Page 6 - Final book John sims

Introduction

Ablazing Grace is a small of collection of poems,
meditations, declarations and lyrics that follows the
journey of the Recoloration Proclamation, a 16 years
project that I have been working on which explores the
complexity of identity, cultural appropriation/remixing,
white supremacy, visual terrorism in the context of
Confederate iconography and African-American culture,
and ways to challenge these national issues through the
creative process of art, text and performance.
We begin with A Poet's Visual History of Confederate flag;
then we present the Confederate Redress- a text that was
performed at the hanging of the Confederate flag from a
13 foot
gallows at Ohio University on October 25, 2017. This is
followed by Burn and Bury: Let it Go, a meditative eulogy
written to lead the annual call to burn and bury the
Confederate Flag across the country after the mass murder
of nine people at an A.M.E church in Charleston, South
Carolina, June 17, 2015. Each of these works comes with
associated videopoems.
ABlazing Grace, both the entire book and the featured
lyrics- a rewrite of the iconic Amazing Grace--offers an
invitation to move beyond the space of reflection to a place
of action, transformation and healing that is so necessary
if are to move forward as a nation in peace, justice and
humanity.

So, on the occasion of the exhibition Reinterpretation as
Resistance: Artists Questioning Normative Iconography,
Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery, San Jose State
University, October 2-November 2, 2018 and the associated
City Light videopoems /AfroDixieRemixes presentation on
November 4, 2018, I am deeply honored to present to you
this limited edition artist-chapbook, ABlazing Grace.
Confederate Gothic by John Sims 2004

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