BOOK CLUB: I CARRY EXPLOSIVES, THEY’RE CALLED WORDS
We are proud to present our first selection: a collection of poems published in France by the publishing house Cambourakis as part of their collection, “Sorcières” (French for witches). Sorcières is dedicated to literature about feminism intersectionality and anti-capitalism. Cambourakis started her publishing house with the objective to translate original American texts from the 1970s in order to make them known and give them a second-life and spotlight in the French community. Since its creation in 2015, Cambourakis has doubled the works of literature offered on feminism in France.
“THESE TEXTS HELPED ME UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN ACTIVIST COMMUNITIES IN THE 1970S BUT THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THEY TOUCH ON TOPICS THAT ECHO OUR CURRENT STRUGGLES.” PUBLISHERS INTERVIEW FOR ACTUALITTE.
The second reason we are so excited about this book is because it mirrors our collective, which is split between the San Francisco Bay Area and France. To launch the Sorcières collection, Cambourakis led with a translation of Starhawk’s text from Dreaming the Dark written in 1982 – Starhawk lives in California and teaches in the Bay Area and throughout Los Angeles. Most of the poetry and prose in this book, even though it is from the 1970’s, touch on topics that echo our current struggles and artistic concepts. It seems as though the recurring question on the top of our list, both then and now, is:
HOW CAN WE LINK ART TO ACTIVISM?
Here are a few excerpts that I found especially powerful and moving.
« JE SUIS UNE FEMME PLEINE DE MOI-MÊME ». CORBETT, DE SIMPLES VÉRITÉS.
« I AM A WOMAN FULL OF MYSELF ». CORBETT, SIMPLE TRUTHS
« NE M’APPELEZ PAS MONSIEUR, APPELEZ-MOI PUISSANTE ». KITTY TSUI
« DON’T CALL ME SIR CALL ME STRONG ». KITTY TSUI
SELECTED POEM “HIJAB SCENE #7 BY MOHJA KAHF
I chose this poem partially because it is the title of the book but also because I am deeply affected by it. As an artist I am interested in the power of self-narrative in the construction of our identities and freedom from normative constraints. I am particularly struck by the impact of the voice in this poem - veiled women are unfortunately very much underrepresented and unheard these days. Living in France, we have been witnessing a big debate around the Hijab and the veil and still have seen no resolution. My opinion is that the women who are most impacted by the outcome of this debate are severely underrepresented and not included in the media, politics or expert opinions in this debate. This is a display of social injustice right in front of our very eyes.
Original book title: Je transporte des explosifs on les appelle des mots, poésie & féminismes aux Etats-Unis (I carry explosives,They’re calledwords-poetry and feminism in the United States) Authors: Essay from Jan Clausen poetry collection from Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Gloria Anzaldúa, Bell Hooks, June Jordan, Cherríe Moraga, Dorothy Allison, Assata Shakur, Robin Morgan, Mohja Kahf, Paula Gunn Allen, Nellie Wong, Irena Klepfisz, Z’étoile Imma, Kitty Tsui, Kari Edwards, Angela Moreno, Corbett, Wilmette Brown, Anna Nieto Gomez, Jayne West, Kay Lindsey, Susan Saxe, Jan Clausen.
Translation from English to French by Oliv Zuritt and Meghan McNealy, Charlotte Blanchard, Gerty Dambury, Collectif Cases Rebelles. Publisher: Cambourakis. Collection: Sorcières Published in France in 2019.
