I’m dusting off the copies of Phoenix in the HolyLand, last performed in Housatonic at the Center for Peace Through Culture and beginning to plan for reviving the readings in Amherst and surrounding towns. The PeaceBirds Project will take up residence at the Frost Library at Amherst College in January. We will be hosting folding circles, poetry readings and readings of Phoenix in the HolyLand.
Like most of my friends, I continue to ride the waves of hope and despair as the brutality against Palestinians continues, the attempts to eliminate a vibrant culture and land. It’s unspeakably tragic that South Africa’s genocide case against Israel brought to the International Court of Justice in 2024 remains so relevant, and that the governmental powers continue in their failure to act against genocide. Conditions for life in Palestine worsen as Israel violates the so-called ceasefire agreement every single day.
I have found hope and strength in collaborating with other organizing efforts, especially Apartheid Free Communities Western Mass. We’re coordinating a campaign of artistic activism to shift the paradigm of settler colonialism and omnicide. Please enjoy Juliet Salameh Olivier’s riveting song that inspires and shines hope on a future of “Free in Our Lifetime,” and watch for future announcements of art and activism to end genocide.