Here are the highlights from the June 1st issue of Guernica:
Wasteland: This stunning multimedia video by Bombay Flying Club brings you into the burning Jharia coal fields and chronicles the lives of those who struggle to make a living there.
In 10 paintings, John Westmark considers the function of myth and folklore in an age of rapid technological advancement.
A Lousy Deal: On the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen Square, Wuer Kaixi, the student leader made famous for scolding the premier in his hospital gown, discusses exile, guilt over student deaths, and how his movement was a mere first step toward greater political freedom in China.
Hurt to Read: Back in the Mississippi Delta for the first time in four years, a teacher comes face to face with what he left behind.
Khaled Mattawa’s translation of Amjad Nasser’s The Bleating of Copper captures the intensity and insight of the Jordanian poet’s work.
Erik Raschke’s story, A Rare Sighting, explores the true nature of the legendary Bigfoo
Here are the highlights from the May 15th issue of Guernica:
100 years after Lewis W. Hine started work on his Ellis Island portraits, John Sevigny captures Latin American immigrants, hoping to give faces to the catch-all masses lambasted by Lou Dobbs and Pat Buchanan, who equate immigration with crime, in Nomads.
The Genocide Myth: In his latest book, Mahmood Mamdani attacks the Save Darfur Coalition as ahistorical hype-peddlers, and argues that the conflict in Darfur is more about land, power, and the environment than it is directly about race.
Standing Before History: On May 26, Shell goes to court on its role in the 1995 execution of iconic Nigerian writer & environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa. His son, and a bestselling novelist with a new book about the case, discuss his legacy, Nigeria now, and the landmark trial.
In Praise of Failure: Citing French literary gods like Proust and Moliere, the French prankster extraordinaire, in a new translation, asks, “Isn’t it hight time we started thinking about all the crap good writers make?”
Jennifer Pieroni contributes three short-short stories that take place near the beach, where people inflict damage or are hurt by the world around them.
Here are the highlights from the April 15th issue of Guernica:
Self-taught photographer Wayne Liu chronicles contemporary China from the perspective on both insider & outsider in China, You Are a Luck Star.
In Gaza Laid Bare , Jason Larkin takes us up close to the Israeli destruction in Gaza in an arresting photos essay.
Human Nature : In this excerpt from his new book Conservation Refugees, investigative historian Mark Dowie argues the concept of “nature” is not universal.
Chain Reaction: One year after the earthquake that devastated China, the author contemplates the connection between the quake, Chinese history, and his father’s death.
Finding the Comfortable Spots: Emerging novelist Jesse Ball on the ideal reader, Abraham Lincoln as a shaman, how poetry and fiction go together, and the greatness of a mongoose.
I’d been keeping track of the demolition of Shea Stadium and the construction of the new Citi Field from across the way at Willets Point and was excited to finally see the new field. While I don’t know if two new baseball stadiums were the best way to spend tax dollars during a recession, I have to say I was impressed with this one. Its open design and public areas set it apart from other ball parks and the Shack Burgers are a nice touch too!
Here are the highlights from the April 15th issue of Guernica :
15 years after the beginning of the genocide, Ted Alcorn reports from Rwanda on what has changed, and, sadly, what has not, in Picturing History in Rwanda .
Via metaphysics, Angela Gualdoni’s paintings try to fashion scraps into modest and humble metaphors
We Need to Win : Environmental child prodigy Severn Suzuki on how the economy can benefit from green initiatives, why Canada & the U.S. must lead, & the role for native peoples in conservation.
Guided by Voices: In the stories of Palestine & Israel, the author sees a disturbing parallel to what is happening to the “poem” that is the United States.
Our Reality Has Not Been Magical: With a newly elected leftist government in El Salvador, exiled Salvadoran novelist Horacio Castellanos Moya is optimistic about the future of a country that once responded to his novels with death threats.
Patricia Engel’s Dia explores the sexual tensions that can exist between long-time friends of the opposite sex.
In Canada, Henrietta Goodman writes: When he rows out to collect the geese, / they see him floating like an unexpected god…
If you happen to be in the greater Albany/Saratoga Springs area this spring, stop by my alma matter to see a great group show of Skidmore grads at the Schick Gallery. The show is an alumni invitational featuring new media and photography by Simon Biswas , Carlson Bull
still waiting dvd , Adam Daily, Zach Gage, Patrica Search, Adrian Winter and myself. The opening is Thursday, April 30th 6:30-7:30pm and the show runs until June 20th.
For the past year I’ve been lucky enough to be the art and photo editor for Guernica Magazine. We are a politically minded arts and literary magazine with a world focus and publish twice a month. As part of getting this blog going again, I’m going to give wrap-ups of each issue. You can see the site at guernicamag.com.
Here is a run down of what was in the April 1st issue:
In Beaufort West, situated along South Africa’s N1 highway, with an island prison in the middle of town, Mikhael Subotzky captures the vivid characters and poignant social landscapes.
Jenn Warren’s mutimedia slideshow One Million Nets takes viewers to Southern Sudan, where contributions from abroad are helping prevent thousands of malaria deaths.
: In search of meaning in the Holy Land, Lis Harris finds one group who found a way to ford the rivers of blood & tear down the wall of their own minds.
Ruski Businessmust love dogs download : During the Cold War, the son of an American journalist, soon to be jailed, spends his Moscow nights drinking, smoking, & black-marketing with Russian metalheads.
La Poste Americaine: An American in Germany sifts through the cultural signposts, in pursuit of what it means to belong to a particular nation.
Panamanian author Justo Arroyo answers The Question: Why do we pay so much for our workaday lunch–and get so little in return?
Acclaimed Puerto Rican poet Rafael Acevedo explores one of our last remaining taboos–cannibalism–in two poems.
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve joined with the good people at Gallery Stock to represent my archive. Gallery Stock is the stock wing of Bill Charles Represents and they have a really impressive roster of photographers including Anthony Suau , Joachim Ladefoged
We headed up to 125th street in Harlem this morning to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama. A large crowd gathered around the jumbo-tron, American flags and Obama swag in hand, to watch the historic swearing in of the United States’ first African American President. You can listen to Obama’s speech in full over at NPR
Dan Eckstein is a New York City based photographer specializing in travel, documentary and multimedia. He is also one half of StudioBooth and the Art & Photography Editor at Guernica Magazine.
