Detail from Peace and Prosperity (1896), Elihu Vedder, Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C.
Since 2011, 100 Thousand Poets for Change (100TPC) has worked with poets, writers, artists, musicians and other creatives to help organize events around the world for peace, justice and sustainability.
Now, more than ever mobilization is crucial. Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrion, cofounders of 100TPC, have created a GLOBAL ACTION CALENDAR open to EVERYONE to post Creative Actions around the world. Michael and Terri continue to emphasize the need for INCLUSIVITY and true DIVERSITY in our global network.
They hope this calendar will help people connect and give access to those who are often marginalized in our creative communities.
So many of you are doing so much. Thank you! and thanks to Michael and Terri.
THE BeZine 100 TPC virtual event has six more hous to go, so plenty of time for you to share your work … So far we’ve had participation from New Zealand, Germany, Slovakia, India, France, Australia, Ireland, Pakistan, Israel, Spain, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Hungary, United Kingdom and the United States. Touched by the works submitted and by the interest and support. Join us to read and share: HERE.
Here are some livestreams from other groups. Depending on where they are in this world, they may be offline now … Thanks to 100TPC Cofouder Michael Rothenberg for the list …
100 Thousand Poets for Change Livestream: Check them out!
This is reblogged from The BeZine blog – post done by Master of Ceremonies, Michael Dickel – and we invite you to come on over and share a poem or two or other art … if you are clergy, please feel free to pop in the link to a sermon or homily related to the subject … read on to learn more … We’ve been live since 12:01 a.m. 25th September, Saturday Isreali time and we’ll close at midnight today P.S.T. (California) September 24, Saturday. I’ve been pitching in for Michael for a few hours but he should be back by the time this publishes or shortly thereafter. / J.D.
American-Isreali Poet, Michael Dickel
This past week, an international aid convoy in Syria was attacked with devastating results, during a ceasefire. Bombs went off, as usual, in Iraq. They also went off in New Jersey and New York. There were terrorist knife attacks in Jerusalem. And knife attacks also in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Police shot (at least) two unarmed African-Americans in the United States. Police shot “terror suspects” in Israel. Iran arrested dissidents. China gave a dissident’s attorney a 12-year sentence.
Climate change has reduced the arctic ice sheets at record levels, this summer just ended. The Fertile Crescent, where Western civilization began, has suffered such a devastating drought that farmers have fled it for years now—a contributing cause to the Syrian civil war and the refugee crisis. The hardened, drought-stricken soil in the region, broken up by heavy war-machinery, artillery shelling, and bombs, has turned into dust that the wind picks up—a contributing cause of record dust storms throughout the region.
It is time for global change
For the past six years, September 100,000 Poets for Change (100TPC) has inspired and supported events on a Saturday in September. This year, there are over 550 events scheduled throughout the world. This blog/zine is one of them. The goal is for poets (artists, musicians, actors, even mimes) to band together and perform / exhibit their work in a call to change the world for the better.
The 100TPC themes are peace, sustainability, and social justice. The September 2016 issue of The BeZine, edited by Priscilla Galasso and Steve Wiencek, focuses on environmental justice. This focus relates to social justice and sustainability, but is a necessary part of obtaining peace. If we still have poverty and homelessness, what is sustained other than inequality? And, without social justice and a sustainable environment, could there be peace? Could peace be maintained without both social and environmental justice alongside environmental and economic sustainability?
Share your work on The BeZine blog, today, as part of our 100TPC online event—help us create a space for change. As in past years, the event will be archived and made available later on The BeZine’s website and will also be archived at Standford University in California.
Waging the Peace, driving productive conversation and connection: Michael Rothenberg, co-founder of 100,000 Poets for Change, just sent us the link to The BeZine’s page on the official 100TPC site. Our thanks to Michael, for doing this and for all that he and Co-Founder Terri Carrion are doing. They both rock big time!
People if you want to organize a gathering it’s not too late to register at 100TPC. You can do something as simple as having a small intimate group around you kitchen table, share your poetry, art and music and plan for a larger more visible event next year. As Michael Dickel says, “May peace prevail.”
Don’t forget Terri Stewart’s gathering, 100,000 Peacemakers for Change, at her church in the Seattle area. Notable: I think thanks to Terri this may be the first church to officially take up the banner. Hooray!
In the spirit of peace, love and community and
on behalf of The Bardo Group Bequines, Jamie Dedes
Founding and Managing Editor, The BeZine
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Waging the Peace, driving productive conversation and connection: Michael Rothenberg, co-founder of 100,000 Poets for Change, just sent us the link to 
Jamie Dedes' THE POET BY DAY Webzine 