Alice Walker's Blog, page 44

The True Artist Speaks To Us Through Time

El artista verdadero nos habla a lo largo del tiempo The True Artist Speaks To Us Through Time (Alice with her dog, Mbele, SF, the 90s) Excerpts from this essay appeared recently in The Wall Street Journal. 2019 by Alice Walker The place where I was born is as beautiful today as it ever read more »

CANDLES AT CHRISTMASTIME from Staughton and Alice Lynd, Master Teachers of Life and Love

CANDLES AT CHRISTMASTIME 2019 by Staughton and Alice Lynd Measured by numbers We have lived 89 and 90 years. Strangers ask us, “How long have you two Been married?”And we answer, “68 years.” Gardeners have their own way To sum things up. Watching, touching, sniffing They can tell A sturdy plant with deep read more »

Thanksgiving: I Am Thankful For Artists; I Am Thankful For Books

Thanksgiving: I Am Thankful for Artists; I Am Thankful for Books by Alice Walker 2019November 28, 2019 Because Life doesn’t seem to slow down just because we’re doing over Seventy, I haven’t been able to write the million thoughts I’ve had about six extraordinary books that seem to me a map of where we are, read more »

Why Write Speech You Will Never Hear Again? To Enjoy it. ©2016 by Alice Walker

This piece turned up on my computer the day I was reading about the new film Queen and Slim; in which both main characters are black. Really. I’m not sure where it is published; it seemed perhaps a timely look at how we might honor both our sounds and our looks. Why write Speech read more »

Kaola Bear, Beloved.

With Kaola bear. The outback. Australia. 1990s Photo by Jean Weisinger   Australia Fire Koala Bear – WP article 2019-11-15 Kaola Bear, Beloved © 2019 by Alice Walker   None of this is your fault, You are blameless; Like all  creatures entirely native to this earth. You are warm.  You love to hug. In your read more »

In Cuba: Family: Manuel and Madai.

 Manuel and Madai 2019   In Cuba ©2019 by Alice Walker   In Cuba These are the people You wish to hurt. I believe there is a penalty For harming those Who are good. This grandfather, Smiling with joy; This granddaughter Oblivious of danger Happy to have arrived In his arms.   This is a read more »

For The Indigenous (2019 poem by Alice Walker)

Para Los Indigenas In the 16th century, when Portuguese settlers arrived in Brazil, there were about 3 million native people living there. Now there are only about 1 million. Indigenous peoples make up 1% of Brazil’s population. Here, an indigenous man sits on a scorched branch. Giorgos Moutafis / Bild / Sources: BILD, IBGE, Funai    For the read more »

Hard Times Require Furious Dancing WE HAVE COME TO BE DANCED Jewel Mathieson

Hemos venido a bailar    Hard Times Require Furious Dancing    WE HAVE COME TO BE DANCED   BY JEWEL MATHIESON We have come to be danced Not the pretty dance Not the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me dance But the claw our way back into the belly Of the sacred, sensual animal dance read more »

And When The Time Comes Maestrapeace

Y Cuando Llegue El Tiempo   And When The Time Comes A Meditation on the murals of The Women’s Building in San Francisco Copyright 2018 by Alice Walker And when time comes We can say that we honored the beauty, The strength, The lovingkindness The formidable grace And fierceness Of Women. That we saw them read more »

Clearly the Answer Is To Share (My new typewriter!)

 Claramente la respuesta es compartir My new typewriter! Clearly the Answer Is To Share For Tayari Jones ©2019 by Alice Walker We met each other through our books. And then on the road in the wilds of Northern Michigan. You, instantly, to me, another literary daughter. How proud I am of you. You said wisely: read more »