Comments for Rachel Brown

Comment on Artists Talk About the Wall by Erin

Erin — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:32:25 +0000

Thanks for pointing to this poet. Her work might make an interesting conversation with another poet’s, Hamutal Bar-Yosef. She visited and read at the college where I taught last semester, and she made quite an impact on me and my students. Her work is written in Hebrew but available in translation, and hearing her read the same poem in both languages was a powerful lesson in the relationship between sound and sense.

(In particular, she read one poem called “Bubble Gum” about two young girls–one Israeli, one Palestinian–encountering one another from opposite sides of a barrier fence, that reminds me of your burping contest story in some ways…I’ll try to find it for you.)

Comment on Artists Talk About the Wall by Rachel Brown

Rachel Brown — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:53:36 +0000

Amen, Erin! I'm hoping to profile the work of artists/animators/poets, etc. that inspire as the summer goes on. On this note, for those who haven't heard of Suheir Hammad, she is a fantastic poet from Palestine/Brooklyn. Hearing her words are what first interested me in the conflict and prompted me to ask why I had never before been exposed to the Palestinian narrative. Check her out!

Comment on Artists Talk About the Wall by Erin

Erin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:18:35 +0000

I often tell people that I chose to become a literature professor because I believe in the power of the written word to educate both the mind and the heart–an education of the sympathies–and I believe in the things that happen when people read, and write about what they read, and have conversations about what they have read and written. The books themselves don’t change anything–it’s all about how we allow ourselves to be changed by them. I think that’s the purpose and value of art, and I think that’s part of what you’re describing in this post.

(PS: I want YOU at my potluck.)