Culture and Arts Notebook

POEM     Wake my womb from icy slumber There where all good things are born   Kindle the fire in the belly Send a Light straight to my Heart   Spine erect and energy strong Upflowing, unhindered Unto my…

MUSIC     by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury In Bangladesh, Fakir Shahabuddin is known as the king of Bangla folk songs. This year marks the 500th anniversary of Mexico City which also is the bicentennial celebration of Mexico’s independence from…

VISUAL ARTS By Kurit-Lagting Art Collective Members of the Kurit-Lagting Art Collective renewed their calls for a clean and green environment by breaking free from plastic during an exclusive online discussion on Art Making and Zero Waste Lifestyle amidst Covid-19…

POEM     The silence of the world immolates sunflowers desperate to bloom   The mother could not hear yet bore a son unable to be deaf to this world’s screams   Hollow souls wandered round you in Arles’s terrifying…

by Genevieve Balance-Kupang  There is excitement and unfolding of inspiration as one unwraps the gifts s/he received and amplifies the good. This is true especially if it is done in the presence of others. Such were the feelings experienced last…

POEM     Once upon a time ago An unremarkable remarkable man Walked upon the earth.   He looked just like an ordinary man But when he looked and spoke to you The ground you walked on, shook.   T’was…

Indian Culture   Guwahati: On the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti (which falls on the 17th of September), a northeast India-based engineers’ forum greets everyone, commenting that each individual has an engineering mind irrespective of their adopted professions. Lord Vishwakarma is…

This is the second part of our conversation with Ilhan Sami Çomak, who has been in prison for the last 27 years. Ilhan has written eight books of poetry. In part I of the interview, describing his situation, Ilhan writes:…

ESSAY   We must safeguard the web of life and care about the other living species that we share this planet with. Pygmy tarsiers eat and host bugs that we’ve seen at home — insects, spiders, lizards, bedbugs, lice, fleas,…

Music     Words and Music by singer-songwriter Chris Wells These days, a song like this is hard to come by amidst the slew of mainstream music and videos that dominate the airwaves. A song with lyrics and a melody…