i was so excited to see slp, she was wonderful.. and like i mentioned in class she filled the space. she created such a productive space, and space that felt open and closed at the same time and yet he didnt feel out of reach. i like that she talked about how she writes for her characters and how they come to her. i also thought of her play venus and how that really would have fit in ncie with moniques class, i like that she talks about how she has to wait for the characters to be ready and i think of our conversations of access points. i think of how she felt bigger than that talk and any pointed questions i could have asked about the text, because she was speaking to larger themes and that felt like it would be out of line. i enjoyed her gentle eye contact & her singing. 

           One of The Book of Salt’s major strengths is precisely Binh’s keen and astute consciousness of and keen observations of language and how its manipulation communicates, constructs, and distorts the “truth” of the stories we divulge or the way we choose to remember and make sense of the past.                                                                                                                

At the gardens we visited I could really see the contact zones that emerged from the contact the African and Puerto Rican communities made with both each other and with the communities of the United States. The beautiful and expressive murals really expressed the past and determination of the ancestors who created this contact zone.

Our visit with SLP made me smile. I felt so humbled in her presence, having just read one a work of hers I that found very compelling and then hearing her glowing introduction that was so notable because she is simply noteworthy. It was so strange that we got to speak with this accomplished person in such a relaxed setting. And on the flip side, I was not intimadated by her as I usually am with other accomplished artists because she welcomed us so genuinely to engage with her. She didn't come in with any air of 'let me tell you something you don't know,' just a desire to make converastion and talk about creation. Today when Anne asked us why we were so quiet I was surprised at first, and then I realized that as a group we didn't ask many questions.

I left class today thinking about food on the one hand, and language on the other--our discussion about Bình's refusal to speak to define, and to use the material, the edible, in its place (even if only to name that he cannot define love that way). 

adding more to this in the morning when im not sleepy!!

https://photos.shutterfly.com/story/id/50105109385

Overall, I really enjoyed our trip to Norris Square. I think that it is great that this community center provides teens with a safe space that they probably would not have otherwise. In this part of Philly I can imagine that there are a lot of contact zones that involve violence and other things that should try to be avoided. The gardens and youth group in Norris Square are great places for these teens to esacpe from the danger in their community. Being a part of this group gives them a new community that they can rely on without getting caught up in what is happeneing around them. I especially find it important that they are able to express themselves through art and music.

I felt enlightened by my experience at the gardens. I really liked the idea of preserving the cultures and sharing it with others. It’s important to preserve our cultures because it’s part of our identity. Since I am not of Latino descent I appreciated learning of it through this experience. The murals and symbols were interesting to look at. Also I liked how tight knit the community seemed. The produce from the gardens were being sold to them and not shipped to other markets. The bananas leaves were also given to the community to use. The gardens definitely served as a contact zone especially for someone like me. In "Arts of the Contact Zones", Mary Louise Pratt defines contact zones as “social spaces where cultures meet”(34).

When I think of a garden, I think of an enclosed area, with various plants and/or fruits and vegetables. Never had I imagined the garden(s) that I saw today. Together, with my E-Sem class, and our neighboring class I was able to take a trip into North Philadelphia and explore different gardens run by a non profit organization dedicated to promoting the history and culture of the African Diaspera. I have never been one with nature, in fact I am the type of person who simply enjoys looking at nature and admiring it from a distance, but today stnading in the gardens and being surrounded by what I call, "alive culture" changed me. I gave it this name becuase I felt something as i was in each garden. The feelings of what the gardens represented engulfed me.