Upcoming Events @ Last Word Books for July 2014

We have two events just around the corner that you should check out. Also, you can come in and see our new location if you haven't already. We have a long ways to go, but we're quite proud of what we have managed to scrape together.

The first event is "In Spite of Repression: Fighting for Liberation Under Surveillance" with scot crow & Leslie James Pickering. We'll be hosting Scot & Leslie at 111 Cherry St NE at 7pm Wednesday July 2nd. scot has visited us before at our old location and his return will be welcome.

The second event is the following day with Sean Davis, author of "The Wax Bullet War: Chronicles of a Soldier & Artist." 

from Sean's website:

Sean Davis is a veteran of the Iraq war, a talented artist, and a gifted writer with an interesting story. He attended art school before earning his bachelor’s degree in English from Portland State University and an MFA in Writing from Pacific University. He published the novel Motivation and Toleration under the name Ian Avi and has contributed to numerous publications including the Willamette Week, Nailed Magazine, and The Good Men Project. He has also appeared on 60 Minutes and is cofounder of A Rock or Something Productions in Portland.

Find the closest Bradley Manning support event to you! This Saturday, Feb.23rd

55 protests show enormous public support for Bradley Manning as his 1,000th day in prison approaches. Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 1,000 days without trial. Attend one of 58 events in support of Bradley! Join the international call to action in support of Bradley Manning, the heroic soldier who has been persecuted for doing the right thing - for exposing war crimes to motivate worldwide discussions, debates and reform. An enormous outpouring of support for Bradley Events include protests, rallies, hip-hop performances, concerts, and art. We ask you attend an event near you this weekend to educate others about Bradley, and also to show the military authorities that people worldwide support him. Soldiers are supposed to have the right to a speedy trial, not only under the US Constitution but also under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Yet Bradley's court martial has been delayed as the military has continuously created roadblocks in the defense's way to access important evidence and offer a whistle-blower plea. On June 3, 100 days from Saturday, the military prosecution will pursue a truth-chilling life sentence at Bradley's long-overdue court martial. Public demonstrations are the best way to give this young whistle-blower a fighting chance at freedom. There has never been a more important time to broadcast our support for exposing war crimes, international justice, and people’s right to know what the government does in our name. Find an event in your area, or host your own! U.S. Events Tucson, AZ Feb 23, 11am-5pm Tempe, AZ  Feb 23, 5:30-6:30pm Guerneville, CA Feb 23, 12-1pm Cahuenga (L.A.), CA Feb 23, 9-11am Los Angeles, CA Feb 23, 5:30-6:30 Long Beach (L.A.), CA  Feb 23 at 1pm until Feb 24 at 2pm Montrose (L.A.), CA Feb 23, 5:30-7pm Studio City (L.A.), CA Feb 22, 6:30-7:30pm San Francisco, CA Feb 23, 1-4pm San Diego, CA Feb 23, 7-9pm Denver, CO Feb 23, 12-3:30pm Washington, DC Feb 24, 6:30-9pm Ft. Lauderdale, FL Feb 23, 12-1:30pm Pensacola, FL Feb 23, 5:30-6:30pm Tallahassee, FL Feb 23, 12-1pm Honolulu, HI Feb 22, 4-5:30pm Chicago, IL Feb 23, 12-1:30pm Ft. Leavenworth, KS Feb 23, 1-3pm Boston, MA Feb 23, 1-2pm Augusta, ME Feb 23, 11:30am-12pm Portland, ME Feb 23, 12pm Detroit, MI Feb 23, 3-8pm Eatentown, NJ Feb 23, 12-1:30pm New Orleans, LAFeb 23, 2-6pm Minneapolis, MN Feb 23, 9:30am-12pm Wilmington, NC Feb 23, 12-1:45pm Albuquerque, NM Feb 23, 10am-12pm New York, NY Feb 23, 2-4pm Rochester, NY  Feb 23, 10am-12pm Toledo, OH Feb 23, 12pm Corvallis, OR ongoing Philadelphia, PA Feb 23, 2-4pm Newport, RI Feb 23, 1-2pm Austin, TX Feb 23, 10:30am Houston, TX Feb 23, All Day Bristol, VT Feb 23, 10am-12pm Seattle, WA Feb 23, 12-4pm   International Events Melbourne, Australia Feb 22, 2-4pm Sydney, Australia Feb 23, 11am-2pm Vancouver, Canada Feb 23, 1-5pm Paris, France Feb 23, 3-5pm Berlin, Germany  Feb 23, 12:30-3pm Brussels, Belgium Feb 23, 1-2pm Kaiserslautern, Germany Feb 23, All Day Rome, Italy  Feb 23, 4-5pm Oslo, Norway Feb 23, 10am-12pm Oporto, Portugal Feb 23, 3-6pm Seoul, South Korea Feb 23, 11am Kampala, Uganda Feb 23, 10am-12pm Dublin, Ireland Feb 23, 1-3pm Birmingham, UK Feb 23, 2pm London, UK Feb 23, 2pm Peterborough, UK Feb 23, 12-2pm Yorkshire, UK  Feb 23, 11am Fairford UK Feb 23, 9:30am-12pm Bangor, Wales Feb 23, 11am-2pm Cardiff, Wales Feb 23, 10:30am-2:30pm Wales/Ireland/Scotland/England ongoing Slovakia If you attend an event, please take photos and e-mail them toowen@bradleymanning.org Thank you for supporting Bradley Manning Help us continue to cover 100% of Bradley's legal fees! Donate today.

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Anarchism Today by Randall Amster

 Randall Amster, J.D., Ph.D., teaches Peace Studies and is Chair of the Master's Program in Humanities at Prescott College, and also serves as the Executive Director of the Peace & Justice Studies Association. Among his recent books are Anarchism Today (Praeger, 2012) and Lost in Space: The Criminalization, Globalization, and Urban Ecology of Homelessness (LFB Scholarly, 2008), as well as the co-edited volumes Building Cultures of Peace: Transdisciplinary Voices of Hope and Action(Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2009) and Contemporary Anarchist Studies: An Introductory Anthology of Anarchy in the Academy (Routledge, 2009). Dr. Amster writes a regular op-ed column for his local newspaper, edits a national peace and justice newsletter, and is the founding editor of the news and opinion website, New Clear Vision. He also serves on the editorial advisory boards for the Contemporary Justice Review, the Peace Studies Journal, and the Journal of Sustainability Education.

With all of the provocative, sometimes highly destructive acts committed in the name of anarchy, this enlightening volume invites readers to discover the true meaning of anarchism, exploring its vivid history and its resurgent relevance for addressing today's most vexing social problems.

From World Trade Organization protests to the thwarted 2010 letter-bomb campaign in Europe, actions taken in the name of anarchy continue to make headlines. But these sensational, sometimes off-putting events obscure the fact that anarchism itself is a sophisticated, centuries-old school of political thought that has the potential for positive contributions to our future.

In Anarchism Today, an acclaimed scholar and one of the world's foremost advocates for the anarchistic tradition cuts through common misconceptions and caricatures to explore what is perhaps the most poorly understood of all political theories.

Queering Palestinian Solidarity

This Thursday at Last Word at 6:00 pm
Here's the facebook event page


On Thursday March 15th, Queer Palestine Solidarity activists and allies will gather in response and challenge the use of Queer identity to cover up
human rights abuses against Palestinians. The right wing group 'Stand with Us' along with the Israeli Consulate for the West Coast is sponsoring a
tour of the Israeli LGBTQ community members aiming to exploit Queer struggle in order to further the occupation of Palestine. Speakers for
Stand With Us  include an Israeli settler and the former CEO of Ahava, whose factory is in the Occupied Territories.

This event is an attempt to Pinkwash the ongoing crimes and human rights
abuses against Palestinians. Pinkwashing attempts to put forth a
"gay-friendly" vision of Israel while obscuring the daily abuses against
the Palestinians and in no way supports Palestinian and Arab Queer
liberation.

Queering Palestine Solidarity will feature a critical discussion of
Pinkwashing from the personal perspective of historical queer resistance.
We will discuss, share, and educate ourselves and stand in solidarity with
Queer Palestinians.

For more information on Pinkwashing and Palestinian and Solidarity Queer
Organizations:
Palestinian Gay Women
http://www.aswatgroup.org/

Palestinian Queers for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions
http://www.pqbds.com/

Al Qaws (The Rainbow)
www.alqaws.org

Black Laundry
www.blacklaundry.org

http://www.queersolidaritywithpalestine.com

http://www.pqbds.org

http://alaswat.irg

This is an op-ed about pinkwashing that Sarah Schulman published in the New
York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/opinion/pinkwashing-and-israels-use-of-gays-as-a-messaging-tool.html

This is a recent article by Jasbir Puar about pinkwashing:
http://thefeministwire.com/2012/01/the-golden-handcuffs-of-gay-rights-how-pinkwashing-distorts-both-lgbtiq-and-anti-occupation-activism/

This is a recent article by Katherine Franke responding to a pinkwashing
event that PFLAG hosted:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/katherine-franke/pflag-israel-pinkwashing_b_1290935.html


This event is co-sponsored by Rachel Corrie Foundation for Peace and
Justice, Olympia Jewish Voice for Peace and TESC Divest!

Our events calendar is looking pretty darn barren!

Drunken Poetry is the only thing on the radar for the next couple months. Anyone want to host an event or have a show? C'mon, let's get this place hoppin!

Laundry Day Double B CD Release Party

When: Friday, January 13th @ 8:00 PM

Where: Don't Stop Printing & Last Word Books and Press 207 4th Avenue East

Who: Free Whiskey; DJ Turtledove; Fresh Heads; Wings & Wounds; The Fooligan Crew. Hosted by Heretic the Heathen.

$5.00 Cover charge gets you a free CD!

Kalle Lasn: The Man Who Occupied Wall Street

Posted by majestic on November 28, 2011

Adbuster's Occupy Wall Street poster incorporating the 3D work of Arturo Di Modica titled "Charging Bull".

Adbusters’ leader Kalle Lasn receives a lengthy profile in the New York Times:

Kalle Lasn, the longtime editor of the anticonsumerist magazineAdbusters, did not invent the anger that has been feeding the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations across the United States.

But he did brand it.

Last summer, as uprisings shook the Middle East and much of the world economy struggled, Mr. Lasn and several colleagues at the small magazine felt the moment was ripe to tap simmering frustration on the American political left.

On July 13, he and his colleagues created a new hash tag on Twitter: #OCCUPYWALLSTREET. They made a poster showing a ballerina dancing on the back of the muscular sculptured bull near Wall Street in Manhattan.

For some people they were just words and images. For Mr. Lasn, they were tools to begin remodeling the “mental environment,” to create a new “meme,” the term coined by the evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins for a kind of transcendent cultural message.

“There’s a number of ways to wage a meme war,” Mr. Lasn, whose name is pronounced KAL-luh LAS-en, said in an interview. “I believe that one of the most powerful things of all is aesthetics.”

Read More...

Sowing Struggle: Urban and rural social movements in Tlaxcala, Mexico - Tomorrow @ 6pm at Last Word Books

Presented by the Mexico Solidarity Network
www.mexicosolidarity.org

As co-founder and lead organizer of CNUC,
Luz has worked tirelessly over 20 years to
protect peasant's rights and build inspiring,
community-based autonomous projects.
Luz and CNUC also accompany organized sex
workers, a bus-drivers' cooperative, and the
National Assembly of Braceros in their
struggles against corrupt governance, police
repression, and neoliberalism.
Her talk will have important lessons for
anyone interested in womenʼs, peasant, and
labor movements.

The presentation will be in Spanish with English
translation provided by a MSN representative.
Attendance is open and free of charge.

Hillbilly Nationalists, Urban Race Rebels, and Black Power Community Organizing in Radical Times - TOMORROW @ Last Word Books at 6pm

Olympia reading will feature James Tracy only.

www.organizingupgrade.com

Amy Sonnie and James Tracy

The historians of the late 1960s have emphasized the work of a small group of white college activists and the Black Panthers, activists who courageously took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam and continuing racial inequality. Poor and working-class whites have tended to be painted as spectators, reactionaries, and, even, racists. Most Americans, the story goes, just watched the political movements of the sixties go by.

James Tracy and Amy Sonnie, who have been interviewing activists from the 1960s for nearly ten years, reject this old narrative. In five tightly conceived chapters, they show that poor and working-class whites, inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panther Party, started to organize significant political movements against racism and inequality during the 1960s.

Their book explores an untold history the New Left. Challenging the Right for the allegiance of white workers, a diverse network of new political groups helped to redefine community organizing at a pivotal moment in the history of the United States, collaborating with their better known colleagues in SDS and the Black Panthers.

These organizations kept the vision of an interracial movement of the poor alive by working arm in arm with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Puerto Rican Young Lords and, in so doing, gave rise to a generation of community organizers. In the best tradition of people's history, Tracy and Sonnie bring these diverse and groundbreaking movements alive.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Sonnie is an activist, educator and librarian who has wroked with U.S. grassroots social justice movements for the past 17 years. She is co-founder of the national Center for Media Justice. Her first book, Revolutionary Voices, an anthology by queer and transgender youth (Alyson Books, 2000), has been banned in New Jersey and Texas. Her work has appeared in dozens of publications including the San Franscisco Bay Guardian, Alternet, Philadelphia Inquirer, Clamor, the Oxygen Television Network, Bitch magazine, Area magazine and The Sojourner. She holds a Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University and two Bachelors degrees from Syracuse University in Women's Studies and Public Communications.

James Tracy is a long-time social justice organizer in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the founder of the San Francisco Community Land Trust and has been active in the Eviction Defense Network and the Coalition On Homelessness, SF. He has edited two activist handbooks for Manic D Press The Civil Disobedience Handbook, and The Military Draft Handbook. His articles have appeared in Left Turn, Race Poverty and the Environment, Contemporary Justice Review and the Political Edge, a City Lights Foundation anthology.

Days of Action

Wednesday, November 2nd = General Strike called for by Occupy Oakland: "Don't go to work, walk out of school, say no to debt and austerity."

http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/28/general-strike-call-in-oakland

Saturday, November 5th = Move Your Money Day, or Bank Transfer Day. "A consumer activism initiative calling for a voluntary switch from commercial banks to not-for-profit credit unions by November 5, 2011."

Come Visit Our Book Dome at the Okanogan/Tonasket Barter Faire

We'll be on the North end of one of the aisles, as usual. Look for the Pirate Flag!

Drunken Poetry is happening imminently!

Taking Ourselves Seriously: Developing Strategy for Social Transformation

A talk led by longtime anarchist organizer and author Chris Dixon!

A short talk will be followed by discussion. Come one, come all!

Sponsored by the Institute for Anarchist Studies - http://www.anarchist-studies.org/

The question of strategy - how we might win in the near and long term as we struggle against domination, exploitation, and oppression - is pressing. As anti-authoritarians, however, we frequently face barriers to thinking and acting strategically. These include fixating on principles over plans, fetishizing specific tactics, and organizing in crisis modes. Drawing on interviews with organizers across North America, this presentation will discuss these barriers, and potential ways we can move past them toward developing effective approaches for the long haul of social transformation. Together, we will explore how to build movements in the world as it is - engaging with where and how people are struggling - while cultivating strategies toward the world that we want. Emphasizing history and research, this presentation will especially highlight strategic approaches based on fighting for non-reformist reforms and building dual power.

Bio:
Chris Dixon, originally from Alaska, is a longtime anarchist organizer,
writer, and educator who recently received his PhD from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He lives in Sudbury, Ontario, where he is involved with anti-war and Indigenous solidarity organizing. Dixon serves on the board of the Institute for Anarchist Studies and the advisory board for the journal Upping the Anti. He is currently completing a book, tentatively titled Against and Beyond, based on interviews with anti-authoritarian organizers across the U.S. and Canada involved in broader-based movements.

Today at 4pm: Cannabis Chassidis: The Ancient & Emerging Torah of Drugs;

The problem and virtues of organized religion and other drugs; Recreational Messianism vs. Medicinal Rationality

Cannabis Chassidis: Recreational Messianism vs. Medicinal Rationality; The problem and virtues of organized religion and other drugs

When	This Sunday Oct 2nd 4 pm – 6 pm Pacific Time
Where	Last Word Books (map)

“Years ago, I came to Jerusalem,
just out of high school,
looking for an authentic religious tradition
for how to smoke marijuana
...rightly, helpfully, more effectively
and more meaningfully.
What I found additionally and instead
was a living culture, wrestling with the mystery
of how to incorporate the exctatic; and the
mystery of the causes for it's repression,
along with alot of brilliant guidance and terrible truths
about the nature of religion, law, idealism and drugs.”

Cannabis Chassidis: The Ancient and Emerging Torah of Drugs (A memoir) details the question and it's exploration: How could it be that something as inherent to modern life as Marijuana, something with a rich history of human usage, has no tradition in Torah, a guidance system that I was raised to understand as encompassing everything good that one should know? There are answers for what IS there in the tradition, rich allusions to herbs and smokes used in different capacitities, and the more interesting answers and questions are about what there isn't in the tradition, and why.

And along the way, the spectrum of an experience of living mystical subculture is explored, and the romantic idealization and redemptive potential of both Psychedelia and Religion are touched and felt deeply, in the context of outstanding communities and individuals who have experienced the glories and the failures of both.
Yoseph Leib travels and studies throughout Jerusalem, New York, and Rainbow Country U.S.A, in search of guidance about how Cannabis and psychedelics have and have not been used in both ancient and emerging Hassidic traditions, and what the way we have related to our desires for medicines, gods, and intoxicants can teach us about how we relate to ourselves, our community, and our G-d. The glorious problem of how what we can learn can set us free, in all kinds of ways.

Verna Press: David Rowe & Peter Anderson Poetry Reading

Check out this reading preceding Drunken Poetry this coming Monday, at 7pm:

A native of Worcester, Mass., David Rowe was educated at Swarthmore. His poems have appeared in the Cortland Review, the North American Review, Big Bridge, Dorado, Solid Quarter, Exquisite Corpse, YAWP, & in the anthology, the Maple Leaf Rag. A poet equally of the stage & the page, David has read his poetry on the Moe Green Poetry Show & WWOZ, & at countless venues both in the States & abroad.Locally, David has been for many years a stalwart presence at the Maple Leaf & Goldmine readings, helped represent New Orleans when Wave Books’ Poetry Bus Tour (2006) & S.A. Griffin’s Poetry Bomb Tour (2010) hit town, served as poet-in-residence at Peter Anderson’s Beauty Shop, & currently teaches poetry writing at the Covenant House, a shelter for homeless youths. His full-length collection, Unsolicited Poems, is available at http://www.vernapress.com.

When	Mon Sep 19 7pm – 8pm Pacific Time
Where	Last Word Books (map)

Join Us for Drunken Poetry this coming Monday at 8:30pm!

Come celebrate the power of the spoken word in our torn apart, remodling, expanding book shop!

Drunken Poetry Voted Best Literary Night by the Weekly Volcano

Drunken Poetry Bumped Back to Monday, August 22nd

We had to bump drunken poetry back a week this month, deal with it. Get drunk alone tonight and write some better poetry.

BREAKING NEWS: Anti-Police BART Protest Shuts down San Francisco

Check it out, hard to find anything on it yet. Good luck everybody, be safe.