by Dave Nash
I saw you waiting at the front of the platform, I inched up closer. I hung behind the other commuters who allowed me anonymity. I strained for a better look.
I saw you on a good day, a lucid moment from my ennui; yesterday I would have put my head in my phone and waited for the train to pull in.
Read More »by Megan Wildhood
I can hear it from the edge of the dark wood,
but I have to come to its brim to feel
the back and forth of the sea.
Utopia is not a kind of place but a kind of time, those all too brief moments when one would not wish to be anywhere else. Is there an instinct, a very ancient instinct, for breathing in unison? The ultimate utopia, that.
– Susan Sontag, In America
by Lungmying Lepcha
the whisp of summer air
smell of diesel between the congested road
the last bit of sun setting
hot beads of sweat tickling down the neck
and the long summer talks
of the wish to go back
grab a cup of ice water
sinking on a chair
near the balcony
with a plate of hot samosas
and ranting about the heat
which seems
unbearable for the hills
the cool breeze awaits to cover the town with its blanket
at night
the sudden signs of rain
thunder clashes it
only to find
a bright day the next morning
With the end of summer, we’re re-starting our monthly prompts!
We invite you to send us your thoughts in form of writing or visual art or basically anything, on the theme of utopia.
Below are a few questions to inspire you.
Read More »— Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music ft. Venna & Charlie Stacey
An incredible, title track of the album coming out today on Brownswood Recordings!
“What is jazz? Where did the word derive from? Birthed in New Orleans, born in the belly of the Mississippi River, rooted in the gumbo pot of the Caribbean, South American culture & African rituals. Continuing a lineage of Miles Davis, Rahssan Roland kirk, Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong ~ music that is forever evolving & limitless in its potential. The groove, it’s feeling, the compositions, the spontaneity, with a love for family, the discipline & dedication in maintaining the very high bar set by the pantheon of Black Classical Musicians. Chasing the rhythm of drums that imitated one’s heartbeat, the melodies for the mind and spirit, the bass for the core. A Regal sound for this body of music.”
We have added many songs to our 2023 Highlights playlist since our last #songoftheweek post! Check them all out here.
What’s your song of the week/month/year?
by Ramona Gore
Emi exhaled into the night, her breath quickly condensed by the cold air. She buried her icy hands even deeper into her pockets in an attempt to regain some warmth in her fingertips. Her cheeks had surely turned pink by now and the padding in her thick coat provided little relief from the brick wall she leaned against. Just as she was about to call it quits, he stepped out of the doorway she stood next to.
Read More »An immense thank you to every single artist who trusted us with their work in the first year of our existence, as well as every single reader and follower ❤
Yes, today marks exactly one year since we launched this project and what a ride it has been!
Read More »by Ron Riekki
in class, so, out of class, I’m sure we did, at least, some
of us, me, anyway, now, here, which I hope it’s OK to do,
and I’m not going to glorify it, or understand it or, maybe,
even write about it, instead, writing about the fragments
The Amazine Community 