marlene mountain
letter essay
july 1989

interested in dialogue

dear francine  7/14/89

Thanks for your letter and page for Mirrors. Jane had ask about printing your poem and I said sure, and sent a copy of my letter to you. Don't know what she'll use--of it, seeping into the minds/hearts interests me. I'm glad that she too is interested in dialogue. Too bad though that the angry comments were directed at her. Since she is not an 'editor' it seems I should get the negative response. Course, I could do without it, too. All this further confirms to me that few haiku poets want to deal with the stuff of life. The adopted attitudes from Japan--a patriarchal and misogynistic culture--continue to suppress our basic right of art and expression. Of seeing the here and now, etc. Oppression comes in many guises--so often extremely well hidden. I'll probably never get this said so that it makes sense.

You and others seem to have trouble with feminist rage/anger. I personally think it's the best emotion I've ever experienced--it has lead to such positive stuff. It's given me a terrific perspective, a whole new understanding about reality/unreality. Caused me to think--for the first time. ETC. Even if it hadn't 'led' to anything, I would still value it, treasure it. If we are taught that rage is bad, then it must be good for us, and dangerous to those in control/ out of control. A reversal which I call heversal.

Sonia Johnson has just sent her new book, WILDFIRE IGNITING THE SHE/VOLUTION. (The last word mine tho I'm not sure of the slash, and a few others in the text.) She further clarifies her wonderful thinking. What a gift of thinking she's given herself and us. I hope you can get it, if not at a bookstore, then from her, POB 10286, Albuquerque NM 87106. $10.95 + $1.75. She and 2 other women have their own press now: Wildfire Books.

Waiting for five 4' x 6 1/2' triangles to be cut from panels for my next series. Slowly the content has shevolved. Each will have phases of the moon representing a phase/passage of wom. 1) rebeginning [it's a babywom!], 2) moonarche [maiden], 3) mother/giver, 4) moonopause [crone, perhaps the true creator], 5) further change [death]. I'll be using iridescent colors, pink, gold, silver, bronze, red, respectively. It'll be a garish (so what) series or a pretty one. I hope to translate into symbols a poem for each [can't let poetry stand in the way of writing poems] 1) from chaoscoswommos to womocreativa babywom, 2) into blood more as moon more as wom, 3) with eartha out of eartha with wom through wom, 4) for wom myself for wom ourselves, 5) birth of wom harvest of wom. I've gotten the nouns fairly worked out, but not the 'dinky' words.

One of the MS/IBM NY judges called recently to see if the Neolithic Signs paintings are available. I don't know what to do. My 'financial' mind says I gotta do something, but my gut says not to sell. Also a woman on Park Av has expressed interest in 2 of the healing paintings. How does one let go of 'sisters'?

Here's a piece for consideration in Brussels Sprout.

PS Adele is going through a very terrible time. We need to reach out.

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