Delimited Spaces in Marxist Revolutions. By: Ella Kotsen A piece I wrote for Midwestern Marx was recently just published. I would love if my readers here at SDS went and checked it out.
Category Archives: Geography and History
Miss Rumphius and Reflecting on the Violence and Romanticization of Childhood Stories and Memories
I’ve had the privilege of academically diving into the idea of recognizing the violence in so many of our most beloved childhood stories at Bryn Mawr College. In some of my English classes, we’ve analyzed the works of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Lucy Maud Montgomery, all three Brontë sisters. Now outside of my usual academic setting,Continue reading “Miss Rumphius and Reflecting on the Violence and Romanticization of Childhood Stories and Memories”
Writing (His)Stories as They Happen
In the same way that we see history as the study of the past, I sometimes wonder about the ability to tell stories without later reflection. If we can think so intensely and fondly of memory does that mean that in the moment, while the action was taking place, an equal relationship occurred? Or perhapsContinue reading “Writing (His)Stories as They Happen”
The Lighthouse Guided Me to Shore: My Adventure Coming to Bass Harbor, Maine
The day after I finished finals I had a dream about a lighthouse. When I woke up, having nothing immediate to do for the first time in forever, I decided to look up some lighthouses on the east coast. Maine in particular always struck my fancy, as my Mom is from a tiny island offContinue reading “The Lighthouse Guided Me to Shore: My Adventure Coming to Bass Harbor, Maine”
Sparrows, Mao’s “Little Red Book”, and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge
If you’re a real follower of this blog then you’ve undoubtedly read my Biomythography. Chapter V is titled “Sparrow” and you can imagine my surprise when this same bird was mentioned in my little, red copy of Mao’s Quotations. I was reading on a pink kayak in the middle of a lake (I paddled outContinue reading “Sparrows, Mao’s “Little Red Book”, and Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge”
Netflix’s Dark Tourist and the Myth of Ethical Tourism
Oftentimes we are aware of the unethical nature of something… yet to make the conscious choice to pry our eyes away can seem impossible. In fact, that is pretty much the whole premise of David Farrier’s show Dark Tourist. Farrier goes to different countries and regions in the world to explore the concept of darkContinue reading “Netflix’s Dark Tourist and the Myth of Ethical Tourism”
Storytelling, Fred Hampton, and the OG SDS
I just finished reading a fairly long book called The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther by Jeffrey Haas. I received this book as a present and remembered hearing a good review on how this book illuminates the historical context behind the FBI’s role in theContinue reading “Storytelling, Fred Hampton, and the OG SDS”
Documenting History: We Held a Murderer Accountable, Today.
Today the courts and a judge and a jury and the people who protested and got maced and beaten by the police, today was some sort of validation for that I guess. In no way is this a victory or justice. This is just an ending that won’t cause nightmares and PTSD. It won’t teachContinue reading “Documenting History: We Held a Murderer Accountable, Today.”
Map of the Day: Cusco/Cuzco Peru
Today my “Form of the City” class was picking and looking at maps. I picked a map of Cusco that (1572, Braun and Hogenberg, Civitates Orbis Terrarum, map I-58) that seemed relevant to a lot of what I am interested in. I’ve been to Cuzco and was fascinated with the juxtaposition between Incan/Andean architecture and SpanishContinue reading “Map of the Day: Cusco/Cuzco Peru”
A Brief Story Review: “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin
This summer I read Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. Baldwin’s style of writing immediately stood out to me as extremely personable and relevant to this current day. His relationship with words and stories and sentences really put me in awe as a reader. I found myself re reading pages as IContinue reading “A Brief Story Review: “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin”
