The fourth remarkable thing (really the most remarkable talk I heard) was by Anna Plemons, who first shared her working bibliography on Decolonizing Methodologies, then showed us clips from the film, At Night I Fly, emphasizing that it does not portray a narrative of uplift.

"Were the conditions not present for establishing the habits of creativity [. . .]? or--as instanced over and over--other claims, other responsibilities so writing could not be first? (The writer of a class, sex, color still marginal in literature, and whose coming to written voice at all against complex odds is exhausting achievement.) It is an eloquent commentary that this one-book silence has been true of most black writers; only eleven in the hundred years since 1850 have published novels more than twice" (Olsen 9).

For my project, I'll need an X-Acto knife ($6 on Amazon), a self-healing cutting board, a self-healing cutting mat ($10 on Amazon), and a book. I'd really like to get a used, hardcover copy of the DSM-V, and it looks on Amazon like that would be about $53. If that's too costly, I could reconsider--I just don't quite have a sense of how much money is reasonable to request. 

In terms of display, I'd like to use one of those wooden book displays, that basically looks like a small podium. I don't think I would have to buy this--I think I could talk to someone at one of the libraries on campus, as I've seen them used there.

I wonder if this was Anne's secret mysterious alterior motive, but upon reflecting on our reader-response activity and the density of Balaev's work, I have been thinking about how readers are silenced by literature. When we were discussing in class this sort of censorship of seemingly irrelevant reader-reactions which is a silencing of sorts. When we read out loud or to ourselves, there are thoughts that emerge in our minds and we silence them. But maybe that isn't so bad. Maybe mentioning a random craving for a grilled cheese is not productive or relevant. I think Balav's writing is reflective of a silencing academic form of writing. Academia often uses its prestige to silence marginalized or dissenting voices.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/katherinemiller/woman-trolls-trump-by-reading-book-of-poems-on-racism-in-the#.fiW7pVwKg5

inspired by Mia Mingus, and directed by Shira and Joie on November 3

I have been in touch with Markus who is the sculpture professor at Haverford and he said I should be able to use the materials there but I will know more as to how much the cost will be once I sit down with him. In terms of costs of outside materials here is a breakdown:

Polyurethane or Shellac: ~$20

Plastic flowers: ~$20

Acryllic Paints: I should have enough paints left over from past projects, but I may need $10 worth or more colors?

I chose to have class in the Erdman commons space today. I chose it because I think Erdman is such a distinctive dorm, and so unlike anything else we have on campus. I think most students prefer the more classic, Jacobean Gothic architecture at Bryn Mawr, and I'll admit that it's very impressive and aesthetically pleasing. However, I always thought Erdman had a certain endearing charm to it. I live in Exeter, New Hampshire, which is home to the largest secondary school library in the world. The library in question was designed by Louis Kahn, who also designed Erdman. I've noticed a few similar details in the buildings, and I think of Erdman as a little reminder of home.