Wanted: Hosts for West Coast Book Tour
Black Blossoms At The End Of The World
One of the primary editors and writers for the anti-civilization journal of theory and action, Green Anarchy (RIP), is planning a Spring/Summer West Coast speaking/discussion tour based on the ideas presented in the newly released compilation of his more recent writings: Black Blossoms At The End Of The World (LBC Books). The prioritization for the events are, of course, anarchist spaces, but along with traveling companion Rivkah Charnovsky, Invecchiare Selvatico (aka Nazel Pickens, and a number of other RotN names) would also consider other “radical-leaning” social spaces, land projects, parks, wildlands, cafes, bars, or even better, fleecing university funds. Topics of discussion will cover critiques of: technology, the Left, Antifa, Primitivism, identity politics, progress, hope, ideology, morality, binary thinking, revolution, martyrdom, guilt, politics, the general failure of the anarchist space, and more, while offering our own unique anti-civilization perspectives on a more decentralized, autonomous, anti-tech, place-based reality where creativity, personal and shared desire, sustenance, and lived anarchy are prioritized over activism, politics, duty, and society… along with some situational spirituality, misanthropy, nihilism, and destruction sprinkled in for extra spice. The goal is to open up unique, nuanced, complicated, and interesting dialogue. Leftist need not apply… and we will defend ourselves.
Contact: nazelpickens@gmail.com to host an event in your bioregion
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“Black Blossoms At The End Of The World”
by Invecchiare Selvatico
A Compilation of Essays, Fragments, Scribbles, Letters, Rants, Songs, and Ramblin’s Discovered In A Secluded Backwoods Cabin
(with songs and poetry by Nazel Pickens)
“And so, I leave. Exit the stage and into life. But there are other footsteps dancing in the sand, seemingly haphazard, and at the same time patterned. Authentic freedom, essentially, has always been the anarchist project to understand and to live. It is a quest that has meaningfully united and divided in both idea and practice, which has brought me to the obvious conclusion that only in radically-decentralized affinity-based relationships is authentic freedom even possible. These relationships obviously extend to the non-human world we are inherently and intricately part of. But focusing on micro-affinities does not necessarily divorce us from the possibility of partially-overlapping and situational affinities that exist in varying degrees of difference or divergence, especially in terms of subsistence and revolt. Always re-forming and re-arranging in relationship, some more so, and some less, creating swirling and spiraling clusters of affinity. I believe that this, as opposed to organized deadness, is what life is. Ideas, principles, and morals on any plane outside the individual diminish this essence of freedom. But, I believe, to engage with another in authentic freedom is the joy of living. That is our theory and our practice. We are the black blossoms at the end of the world.”
- Invecchiare Selvatico
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Up Here On The Mountain
As I sit upon this mountain
Scratch my grayin’ chin
Can’t remember how I got up here
Where else I might’ve been
But I sure as hell ain’t leavin
Nowhere left to be
So I hold on tight to what I got
Like a sailor out at sea
As I sit upon this mountain
And watch the valley burn
I have to wonder once again
Will fools ever learn
Arrogance and thoughtlessness
The order of the day
Any hope for another world
Seems so far away
Up here on the mountain
High above the town
Up here on the mountain
Watchin’ it all go down
As I sit upon this mountain
I watch the walkin’ dead
A thousand scattered thoughts
Race through my weary head
‘Cause we gave up so goddamn much
For just a lil’ bit
Endless dreams of possibility
For a steamin’ pile of shit
As I sit upon this mountain
Unplugged from their machine
Livin’ life in real-time
Don’t feel too lonely or mean
Pickin’ this old guitar
Hummin’ a forgotten tune
Sippin’ shinin’ sour mash
And a-howlin’ at the moon
Up here on the mountain
High above the town
Up here on the mountain
Watchin’ it all go down
As I sit upon this mountain
Storms gather, thunder pounds
Electric light cracks midnight sky
I hear the age-old sounds
A doe moves through the meadow
Stellar jay cries in the trees
The trickle of our faithful creek
Wind through dried old leaves
As I sit upon this mountain
Lookin’ in my daughters’ eyes
Just wish there was more down there
Then lies on top of lies
So we live up here each day
With defiant joy and endless love
Down there vultures fight for poisoned flesh
But up here we play like doves
Up here on the mountain
High above the town
Up here on the mountain
Watchin’ it all go down
As I sit upon this mountain
At the endin’ of the world
Self-righteous prepare for war
Their last banners are unfurled
And even though I am so high
Don’t really feel so very tall
Just wish it all came down fast
Not this slow and painful crawl
As I sit upon this mountain
With all those for whom I care
Livin’ my last breath of freedom
With my shotgun and ol’ rockin’ chair
And If you come up here for me
Be ready for a fight
‘Cause as this day is endin’
So comes a long, long night
Up here on the mountain
High above the town
Up here on the mountain
Watchin’ it all go down!
- Nazel Pickens
Now available from LBC Books!
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https://littleblackcart.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=864
There are 11 Comments
“…and we will defend ourselves”
From what? Leftist identity politics?
Ok then.
snarky micro aggressions of
snarky micro aggressions of course! there's a smelly old punk jacket that says - crypto fascist - on the back and we sneak up and put it on you and then get dropped by your first sloppy punch, cuz we've never been in a fight that wasn't on twitter. that's when you realize you're being filmed obviously and then you get so totally cancelled BRO
IdPol often serves as a
IdPol often serves as a Leftist fashion accessory though.
End of my world here
In as little as 6 years, 80% of the backwoods I've been intimate with since age 4 will be dead. We can thank most of all 100 years of clear-cutting followed by fire suppression. "Land of many uses" - U.S. Forest Service (never mind the even worse timber corporations that own nearly all of the rest of the forest here).
Mega-droughts occur every 500-700 years in the West, with no help from climate change. Our last was 600 years ago, they last 50-80 years.
However, Mediterranean climates all over the world are simultaneously going into mega-drought, so something else is going on here. This includes at least the southern half of Oregon.
For a while I have thought I should pay a visit to my ancestral redneck homelands.
No, I'm going to MOVE there. My backwoods sanctuary will be in an undisclosed location in Appalachia. Where I will transition to "savagery".
Boo-hoo-hoo for me, my favorite kitty, cougar-kitty, is not there. And introducing cougar-kitties would upset the humans there. I was going to feed the kitty when I die.
Welcome back wilderness
Welcome back wilderness anarch, sorry to hear about Cougar Kitty, Also, the predominate dynamic in these global climate aberrations is mega-extremes, flooding or drought, freezing to heatwaves. The global warming is only distinguishable when recorded as -- mean temperature--, everything else like seasons and quantitative data is off the scales.
"...creativity, personal and
"...creativity, personal and shared desire, sustenance,"
I saw this line in an ad for Forever 21 or Whole Foods -- which one was it
Glad you are doing this tour-
Glad you are doing this tour- especially today when radical scenes seem so self-repressed. Hope you find people along the west coast to come outta the woodwork and host you. Best of luck!
West coast is a fuck. Come to
West coast is a fuck. Come to the dirty south and play some that good old mountain music.
i would love to "come to the
i would love to "come to the dirty south and play some that good old mountain music", but it's a lil' far for me to travel right now. my feet, hands, and intestines are full of the springtime dirt in my mountain holler....IN THE WEST, and i wouldn't have it any other way. maybe i'll wander to visit ya sometime...