Kathy Change (1950 – October 22, 1996) was an American performance artist and political activist who killed herself in an act of self-immolation on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1996. Born Kathleen Chang, she changed her performance name to Kathy Change to indicate her commitment to political and social change. She was the daughter of Chinese academics who emigrated to America in the wake of the Chinese Revolution. Change was married for five years to writer Frank Chin.
From Wikipedia
mainly, i remember
mainly i remember
how we all were in the early eighties powelton art monsters, poetry monsters, she
was the dance monster
we were survivors of the sixties
or nostalgic for a time
that we truly never experienced
and if there
had been a cult of Kathy Chang
i would of been a follower
she rarely spoke, then
only her arms legs and feet
only her arms legs and feet
and they sang
2) one newspaper described her as
eccentric
implying more mainly, i remember
we all were
anyone who hopes to change
society through any art
not connected with any gun
anyone who hopes
and I’m not sure
there would be
any great reason for life any great reason for life if one is deprogrammed
no longer eccentric
becomes merely centric )
3) mainly i remember
writing great drunken poems about her dancer’s legs about the paintings from her feet
thinking her foolish for merely dancing
for waving her arms at harm
(everyone knows poets are the ones
to create social unrest)
and scott and i and one hundred hundred others
want to know
why you left us so early
with so many dances
yet to invent so many steps left un said so many words unwritten
from the soul of your feet
Bob Small for city paper contest 12-6-99 from 4-1-99 revision
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About bobsmall1
Bob Small has read at Bacchanal, Barnes and Noble, Borders,
The Booksource (Swarthmore), The Clark Park Festivals,Community College of Philadelphia
Highwire Gallery, The Mad Poets Annual Food Fest Reading,
The Middle East Restaurant, Nexus GalleryThe Painted Bride Arts Center,
The Philadelphia Ethical Society, Robin's Bookstore
The University of Pennsylvania and also in New York City,
Trenton, NJ, Washington, DC, and in many Delaware Valley Venues.
He is the author of numerous chapbooks, including
El Otro Lado (with Maralyn Lois Polak), On watching America Die,
Small Steps and Toes (with Lamont B. Steptoe), and The Unapoet.
This is his first Reading in over a year.
Bob Small was Founder and President of the
two decades old Poets and Prophets,
which presented Poetry Readings
in both Delaware County and Philadelphia.
Bob was the Chair of The Delaware County Green Party and was the
First Green Party Candidate in Delaware County (2005).
He was also a Green Party National Delegate, among other duties.
He is the Founder and Facilitator of
The Pennsylvania Ballot Access Coalition (PaBac),
which is a Coalition of both Independents and Third Parties.,
seeking to legislatively improve Pennsylvania's Ballot Access Laws. (Facebook)
Bob is also a founding member and
Facilitator of Democracy Unplugged, and Delco Debates,
which has presented Independent and Third Party Forums in Delaware County since 2004. Facebook)
He was formerly involved with Cinema Resistance, and Delco Pledge of Resistance.
Bob currently lives in Swarthmore with his wife
and their menagerie of animals.
He is currently focused on writing a Novel and organizing his Poetry, which he posts on his Blog (Bob Small1). He is retired from most of the above activities, except Delco Debates and Poets and Prophets, which he may return to.
robertthesmall 