week’s photo-walk with @glazerscamera and @pentax_us, trying out the Pentax 17 they’d loaned us as part of Analog Week. I’d wanted to more consciously pair up the diptychs but that went out the window quickly – like, as soon as I loaded the roll and couldn’t quite figure out how far the roll needed to advance from the tiny frame counter. I’d initially worried that I’d get a bunch of blurry photos with this zone-focus camera, but it turns out the real issue was keeping my damn fingers out of the frame… This gentleman chatted … Continue reading “Half-Frames” →

by jad

Imago, Ergo Sum

Many years ago, I had a conversation with someone who said they’d been receiving messages from beyond the grave—not just any grave: she said she’d been in touch with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park fame. I don’t remember how and why this came to pass in her life, but she’d said that I probably wouldn’t believe her so I didn’t press for answers. She seemed to feel to be genuinely heartbroken about his death and had found some purpose for others like her. She said he wanted them to know that he was okay. I remembered this story as we … Continue reading “Imago, Ergo Sum” →