The Asheville Blade has published my first piece for them, which is a bold call to action: Abolish the TDA. Written with input from editor extraordinaire David Forbes and Blade writer Matilda Bliss, it makes a case for dismantling a … Continue reading Taking on the TDA
As systems continue to fail us, mutual aid is a compelling framework to explore. It asks us to move from the individualism of white supremacy to collective action based on interconnection. It offers a model of community care that is … Continue reading Mutual Aid
Our economy was built on the genocide of Indigenous people and the violent extraction of labor from enslaved Africans. This cruelty was justified by white people’s created illusion that those we killed, stole from, and enslaved were inferior and that … Continue reading Reckoning with cultural extraction
Today I add my voice to the chorus of people singing the true story of old-time and bluegrass music. It is a marvelously multicultural story, wrought with pain and possibility. We call for the repair of false and incomplete narratives … Continue reading Repairing narratives: old-time and bluegrass music
Asheville has long been known as a cultural and creative hot spot, or “vortex,” as you will. This is certainly an aspect of our city I celebrate. I am currently half way through writing four articles for the Mountain Xpress … Continue reading Culture Cultivators
Discouragement and despair wash up on the shores of my psyche daily. The dissonant banging of construction outside my window shakes my concentration and my confidence in the possibility of positive change. Tuning into the news crumbles my courage. Optimism … Continue reading Fortify the Fortifying
Please Sponsor Me! I am participating in the 5th annual Mountain of Words Write-A-thon to support the work of Asheville Writers in the Schools & Community. My personal goal is to raise $250 and I am hoping that you will help … Continue reading Write-a-Thon to Support Other Writers
“What does it take to rebuild community as a beautifully defiant act of resistance and a necessary tool in our collective survival?” Marisol Jiménez offered a beautiful, powerful, poetic testimony in response to that question at a recent CreativeMornings event. I … Continue reading “The foundation of activism…is love.”
There are many reasons for anger and hopelessness. The struggle to dismantle systems of oppression is overwhelming. Humans can be disappointing. Horrors abound. In the face of dismay, I maintain a practice of turning my attention to inspirations, those creating … Continue reading Good News
On Saturday, Sheneika Smith of Date My City hosted a Community Media Mixer at Xpand Fest. We heard from Johnnie Grant of the Urban News, DeWayne Barton of Hood Huggers, and K.P. Whaley of Asheville FM. They told personal stories … Continue reading Appreciation and Advocacy
Ami Worthen 