Thursday: An Unmade Film, An Unmade Revolution

Our next Face Out—Thursday, September 18, 7pm—features one of our own! Volunteer Elizabeth Castelli, whose recent translation of a script of Pier Paolo Pasolini’s never-produced film, Saint Paul, just came out this summer on Verso Books, will be in conversation with Nathan Schneider, author of Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse, about the intersections of religion and radical politics in the work of Pasolini and the Occupy movement.

The evening will feature a screening of Pasolini’s short film, “La Ricotta.”

Tonight: Diaspora Defined Me as Bocafloja

Come through Word Up Community Bookshop / Librería Comunitaria TONIGHT at 7PM for an artist talk and spoken word set by Bocafloja, whose book Prognosis: Decolonial Poetic Exhale / Descarda Poética Decolonial, with literary transcreation by Sidony O’Neal, will be available!

Says Hana Ruiz (author, columnist at Ceasefire Magazine):

English and Spanish are meant to be the language of the oppressors, the tongues of conquest and domination, of theft. And yet, it is precisely because of this language offers a site of resistance and reclamation, of rupturing the world, offering new ways of knowing and thinking. Prognosis is an affirmation of this procress in trans-creation, an articulation of how we retrieve ourselves when we take the oppressor’s languages and do with it what we will.

Check out Bocafloja’s new vid on Ñ Don’t Stop, hosted by Rebel Diaz and Claudia de la Cruz. Then come to 2113 Amsterdam Ave. @ 165th St. for tonight’s event at 7pm!

 

Sunday: Climate change discussion and screening

Calling all neighbors from Inwood, Washington Heights, and Harlem who care about climate change! Gather this Sunday, 4–6pm, at Word Up to watch the newly released short film Disruption and discuss what we can do to spread excitement and energy for the People’s Climate March that is taking place on Sunday, September 21. Everyone is welcome!

Today – Town Hall Meeting To End Police Brutality

September 6, 2014 is a nationwide call to action to address police brutality against our local communities. We have organized a Town Hall meeting to address these issues. We have several panels with members of the SEEP Collective and the Collective of Trans Women of Color of Greater New York City to discuss education and legislation as well as voter awareness for the upcoming elections.

Manhattan Times: Emmanuel Abreu Returns

Emmanuel Abreu, one of our long time volunteers, recently had a residency in Mexico and was interviewed by Sherry Mazzochi for the Manhattan Times newspaper. Word Up got some great mentions in it. Check out the article here. 

 

“Ask Emmanuel “DJ Boy” Abreu why he spends much of his free time volunteering at the Word Up Community Book Shop, he will likely offer a deprecating answer.

“It’s a great place to meet women” was one recent response.

But the truth is more complex.

One recent afternoon, the store was closed but Abreu and another long-time volunteer Gio Andollo, were hard at work moving books, dismantling shelves and inventorying thousands of books.

Abreu has been with the little bookstore that could since its earliest days—photographing the first crates of books with his camera. The store is not just a meeting place for artists, writers and other creative types, it is also a source of inspiration, a gallery and performance space as well as a safe haven from the creeping juggernaut of gentrification.

Gentrification is a topic that always comes up among the volunteers.”

Click to read full article.