poetry & other writing | alister macquarrie
leaveyouapen presents:
The Poetic PeopleOk, so I have this idea that involves the writing/poetic community of tumblr or anyone/everyone really. It’s a bit personal, more lively, simple sweet and beautiful (I think).
Basically you submit to my blog a simple black and white photo of…
should’ve reblogged this ages ago, BUT. I am reblogging it now. if you are a poet following me and have not seen it already, why not submit yourself, go on
About those students: they aren’t asking for the moon. They aren’t asking for cost of living grants, cars, housing, food, or even books. They are asking for knowledge; the fruits of their own culture that should belong to everybody, free. The only reason I can think of to deny someone the opportunity to learn about the world that they live in is power: to keep the power of knowledge in the hands of the chosen, and out of the hands of the workers.
Many times in history it has been illegal to teach certain classes of people to read. We’re more subtle here. We call knowledge a commodity and put a price on it. By controlling the price of access, we control who gets it. Training in working class (service and building trades) jobs for working class kids; a business degree for the business class. Liberal arts? Maybe a few wealthy dillitantes will take it up as a hobby, like crochet.
I feel passionately about learning, teaching, the preservation and expansion of knowledge. Also about the power of social sciences and humanities to help us to do better in shaping and leading society. Maybe even saving the world.
Give the students what they want. Give anybody who is willing to give their time and effort to learning access to the knowledge, for God’s sake. It belongs to them (and us) already. Tuition needs to become outdated terminology. Surely we afford to collectively pick up the tab for passing along our collectively gathered knowledge and cultural commons to the next generation. Surely we can’t afford not to.
- (via tobreakandblossom)
(Source: missvoltairine, via tobreakandblossom)
Fifty followers! That is some kind of small but wonderful milestone, I guess I’ll have to celebrate that in some way other than quietly drinking alone (noisily drinking alone, perhaps). Thanks for following and I guess stay tuned
I seriously want to follow each and every one of you. I want you to clog my dash with your beautiful words until I am overwhelmed by the screaming emotions that litter your ideas and I can’t think from the endless chatter that pours from your relentless fingers.
If you are a writer, please…
old. may take this down tomorrow blah blah blah
Dark hair is my favourite kind;
I say I like nothing better, and breathe
Deep of her woolly curls.
She laughs,
Pushes me away, says I’m odd.
I sniff again
And breathe in the city:
The market we walked through,
The sweat-soaked steam
Round the back of a chip place,
And smoke, sharp and sweet,
Because it’s the 5th of November;
And something, someone somewhere
Thinks is eucalyptus.
I say I could live in her hair.
She laughs
And moves me on,
But at the end of the day,
Or really the start
Of the next one, I’ll turn over
And bury my head in hers.
Leonard Cohen - Anthem
onlyanotherhuman asked: "The best moments in reading are when you come across something — a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things — that you'd thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you've never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it's as if a hand has come out and taken yours." (Hector in Allan Bennet's 'The History Boys') Your poem 'Sometimes' was just one of these moments.
That’s awfully kind of you to say so! I’m very glad something I’ve written has had that effect on someone, and even happier that you took the time to tell me so. Thank you!
Anonymous asked: Who is your non-famous tumblr crush?
Sam, who for convenience’s sake is also my arch-nemesis
Anonymous asked: Who would you more like to fuck David Cameron or Nick Clegg?
Tricky! Nick Clegg is obviously more attractive (though let’s be clear, ‘more attractive than Cameron’ is a pretty poor compliment), but I’d by lying if I said there wasn’t some small appeal in the idea of fucking David Cameron. In the end I think it’d have to be Clegg, though.
Anonymous asked: What would your ideal partner be like?
Sharp, bookish, passionate and political and, perhaps most important of all, unsentimental. Though I think looking for ideals when it comes to love is counter-productive.
