The Cushion in the Road: Meditation and Wandering as the Whole World Awakens to Being in Harm's WayThis gorgeous collection gathers Alice Walker’s wide-ranging meditations—many of them previously unpublished—on our intertwined personal, spiritual, and political destinies. For the millions of her devoted fans, and for readers of Walker’s bestselling 2006 book, We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For, here is a brand new "gift of words" that invites readers on a journey of political awakening and spiritual insight. The Cushion in the Road finds the Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist, poet, essayist, and activist at the height of her literary powers, sharing fresh vantages and a deepening engagement with our world. Walker writes that "we are beyond a rigid category of color, sex, or spirituality if we are truly alive," and the pieces in The Cushion in the Road illustrate this idea beautifully. Visiting themes she has addressed throughout her career—including racism, Africa, Palestinian solidarity, and Cuba—as well as addressing emergent issues, such as the presidency of Barack Obama on health care, Walker explores her conflicting impulses to retreat into inner contemplation and to remain deeply engaged with the world. Rich with humor and wisdom, and informed by Walker’s unique eye for the details of human and natural experience, The Cushion in the Road will please longtime Walker fans as well as those who are new to her work. |
Contents
INTRODUCTION | 1 |
LEST WE FORGET | 7 |
WHAT I WANT | 13 |
MAY WHAT EVER WE HAVE GAINED NOT BE LOST | 17 |
FINALLY IT IS HERE | 20 |
DEAR BROTHER PRESIDENT ELECT | 22 |
WHAT DO I EXPECT FROM THIS TURN OF THE HISTORICAL WHEEL | 25 |
A LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA ABOUT TORTURE | 28 |
A RECIPE FOR DIFFICULT TIMES | 146 |
EVERYONES A VICTIM | 151 |
SISTERLOSS | 154 |
WE ARE REMEMBERED FOR WHAT WE TEACH | 160 |
EDWIDGE DANTICAT THE QUIET STREAM | 164 |
MORE MEDITATION REQUIRED | 166 |
WE BELIEVE BY STAUGHTON AND ALICE LYND | 169 |
THE INNER LISTENER | 172 |
UNDERSTANDING HEALTH CARE | 34 |
WELL DONEOBAMA AND THE NOBEL PRIZE | 36 |
FOR WHAT ITS WORTH | 37 |
WHY WAR IS NEVER A GOOD IDEA | 43 |
HUMAN SUNRISE | 47 |
INTRODUCING THE OJIBWA WARRIOR | 56 |
A WEDDING CEREMONY | 63 |
COMING TO MISSISSIPPI | 69 |
SAYING GOODBYE TO MY FRIEND HOWARD ZINN | 72 |
ON THE HELP | 78 |
HONORING CICELY TYSON | 82 |
WE ARE IN THIS PLACE FOR A REASON | 86 |
LISTENING TO HOWIE | 91 |
MILAGROS DE LA VIDA TURTLES | 98 |
FACING LA MADRE | 100 |
GIVING AS GENEROUSLY AS THE EARTH | 102 |
SEEKING COUNSEL FROM DIEGO AND FRIDA | 104 |
HITTING THE MARK | 106 |
THE VICTORY BELONGS TO LOVE | 109 |
THE CLARITY | 112 |
OVERWHELM | 114 |
QUEEN SNOWS | 116 |
ALL THE STARS | 119 |
THE KILLING OF TROY DAVIS | 121 |
THE G IN ODE TO JOY | 123 |
FROZEN RIVER IS A MOVING SURPRISE | 125 |
MAY I BE FRANK | 126 |
NADIE TE QUITA LO BAILADO | 128 |
LOVING AUDIOBOOKS BUT NOT THE SEGREGATION OF BOOKS AND LITERATURE | 129 |
AT SEA ON THE AUDACITY OF HOPE | 132 |
STUBBORN FLOWERS CLIMBING | 134 |
WINDOWS | 136 |
RECLAIMING THE CROSS | 138 |
FROM GRANDMOTHERS HORSE | 175 |
FREE DOGS AND THE ALBANY BULB WATERFRONT PARK | 178 |
ENDING THE AGE OF WASTE | 180 |
THE CASE OF BRADLEY MANNING | 185 |
EVOLUTION | 189 |
BURSTING INTO LOVE | 192 |
LIFE LESSONS | 194 |
THE UNIVERSE BELONGS TO EVERYONE | 199 |
12 QUESTIONS | 205 |
ADOPTING AN ORPHANAGE | 221 |
COMING TO SEE YOU SINCE I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD | 224 |
ST JOHN | 238 |
ABOUT AUNG SAN SUU KYI MEDITATOR AND TEACHER | 242 |
A LETTER FROM ALICE WALKER TO AUNG SAN SUU KYI | 249 |
A LETTER ABOUT NATURE FROM 2005 | 260 |
AN OPEN LETTER TO NAWAL EL SAADAWI | 263 |
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN | 266 |
WE CAN OFFER WHAT WE ARE | 271 |
BOYCOTTS MUST HAPPEN IN THE HEART | 272 |
YOU WILL HAVE NO PROTECTION | 277 |
WHAT CHANGES THE WORLD? BEARING WITNESS TO THE TRUTH | 281 |
NOTHING IS STRONGER THAN A CIRCLE | 286 |
THE PEACE OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE | 296 |
AUNTIE I SIMPLY CANT IMAGINE IT | 298 |
AND SO OUR TRAILSCONTINUE | 312 |
OVERCOMING SPEECHLESSNESS | 314 |
EMPATHY IS A WAVE | 343 |
TO THE FREEDOM RIDERS OF PALESTINE | 346 |
THE SANITY OF FRIENDSHIP | 348 |
ENCOUNTERING THE UNKNOWN BRAZIL | 355 |
PERMISSIONS | 363 |
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The Cushion in the Road: Meditation and Wandering as the Whole World Awakens ... Alice Walker No preview available - 2014 |
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