Dear Aster(ix) Readers,
In 2003, visual artist Regina José Galindo walked from the constitutional Court to the National Palace in Guatemala, leaving traces of her footprints after dipping her feet in human blood. This performance was in memory of the victims of Guatemala’s armed conflict. The performance was also a rejection of the presidential candidacy of Efraín Ríos Montt, a genocidal and pro coup ex-military. In an interview, Galindo says, “I cursed the system that rules us. How was it possible that a character as dark as this would have such power with which to bend everything to his will?” The result is one of her most celebrated and impactful works, “¿Quién puede borrar las huellas?”
We are inspired by Galindo’s creative impulse to make art in a moment of duress. Let our own charged political moment also be an opportunity to make something beautiful, to strengthen our communities, to work together to rewrite the narratives imposed on us.
In this spirit, Asteri(x) calls for us to reimagine our reality and work to transform it by making and supporting more ART. This month, we are thrilled to publish an essay by Ada Limón, a short story by Sarah Rifky, a microeditorial by Radhuyah Ayobami, poems by Rosamond S. King, and drawings by Joanna Commandaros. Also featured are interviews with Irina Reyn, Idra Novey, Achy Obejas and Aurora Arias, all part of our partnership with City of Asylum/ Sampsonia Way.
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Microeditorial: for the black girls | Radhiyah Ayobami
for the black girls whose lives don’t look good on paper, for those with food stamps and babies daddies who ain’t thinking about no marriage. for the sundaughter black girls with lovers, toe rings and wild purple hair. |
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