The second series of Write To Connect took place at the iconic LightHouse for the Blind in SF (near Civic Center BART). Over the course of four Saturdays this January, we made shapes with word and breath, performed and outlined creative projects, wrote dispatches from other bodies—all meditations/departures from  ideas of Emergence, Emulation, Energy and most of all, Embodiment. Yellow lentil line break schematics, woven amulets, Lynda Barry interviews, and yogic exercises were all part of the mix. We were quite a crowd this time. 13 folks came to the first class, including 2 who attended via conference phone. The fact that I was actually able to make the free conference call service work still seems miraculous. (Thanks Kylie.) (Many thanks to Richard and especially Brandon at LH who made sure I had the space and bat phone at the ready.) Most of the participants were blind or low vision. A couple were wheelchair users. And a few had learning or psych disabilities. When I was envi...

From The California Report: Ask any aging parent or grandparent what frustrates them most about getting old, and memory loss is sure to be one of their answers. It's just harder to remember things from our past as we get older. We visit a class in Sacramento that helps seniors preserve their memories by writing down their life stories. Listen to story here . Write To Connect will serve SF and east bay seniors in a similar way. More about that soon. Meanwhile, the 2nd series of WTC in the disability community begins at the LightHouse for the Blind tomorrow!

This from the UCB Disability Studies list serv: Conjoined Histories: Race, Disability, and Popular Performance in the 19th Century Friday, March 11, 2011, 1:30-6pm Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Berkeley Free and open to the public Organized by the Arts Research Center and the   Disability Studies Program at UC Berkeley, in conjunction with the premier of Philip Kan Gotanda's play I   Dream of Chang and Eng in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Perormance Studies, this symposium will use the astonishing story of Chang and Eng Bunker—the original "Siamese twins"—as a starting-point to explore issues of race, disability, and popular performance in the United States in the 19th century. Symposium participants will include: Peter Glazer, Theater, Dance & Performance Studies, UC Berkeley Philip Kan Gotanda, playwright and visiting scholar, UC Berkeley Eric Hayot, Comparative Literature, Pennsylvania State University Shannon Jackson, Theater, Dance & Performanc...