At last….
we/i did it
I took this photo in front of my house today. My husband and I pretended for a moment that we were not in Tuscaloosa. We were in Orange Beach, AL where there are also pines trees. There is also a beach down there. While we wait for the day when we can return to the… Continue reading we/i did it
droppin the mic
Today was the last cluster chat for my “American Swagger” summer class. My favorite part was hearing the students talk through what the fall semester looks like given COVID-19 and what the next generation looks like. One of them is starting a voter registration campaign when school starts. This generation – as suggested in the… Continue reading droppin the mic
the american dream’s complexity
It is the second to the last day of class. Perhaps they are tired. Some students in my “American Swagger” class struggled to see the complexity in “Delirium,” a vignette in the motion picture Coffee and Cigarettes and ideas we have discussed all semester. In this vignette, one of several in the 2004 Jim Jarmusch… Continue reading the american dream’s complexity
a few of my favorite things
Have had a blast making a few new pieces on found wood while awaiting last few reflections for students enrolled in my Summer 2 “American Swagger” class. Speaking of swagger, these women have it. I love these four, too. I finally designed a banner for my etsy shop. I think one of the things that… Continue reading a few of my favorite things
miami migration stories recast
I recast earlier footage used in the “Miami Migration Stories” installation in this microclip. The initial project was a longer work presented at an event honoring subjects in my “Second Ghetto Thesis” oral history study. Some of this video was also in an installation at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in Tuscaloosa. For more… Continue reading miami migration stories recast
chicago on my mind
I have just three more days of grading reflections for my “American Swagger” class and then on to the final essay. Already on my mind is my fellowship at the Newberry Library in Chicago. I will travel there in January to begin sorting through the history of Honduras and ponder what all the anthropologist-novelist-folklorist Zora… Continue reading chicago on my mind
of hearts and rocks
My friend Alejandrina Cue, a Cuban painter in Miami with whom I will have an exhibition in 2021 COVID-19 permitting, made these lovely pieces of art using heart-shaped rocks found on the beach. I love them! Some of the pieces are not shaped like hearts, but still carry as much joy – something we need… Continue reading of hearts and rocks
punk rock swagger and beyond
As we begin our final full week of course work in “American Swagger,” I remain deeply proud of my students’ analytical skills and their ability to make connections. This week, their main text is Imbolo Mbue’s Behold the Dreamers, which sheds light on the impact of the 2008 financial collapse on a wealthy white family… Continue reading punk rock swagger and beyond
My Miami mix
Here is a mix I made in September 1998 using music from Miami’s WEDR. The last part is a bit of music from a radio station in Paris. I love how the callers rap and mention their neighborhoods/countries, something that interests me as a researcher. I also got my husband to digitize a mix of Thelonious… Continue reading My Miami mix
