Election Day

Ishmael Reed,

I’ve been learning about Blacks, yes, Whites have Lorded in over the Blacks, and the Mexicans that lived within sight of Chinatown, accused of passing –what? – the border –and Indians here, and Indians there, different Indians (damn stubborn) some like Chinamen. Some have stories-

Can’t we read each other – work our common history & knowledge of the Trumpian White Race of America and civilize the slobbering White’s who dominate and call it Democracy?

ELECTION DAY IN ALABAMA- MOBILE LIL, THE BEAUTIFUL TWA STEWARDESS FROM ALABAMA & L.A. PHIL , THE HANDSOME PHOTOGRAPHER (CLASS COMPETITION FOR CORKY LEE OF NEW YORK.) BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE –“ I AM A LOVER” A PHOTO BOOK by Jerry Stolll jr and Evan S. Connell OF NORTH BEACH OF THE 50-60’S WHEN THE BEACH WAS BASQUE, ITALIAN, (FROM GENOA, WHERE THEY MAKE PESTO, NOT NAPOLI WHO DON’T AKE PESTO) SPANISH FROM SPAIN, CHINESE. THE PICS SPEAK-FLAMENCO IS IN TOWN IN A BIG WAY- FREDDIE MEJIA AS A BOY PLAYS THE GUITAR IN A CROWDED COFFEE HOUSE AND DRAWS EVERY EAR TO HIM. ONE CAN SEE IT IN THE PIC. THE CAMERA IS ACROSS COLUMBUS STREET STANDING ON THE CHINATOWN SIDE OF THE STREET, A FREEZE LOOK AT STREAKS OF TRAFFIC RIPPING GHOSTLY OVER THE FOGGY BIG WINDOW OF THE HOT COFFEEHOUSE. GUITAR NECKS STICK UP LIKE RIFLE BARRALS.

Jerry Stoll taught himself photography shooting this book. Evan S. Connell is a stoic writer from the Midwest ( MR. BRIDGE ) who edits fiction at CONTACT magazine out of Sausalito, and buys and publishes my first short-story FOOD FOR ALL HIS DEAD. I am 19 years old.

NORTH BEACH IN PICS LOOKS LIKE THE GATHERING OF OUTCASTS AND GANGS AT THE WATER MARGIN.

BUT THE WATER MARGIN IS A CHINESE PEOPLES REFUGE FROM THE MONSTROUS PRESS OF THE FOREIGN EMPIRE. EVERYTHING CHINATOWN ISN’T.

THE NOISE OF CULTURES CLASHING AND FORMING IS AT THE ITALIAN END OF THE ADLER ALLEY, IN LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI’S (AND SHIG MUROW’S) CITY LIGHTS BOOKSTORE AND NORTH BEACH AT THE END GRANT STREET. AT THE OTHER END OF VERY SHORT AND NARROW AND DAMP ADLER ALLLEY IS THE CHINATOWN END GRANT STREET AND ACROSS BROADWAY AND COLUMBUS GRANT STREET DISAPPEARS INTO NORTH BEACH. NORTH BEACH IS NOT CHINATOWN.

NOT- CHINATOWN GLITTERS AND SHINES AND SMILES FUMES OF OLD BLACK BEANS AND SMELLS OF ITSELF ALL IN SILENCE.

1975- PREVIEW COPIES OF THE WOMAN WARRIOR, BY MAXINE HONG KINGSTON FOR REVIEW FLY OUT OF NEW YORK.

MS. MAGAZINE LOVES MAD MAX’S MADNESS. Ms. Magazine founder Gloria Steinem flies to the West to embrace Mad Maxine Hong Kingston, who fakes Chinese history, culture and customs to bug her father who claims to be a Literatus – a Scholar-official –who passed the Imperial Exams last given 1905-

Where is Gloria Steinem’s support of the Maxine Hong Kingston’s White racist lies convincing Pres Clinton and Obama’s awarding Kingston Humanities and Arts Medals?

Read Kingston for the TRUTH . IGNORE CHINESE CHILDREN’S LIT AND THE HEROIC TRADITION WHERE LIANG HONGYU, THE LITTLE DRUMMER GIRL (SHE WASN’T LITTLE, BUT SHE WAS A SIGNAL DRUMMER AND STRATEGIST WHO DIRECTED HER HUSBANDS MANUVERS FROM THE HIGH GROUND- also she is wrestler and an archer, and leads a horseback unit ) AND MU GUIYING, THE BANDIT QUEEN, WHO BEATS A YANG FAMILY GENERAL IN SINGLE COMBAT, MARRIES HIM, IS APPOINTED SUPREME COMMANDER OF THE SEVEN YANG ARMIES BY THE YANG MATRIARCH, RETIRES AFTER BECOMING A GRANNY THEN, AT 47 IS ASKED TO LEAD THE IMPERIAL ARMY AGAIN. PLEASE! THEY REFUSE TO FIGHT FOR ANYBODY BUT MU GUIYING. WHAT KIND OF FEMINIST IS GLORIA STEINEM?

WILL SOMEONE ASK HER? SOMEONE SCHOLARLY ON UNIVERSITY LETTERHEAD – SOMEONE FRIENDLY – SOME CHINESE OR KOREAN OR JAPANESE AMERICAN OR NOT – WOMAN WRITER? MMMMM?

OR, HOW BOUT YOU, GEORGE? Mr, Sulu Invites Gloria Steinem and Maxine Hong Kingston to join him on C_SPAN-AT THE JAMN in conversation on “feminism “ the word of the year an English language Dictionary society says. Fuck, go for broke! Invite Jeanne Wakatsuki and James D. Houston, Karen Tei Yamashita, ( “ ‘i’ Hotel” is about the hotel built from bricks from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire on the corner of Jackson and Kearney, and housed the jazz and comedy club The Hungry “i” in the basement, Filipino business on the shop level, and Filipino Scouts waiting for the US Citizenship and back pay from the US Gov ) and Amy Tan, who just adores her imagination.

SAY! HOW BOUT A RADIO PLAY OF A MEETING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ASIAN AMERICAN PHILOSOPHSICAL LITERARY , THEATRICAL , MUSICAL, ARTISTIC THINKERS OF THE AGE? YELLOWS DOING YELLOW VOICES ON THE AIR. DOESN’T YOUR VOICE WATER, YELLOW ? OR DRY UP, AS THE VOICES OF ORNAMENT PASS A FEAR OF WHITES DISCARDING YELLOW ORNAMENTS, FOR ANOTHER COLOR, AMONG FELLOW YELLOWS LIKE A VIRUS, AND LIKE A VIRUS IT PASSES AND STAYS.

AMERICA MAYBE HOME – BUT EVERYWHERE I GO, I’M TOLD TO KEEP MOVIN BY MY OWN. I’M THE SHOWOFF OF YELLOW THEATER REDUCED TO A THEATER OF ONE STORYTELLER AND ONE STOOL, FOR HEIGHT - JUST A LOOKIN FOR A HOME – I HAVE STORIES OF THREE MEN OF THE OATH IN THE PEACH GARDEN , ONE MAN WAS HEAVENLY SANDAL MAKER WHO WANTED AN EMPIRE/ONE MAN WAS AN EIGHT FOOT TALL MAN EVERYONE WANTED – ONE WAS A RICH MAN WITH EVERYTHING – EVERYTHING FORGED FORMED TOOLED, WOVEN –DREAMED IN CONCERT WITH THE EARTH-

THE SANDAL MAKER AND THE RICH FARMER ARE DRINKING AT A CROSSROADS TAVERN WHEN KWAN KUNG STEPS INTO THE DOORWAY CHEERILY BELLOWS, GREAT DAY! TODAY I VOLUNTEER TO FIGHT THE YELLOW TURBANS , DIRTY NORTHERNERS! BRING ME WINE! SOMETHING ABOUT THE BIG MAN MAKES EVERYBODY CHEER AND WAVE HIM TO THEIR TABLE.

THE FARMER IS ON HIS FEET AND INVITES KWAN TO SIT AT HIS TABLE WITH THE SANDAL MAKER. THEY LEARN THAT KWAN KUNG WAS LOCKED UP BY HIS PARENTS BROKE THE HOUSE DOWN AND BURNED IT, RUNAWAY INTO A GIRL BEING FORCED TO MARRY BY HER GREEDY FATHER, HE KILLED THE GROOM AND GREEDY FATHER, AND REFUSED THE GIRL’S OFFER OF HERSELF, RAN OVER THE MOUNTAINNS WHERE HIS FACE DARKENED AND EYEBROWS TAKE OFF LIKE BLACK MOTHWINGS- THE THINGS I LEARN FROM THEN TO HERE MAKE ME MAD.

“WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE FARMER AND MY RAGGEDY SELF?” Liu Pei asks. He listens for an answer milking the question for martial content.

Kwan Kung says, “I’M A MAN WHO DRINKS BUT NEVER GETS DRUNK . YOU’RE THE FIRST MEN I’D BE HAPPY TO GET DRUNK WITH.”

Jiang Fei says, “LET’S GO TO MY PLACE. IT’S QUIET THERE. THE PEACHES ARE RIPE. LET’S GO THERE AND DRINK IN THE BREEZE OF SWEETENING PEACHES AND SONG OF MATING BIRDS.”

FCC