Saturday, February 23, 2008

Misconceptions

THE IRONIES involves with recent ULA happenings which helped lead to my departure are many. Two misconceptions:

1.) The widespread notion among ULAers past and present that the ULA's activist campaign was the problem-- when it's the one aspect of the ULA which worked best.

2.) The idea that I called all the shots in the organization. The reality was different. What I did manage to do in the Underground Literary Alliance the last several years:
a.) Hang on to my corner of the ULA-- said activism-- against continual panic and hand-wringing.
b.) Take responsibility for everything, taking all the hits, all the blame, from insiders and outsiders alike, thereby providing cover for the rest of the team.

2 comments:

FDW said...

I. Agreed, but that was a minority really but umfortunately an important one, namely the central committe and you have to admitt that clique at least while you were involved and maybe still made decisions and set things into motion that were not exactly transparent nor with the consensus of at large membership. Just ego and the mudane struggle of typical "puggala".
2. Yes you took a lot of the heat but again your completely responsible for that and who is to sat that you didn't want to be the shield as you say and the percieved center of attention whether as a positive thing or in the role as martyr?
More importantly this heat this blacklisting did and does still perhaps effect some of the rest of us but speaking for myself I have been attacked and derided over the past few years 'cos I defended you as I was in agreement on seeing that it is the social activism, tearing down of walls (signifantly between the literary performer/ reader and the audience)' whistleblowing, and heavy resistence that set and continues to set the ULA apart from other mundane lit groups (but we weren't and are not isolated or originators of such evem more so is not just one personality besides)and lends our profile the status of historic literary movement. You should have mentioned some of these facts as without them your bring up dead horses out of the blue will not reflect well on the ULA presently and tend to suggest that the ALLIANCE is no longer active or a force for advocay of culture underground DIY writers and poets everywhere, because it is in fact.
And good things are in the wires.
"Doan follow leaders/watch yer parking meteres."

King Wenclas said...

Yes, the ULA is alive and well, but the vehicle has a structural
problem or two
which require repair.