1 synth a reader for Now 2 synth April 2020 Confusion to our enemies! synth 3 Table of Contents List of Additional Readings ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 4 Revolutionary Letters, Diane Di Prima ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 5 Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Redefining Difference, Audre Lorde ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 25 The Personal is Political, Carol Hanisch ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 35 Napster was only the beginning ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 41 Les Guerilleres, Monique Wittig ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 43 The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House, Audre Lorde ~ ~ 129 The Beautiful Warriors: Technofeminist Practice in the 21st century ~ ~ ~ ~ 132 A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century, Donna Haraway ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 277 Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace, John Perry Barlowe ~ ~ ~ 306 Rejection of Closure, Lyn Hejinian ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 308 Hyperstitions, Delphi Carstens ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 320 Something’s Missing: A Discussion betwen Ernst Bloch and Theodor W. Adorno on the Contradictions of Utopian Longing ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 324 Art Practice as Fictioning (or, myth-science), Simon O’Sullivan ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 341 From Science Fiction to Science Fictioning (or, What is the Traction of Science Fiction on the Real?), Simon O’Sullivan ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 346 Beyond the Screens: Films, Cyberpunk, and Cyberfeminism, Sadie Plant ~ ~ 373 Fiction as Method, Introduction, ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 379 Artifact of Hope, Carla Harryman ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 433 Dreaming The Dark, Chapters 1 & 2, Starhawk ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 468 Everting the Virtual, lecture transcript excerpt, Maggie Mer Roberts ~ ~ ~ 500 Now, Introduction, Invisible Committee ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 503 Non-Philosophy as Art Practice (or, Fiction as Method), Simon O’Sullivan ~ 508 4 synth dedicated to Bob Dylan PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This version published 2005 without permission, and is based on the 3rd edition Additional Books for Now of the work by City Lights. Anti-profit, anti-copyright. Revolutionary Letters has been out of printfor manyyears, and we wanted to After the Future, Franco Bifo Berardi bring it back. Breathing, Franco Berardi Look for an expanded edition,rumored to come out soon from Last Gasp Press of SF. Caliban and the Witch, Silvia Federici Capitalist Sorcery, Breaking the Spell, Philippe Pignarre and REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #1 Isabele Stengers I have just realized that the stakes are myself I have no other Earthpath, Starhawk ransom money, nothing to break or barter but my life Fictioning: The Myth-Functions of Contemporary Art and my spirit measured out, in bits, spread over the roulette table, I recoup what Ican Philosophy, David Burrows and Simon O’Sullivan nothing else to shove under the nose of the maitre de jeu In Catastrophic Times, Isabelle Stengers nothing to thrust out the window, no white flag this flesh all I have to offer, to make the play with Now, The Invisible Committee this immediate head, what it comes up with, my move as we slither over this go board, stepping always Technic and Magic, Federico Campagna (we hope) between the lines The Principle of Hope, Ernst Bloch REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #2 A Thousand Plateaus, Capitalism and Schizophrenia, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari The value of an individual life a credo they taught us to instil fear, and inaction, ‘you only live once’ To Write Like a Woman, Essays in Feminism and Science a fog in our eyes, we are Fiction, Joanna Russ endless as the sea, not separate, we die a million times a day, we are born True Names, Vernor Vinge a million times, each breath life and death: get up, put on your shoes, get Zeros and Ones, Sadie Plant started, someone will finish // Tribe It takes every bit of discipline I can muster to make this a 4 list of reasonable length. “for Now,” is the out: staking out a near- to mid-future terrain of exploration with the proviso that there is as always a supplementary bag of holding con- taining old-friend books, touchstone and secret books. 5 dedicated to Bob Dylan synth PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This version published 2005 without permission, and is based on the 3rd edition of the work by City Lights. Anti-profit, anti-copyright. Revolutionary Letters has been out of printfor manyyears, and we wanted to bring it back. RevolutionaryLook for an expanded edition,rumored to come ou tLetterssoon from Last Gasp Press 1968-71 of SF. REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #1 I have just realized that the stakes are myself I have no other ransom money, nothing to break or barter but my life my spirit measured out, in bits, spread over the roulette table, I recoup what Ican nothing else to shove under the nose of the maitre de jeu nothing to thrust out the window, no white flag this flesh all I have to offer, to make the play with this immediate head, what it comes up with, my move as we slither over this go board, stepping always (we hope) between the lines REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #2 The value of an individual life a credo they taught us to instil fear, and inaction, ‘you only live once’ a fog in our eyes, we are endless as the sea, not separate, we die a million times a day, we are born a million times, each breath life and death: get up, put on your shoes, get started, someone will finish // Tribe 4 Diane di Prima 6 synth an organism, one flesh, breathing joy as the stars // breathe destiny down on us, get remember we are all used to eating less going, join hands, see to business, thousands of sons than the ‘average American’ and take it easy will see to it when you fall, you will grow before we a thousand times in the bellies of your sisters ever notice we’re hungry the rest of the folk will be starving used as they are to meat and fresh milk daily and help will arrive, until the day no help arrives REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #3 and then you’re on your own. // store water; make a point of filling your bathtub hoard matches, we aren’t good at the first news of trouble: they turned off the water at// rubbing sticks together any more in the 4th ward for a whole day during the Newark riots; aremember tinder box we is are useful, all used if you to can eating work less it or better yet make a habit don’tthan the count ‘average on gas American’ stove, gas and heater take it easy of keeping the tub clean and full when not in use electricbefore we light change this once a day, it should be good enough keepever notice hibachi we’re and charcoal, hungry the CHARCOAL rest of the folkSTARTER will be a starving help for washing, flushing toilets when necessary keroseneused as they lamp are and to candles,meat and learn fresh to milk keep daily warm and cooking, in a pinch, but it’s a good idea withand help breathing will arrive, until the day no help arrives to keep some bottled water handy too rememberand then you’re the blessed on your American own. habit of bundling get a couple of five gallon jugs and keep them full // for cooking hoard matches, we aren’t good // REVOLUTIONARYat rubbing sticks together any LETTER more #4 store food — dry stuff like rice and beans stores best a tinder box is useful, if you can work it goes farthest. SALT VERY IMPORTANT: it’s health and energy Left to themselves people don’t count on gas stove, gas heater healing too, keep a couple pounds grow their hair. electric light sea salt around, and, because we’re spoiled, some tins Left to themselves they keep hibachi and charcoal, CHARCOAL STARTER a help tuna, etc. to keep up morale — keep up the sense take off their shoe’s. kerosene lamp and candles, learn to keep warm of ‘balanced diet’ ‘protein intake’ remember Left to themselves they make love with breathing the stores may be closed for quite some time, the trucks sleep easily remember the blessed American habit of bundling may not enter your section of the city for weeks, you can cool it indefinitelyshare blankets, dope & children // they are not lazy or afraid with 20 lb brown rice REVOLUTIONARYthey plant seeds, they smile, theyLETTER #4 20 lb whole wheat flour speak to one another. The word 10 lb cornmeal comingLeft to into themselves its own: touch people of love; 10 lb good beans — kidney or soy ongrow the their brain, hair. the ear. 5 lb sea salt //Left to themselves they 2 qts good oil Wetake return off their with shoe’s. the sea, the tides dried fruit and nuts weLeft return to themselves as often as they leaves, make as love numerous add nutrients and a sense of luxury assleep grass, easily gentle, insistent, we remember to this diet, a squash or coconut theshare way, blankets, dope & children in a cool place in your pad will keep six months. ourthey babes are not toddle lazy barefoot or afraid thru the cities of the universe. they plant seeds, they smile, they 5 speak to one another. The word 6 coming into its own: touch of love; on the brain, the ear. // We return with the sea, the tides we return as often as leaves, as numerous as grass, gentle, insistent, we remember the way, our babes toddle barefoot thru the cities of the universe. 6 synth 7 REVOLUTIONARY LETTER #5 USE ALL THESE AS LITTLE as possible, side effects multifarious at some point and they cloud the brain you may be called upon tend to weaken the body and obscure to keep going for several days without sleep: judgment keep some ups around, to be // clearheaded, avoid ‘comedown’ as much as possible, ginseng tea, ginger compresses, sea salt, take vitamin B along with amphetamines, try prayer and love powdered guarana root, available are better healers, easier come by, save the others at herb drugstores, it is an up for life and death trips, you will know