Stéphane Hessel, one of the great old men of the world still standing, inspired all of us who participated in the Russell Tribunal on Palestine over the last several years. He died peacefully in his sleep last night at the age of 95. That he never abandoned his principles – from participation in the French Resistance, through his… Continue reading
The letter below from Oxfam, which arrived in my e-mail today, is self-explanatory. Reading it evoked much emotion. Even more than when I read a petition recently about making sure the people who bring us our food in restaurants are paid enough to eat similar food if they wanted to. We’ve assumed wait persons were all doing… Continue reading
Set a Place for Him
Wait Until Morning: Veterans for Peace (transcript of video)
Miami, Florida
August 11, 2012
Dedicated to the Other Veterans for Peace:
Those who kill themselves
©2012 by Alice Walker
We Pay a Visit to Those Who Play at Being Dead
Not From Here
for beloved Kaleo who opened this door to me.
Credo Mutwa pointing to a likeness of a Chitauri that he painted
(from Chitauri Blues, a work in progress)
©2013 by Alice Walker
Anybody who despises elephants except for their tusks
is not from here.
Anybody who decapitates mountains
Is not from here.
Anybody… Continue reading
I have been dragging along David Icke’s monumental book: Human Race Get Off Your Knees for the last month. It has been on my lap as I sat; been propped against pillows as I laid down; followed me to bathroom and poolside; and been, in fact, a formidable companion over these past several weeks. It is a massive book, and requires complete attention.… Continue reading
WHY PEACE IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA ©2011 by Alice Walker
For Jacqui Hairston, with love.
Because you could plant peach trees
And because of peace
You could eat them in five or six
Years
Peaches not trees
And your children
Could eat them
After you are gone!
And because you… Continue reading
Photo by Monica Belaunde Montero
ENCOUNTERING THE UNKNOWN BRAZIL
Copyright ©2012 by Alice Walker
So there I was, on my way to a huge book festival in Brazilia and only then realizing, because friends casually mentioned it: Brazilia isn’t actually Brazil. It is a man-made city, only fifty-two years old, created… Continue reading

Landfillharmonic
I am telling you
Discouraged One
we will win.
And I will show you
why.
We are the offspring
of the ignorantly
discarded:
we conjure
sunrise
with our smiles
and provoke music
out of trash.
Who can completely
disappear
such genius?
This is why humanity
is worth
loving.
Fiercely.
Passionately.
Without a moment
of holding back.
I used… Continue reading