IMAGE ID: A moodboard titled “Mateo’s Moodboard,” which features Mateo Nube, a man wearing a ball cap and a red t-shirt with his arms outstretched. Clippings on the moodboard include: a news headline that reads “I Was Banished by My Country’s Dictator. What Happened to Me Is a Warning”; taped to the headline is a book cover for “La Mujer Habitada” by Gioconda Belli; a cutout photo of Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian man with a mustache and beard and wearing a green shirt and black jacket; a quote that reads, “There’s what the capital can do, and then there’s what humans can do once they have the material conditions to show up for each other. And that is what is truly life-changing.” –Andrea Golden, Poder Emma; a album cover for “Wake up, “Wake Up, Wake Up” by Skip the Needle; a scene from the animated series South Park, with the kids walking through a neighborhood on fire.
1) This interview with Mahmoud Khalil is incredibly compelling. What an amazing human being. Fascinating to learn how his childhood in Syria impacted his political development & understanding of authoritarianism. Spotify link. Apple Podcasts link.
2) Looking for some new biting, socially conscious music to listen to? Check out Bay Area supergroup Skip The Needle. Their live shows are delightful, wild rides. (As a guitarist, Shelley Doty and Katie Cash’s magical riffs, power chords, and musical chops grip me every time.) Their newest EP, Wake Up, Wake Up, Wake Up, dropped March 2025.
3) To this day, Gioconda Belli’s novel La Mujer Habitada (The Inhabited Woman) is one of my favorite revolutionary novels. A mixture of autobiography & magical realism, it is a great historical reflection on the struggle for national liberation in Nicaragua. Belli’s poetry & activism, through the decades, has had a deep influence on my political and artistic work. That is why it aches to read her recent editorial in the New York Times. It’s a visceral reminder that Left projects who attain State power are also susceptible of descending into authoritarianism. Much to learn & reflect upon, from these descents…
4) I love what Poder Emma has built in Asheville, North Carolina. In less than ten years, they have built out a large housing land trust (44 units) & real estate cooperative, alongside five worker-owned cooperatives. And they are now in the process of securing a 20,000 sq. ft, compound of three mixed-use commercial buildings.
Economy = Management of Home!
Poder Emma is reasserting democratic management of home at scale in Asheville in incredibly inspiring ways.
5) South Park. Episode 1, Season 27. Haven’t watched it yet? Drop what you are doing. Put on your seat belt. Click play. Fun, fun, fun….