people the We
Adrian Aguilera and Betelhem Makonnen
Prizer Arts and Letters, Austin, Texas
October 30, 2020 - January 3, 2021
prizerartsandletters.org

"people the We" Live-Readings by the writers themselves. This publication was a project developed by Adrian Aguilera and Betelhem Makonnen, in collaboration with Dalia Azim, Joe Brundridge, scott crow, ena ganguly, Laura Guitierez, Marwa Helal, ish kundawala, Stephanie Lang, Carra Martinez, Tammie R. Rubin, and Prizer Arts & Letters. The publication, a broadsheet size newsprint in black and white was released in October of 2020, on the eve of the United States presidential elections, alongside the opening of the exhibition Adrian Aguilera and Betelhem Makonnen: people the We at Prizer Arts and Letters, in Austin, TX. The people the We publication was an edition of 400.

Dual Citizen by Dalia Azim

Dalia Azim’s work has appeared in American Short Fiction, Aperture, Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, Glimmer Train (where she received their Short Story Award for New Writers), Other Voices, Alcalde, and Sightlines, among other places. She is currently at work on two novels, one of which is near completion, and the other recently begun. Dalia is the manager of special projects at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas. She previously worked as a researcher at the Dedalus Foundation and as a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Modern Art, both in New York City. She graduated with a dual degree in art and literature from Stanford University and grew up in Colorado and Canada.

shojo shokti by ena ganguly

ena ganguly is a queer South Asian writer, community organizer and facilitator. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Humanities Honors. Her work has been featured on Buzzfeed, BBC, and The Austin Chronicle.

(un)settling (dis)course by ish kundawala

ish kundawala is a poet/educator/activist/community builder/wanderer/wonderer/art maker & collector currently at home in Austin, Texas. As an educator, she’s written and developed curriculums for all kinds of educational programs and classrooms- from poetry workshops to GED/ESL classes to high school literature courses. Ish has also worked or volunteered for some of the best arts, educational, and progressive non-profit organizations in Austin. She graduated with a B.A. in Literature/Women’s Studies from The American University (Washington, D.C.) and holds an MFA in Writing & Poetics from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University (Boulder, CO).

America by Joe Brundidge

Joe Brundidge is an author, host, teaching artist and public speaker living in Austin, Texas. He has hosted a number of open mic events for almost 20 years, including Spoken & Heard at Kick Butt Coffee, an event he curated from 2007-2017. He also served as the Director of the Austin International Poetry Festival from 2012-2015, and was a co-host of Writing On The Air, Wednesdays from 6pm - 7pm on KOOP 91.7fm. His most recent book Element 615, was published by Lit City Press in 2017.

Conflict, Safe Spaces and Removing People: A letter by scott crow

“All at sea again And now my hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain To bathe me again My ship’s a sail Can you hear its tender frame Screaming from beneath the waves” — Echo and the Bunnymen ‘ Ocean Rain’

scott crow is an anarchist speaker, author and media commentator, proudly from a working class background, who has spent his varied life as a musician, coop business owner, political organizer, ‘green collar’ worker, art gallery and record label owner. He is the author of Black Flags and Windmills and Setting Sights: Histories and Reflections on Community Armed Defense and other writings, and releases music through his label eMERGENCY heARTS.

Juneteenth by Stephanie Lang

Stephanie L. Lang, is a writer and community curator who uses the power of storytelling to explore concepts of home, resistance and spirituality. Currently, Ms. Lang is working on a book of short stories centered around Black Women community organizers in Texas in the early 1900’s.

She is also the founder of RECLAIM, an organization that works to recover, amplify and ultimately showcase the narratives and histories of black people throughout the diaspora, and present these findings through an artistic and thought-provoking lens.

Daydreaming of Breathing, or the possible ways in which I consider constrictions of my own breath by Tammie R. Rubin

Tammie R. Rubin is an artist whose sculptural practice considers the intrinsic power of objects as signifiers, wishful contraptions, and mythic relics, while investigating the tension between the readymade and the handcrafted. Artworks explore the commingling of historical, familial, biographical, and fictional narratives paired with objects denoting time, transformation, and identity. Using intricate motifs, Rubin delves into themes involving ritual, domestic and liturgical objects, mapping, migration, magical thinking, and sensual desire.