In early 2019, the craft community experienced a reckoning when crafters of color began sharing personal stories about exclusion and racial injustice in their field, pointing out the inequity and lack of visible diversity within the crafting world. Author Jen Hewett, who is one of a few prominent women of colour in the fibre crafts community, now brings together this book as a direct response to the need to highlight the diverse voices of artists working in fibre arts and crafts. Weaving together interviews, first-person essays, and artist profiles, This Long Thread explores the work and contributions of people of color across the fiber arts and crafts community, representing a wide spectrum of race, age, region, cultural identity, education, and economic class. These conversations explore techniques and materials, belonging, identity, pride of place, cultural misappropriation, privilege, the value (or undervaluing) of craft, community support structures, recognition or exclusion, intergenerational dialogue, and much more.
In the French port town of Calais, the historic home of the lace industry, a city within a city has arisen. This new town, known as the Jungle, is the home of thousands of refugees, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, all hoping, somehow, to get to the UK. Into this squalid shantytown of shipping containers and tents, full of rats and trash and devoid of toilets and safety, the artist Kate Evans brought a sketchbook and an open mind. Combining the techniques of eyewitness reportage with the medium of comic-book storytelling, Evans has produced this unforgettable book, filled with poignant images--by turns shocking, angering, wry, and heartbreaking.
Weaving into the story hostile comments about the migrants from nativist politicians and Internet trolls, Threads addresses one of the most pressing issues of modern times--making a compelling case, through intimate evidence, for compassionate treatment of refugees and the free movement of peoples. Evans's creativity and
In search of a freer place where every child can go to school, a family moves from Fascist Portugal to Communist Czechoslovakia. Different as this new country is, however, it is far from ideal. In this new, gray world, the lack of freedom is felt in the simplest things, such as the colors one can and cannot wear.
A new edition of the gripping, best-selling story of MAC and the Free Wales Army - the men who, during the 1960s, challenged England's rule in the first Welsh armed rebellion since Owain Glyndwr. With foreword by Sian Dalis Cayo-Evans.
The most widely translated work in world literature after the Bible, Tao Te Ching or the Book of the Way is the classic text of Taoism, the ancient Chinese school of thought. Believed to be written by Lao-Tzu, the father of Taoism, Tao Te Ching applies timeless wisdoms on themes as diverse as statesmanship, ecology and love, and aims to give readers a serene and generous spirit. Stephen Mitchell s acclaimed new translation of the book's 81 homilies reveals as never before the gem-like lucidity and the pure poetry of this manual of the art of living from China of fourth century BC.
Tools for Conviviality is a 1973 book by Ivan Illich about the proper use of technology. It was published only two years after his previous book Deschooling Society. In this new work Illich generalized the themes that he had previously applied to the field of education: the institutionalization of specialized knowledge, the dominant role of technocratic elites in industrial society, and the need to develop new instruments for the reconquest of practical knowledge by the average citizen. He wrote that "[e]lite professional groups … have come to exert a 'radical monopoly' on such basic human activities as health, agriculture, home-building, and learning, leading to a 'war on subsistence' that robs peasant societies of their vital skills and know-how. The result of much economic development is very often not human flourishing but 'modernized poverty', dependency, and an out-of-control system in which the humans become worn-down mechanical parts." Illich proposed that we should "invert the present deep structure of tools" in order to "give people tools that guarantee their right to work with independent efficiency."
‘Towards the Decolonization of the British Educational System is an attempt to reflect the pressing issues surrounding the educational and emotional survival of black students, both citizens and expatriate in Britain through an educational system based on the falsification and distortions of history which occurred during the colonial era of the past .’
From culture and food, to music and literature, We Are Palestinian is a celebration of Palestinian heritage. Brought to life by award-winning writer Reem Kassis, every spread is filled with wonderful anecdotes, fascinating facts, memorable quotes and beautiful illustrations by Noha Eilouti, an emerging Palestinian-Canadian illustrator. Discover all about the history of iconic Palestinian symbols like tatreez embroidery, or the inspiration behind Mahmoud Darwish's poetry. As you turn every page, you'll find yourself lost in the world of Dabke (the folk dance of Palestine) and amazed by its famous old cities, you'll try traditional food like knafeh, explore the different religions, and find out much more. Each spread of We Are Palestinian is accessible, richly inspiring and visually stunning. Young readers are going to love discovering more about Palestine. This is the perfect book for parents and caregivers wishing to explore new worlds of culture and custom with children.
We Rise: Voice and Survivorship began as a series of workshops led by vocal practitioner Marged Siôn in collaboration with We Rise Hub in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
The project explores the possibilities of Voice as an embodiment practice to support women and non-binary people, who have experienced or are experiencing domestic abuse and gender-based violence. Through different exercises, we connected with our breath, resonance, body alignment, and imagination, as resources for vocal liberation.
Below are some of the questions that emerged from the project:
- How do we speak from our hearts?
- When is telling our stories healing and transformative?And when is it re-traumatising? And how can we create capacity within ourselves to know the difference?
- How can voicing and sounding together enable us to find strength in collectivity?
- How can working with the voice lead to personal and social transformation?
Following a two year collaborative process, we decided to create a free resource to share our experiences and exercises with other survivors, organisers, and practitioners, who are working towards futures free from intimate, interpersonal and state violence.
We Rise resource image:
We Rise: Voice and Survivorship resource. Commissioned by Serpentine Civic in collaboration with We Rise Domestic Abuse Hub. Photo: Matthew Ritson