World Autism Day: 2 April

April 1, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / Leave a comment

Thank you for sharing!

World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) aims to put a spotlight on the hurdles that people with autism – and others living with autism – face every day. As a growing global health issue owing to its increasing exposure in the press and common knowledge, autism is an issue that is only gaining more understanding – and WAAD activities are planned every year to further increase and develop world knowledge of children and adults who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

What’s more, World Autism Awareness Day goes one step further to celebrate the unique talents of those with autism, while putting a huge focus on the warm embrace and welcome that these skills deserve through community events around the globe.

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Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Campaign

April 1, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / Leave a comment

Indie Blu(e) Publishing

We Will Not Be Silenced is an anthology of original artwork and pieces of poetry, prose, and essay written by survivors of sexual assault and harassment. Featuring 95 writers and artists spanning the globe, this project is an ambitious one lead by indie authors Kindra M. Austin, Candice Louisa Daquin, Rachel Finch, and Christine E. Ray; and, all survivors themselves.

It’s time that our voices are heard and respected. The editors of We Will Not Be Silenced know the pain of living with secrets. We also know the healing power of art, and the written word. We believe our collective stories can educate, lessen isolation, and inspire.

We are humbly asking for donations at this time. 100% of the proceeds will be used to get copies of this book to the people who need it most: individual survivors; organizations that provide services for those who have experienced sexual harassment or…

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post card to Jean-Louis

April 1, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / Leave a comment

being raised in los angeles is indescribable born in the old la county general hospital with its beautiful antiquity is an unbelievable honor i drive by there almost daily sometimes three to four times per day a place so intimately familiar and so alien at the same time i love it so much a sick love it makes me want to run through the abandoned hall ways and burrow myself in the old phone booths and never ever come out again Jean-Louis have you been here and do you know that i want to fill my lungs with that old air it was founded in 1878 ironically my three favorite numbers 1 7 and 8 forty-four years before you came to consciousness i was born there in the 70’s and i haven’t really consciously checked out Jean-Louis is it possible to be a human ghost i am a charity ward alumni but in many ways those of us born here continue to love our city bitter sweet the nursery that birthed us and healed us with ticket number infamy we have paid and continue to pay one large ass never ending bill one that is paid day in and day out hey! Jean-Louis you bum tell me something kid blow the sax of time is not a sandwich and we travel through the Ozone of your most triumphant hours general hospital with its jubilant height and art deco facades sends shivers through my blood cells when i see it off the santa ana 5 beautiful and mean and powerful and ever loving with its chiseled arms going towards the sky like the baby Jesus of your catechism years i can only imagine you Jean-Louis wide eyed Dharma child on the knees of love and me as a child i was introduced to many medical machines and medications i played for hours with knobs and hoses and tools i was sickly but willful as most angelinos but i wasn’t a wizard the hospital in my mind was a nation state with endless halls and sulfuric smells with the aroma of vending machine coffee and chicken soup like mother’s Yiddish parlor the shower rooms with white cold chlorinated tiles and the smell of latex too oh Jean-Louis even now i am conditioned to seek out these smells and no food is as good as vending machine fare now that i’m older i beat the gravel around Boyle Heights and look in wonder my child eyes and Converse sneakers have not really changed much probably because i refuse to lose sight of my cradle but Jean-Louis what does it mean to look all of your life for a granule of meaning and be told you are in God’s image and behold on top of a mountain there you are and while the pigeons pan for peanut shell gold i look at the horizon and the junk yards of the northeast beckon while i thumb through the pages of the oldest book

Promote Yourself Monday–April 1, 2019

March 31, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / 2 Comments

Go Dog Go Café

Promote yourself Mon

Welcome to Promote Yourself Monday. All Go Dog Go Cafe readers, guest writers, and baristas are invited to post one link to one specific post (600 words or less please!) from your blog into the comments section below.

If you post a link, be sure to read some of the other great writing people have linked to.

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to Salvador D

March 31, 2019March 29, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / Leave a comment

the water around the tunnel
does not let out until noon.
while the flies wait,
dirty fruit from last night poses.
the news has not changed
my image is wrinkled still.

to kiss an Irish boy

March 31, 2019March 29, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / 2 Comments

the leaves turn downward

warmth seeps terras noble flesh

the breeze soothes your groans

a foggy diamond

cuts a glimmer at the dawn

a breeze touches clay

the stars twinkle slow

illuminating the path

final breeze of air

Pharoah in the hizzle

March 31, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / 3 Comments

the valley of the dead

on the corner of Fig and Expo

the dogs of relic wait

north bound Honda “fights the power”

east bound Bronco just another “renegade of funk”

in silent slumber

sandy bandages, myrrh and cinnamon

to mark their trails

headed to Jamba Juice, Starbucks and Nico’s

what will it be today Raiders or Dodgers

there to greet the substance

in the cloth with the threads

of desperation in costume of the

royal river where you were once

given away

351 E. Temple St.

March 30, 2019March 29, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / 2 Comments

i am tired.

the gray in the lining

of my soul is see-through.

my love is withered and

unresponsive.

no petals in my chamber

for my chamber is a street.

i am hungry and cold.

the fire in my spirit has

smothered its last spark.

the matches of life have

been stolen by proposals

regulations and copper pipes.

my feet no longer carry

dignity and strength.

my arms no longer capture

me at my disgrace.

i am numberless in the

bar code of the beast.

Call for Submissions: There Is Strength In Our Stories

March 29, 2019 / mbrazfieldm / Leave a comment

Go Dog Go Café

Call for Submissions

In honor of Sexual Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month, Blood Into Ink and We Will Not Be Silenced are putting out a call for submissions for your lived experience of sexual harassment and assault. We believe that there is strength in our collective voices. We believe our work is not done. Writing and art accepted for There Is Strength In Our Stories will be published on Blood Into Ink’s website and through the BII social media accounts, as well as on the We Will Not Be Silenced Facebook page during the month of April 2019.

Writers and artists can submit up to three pieces of creative work (poetry, prose, essay, and/or original artwork.) Pieces of writing should be limited in length (under 1,500 words.) Using a pen name or publishing anonymously is acceptable. You will be asked to provide a brief biography (75 words or less.)

Please do not consider…

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