Common Action Events at the Seattle Anarchist Bookfair

[Common Action]

Seattle Anarchist Bookfair, October 17-18

Underground Events Center
2407 1st Ave (between Battery St & Wall St)
Seattle, WA 98121


The weekend of October 17-18, Common Action will take part in the
Seattle Anarchist Bookfair, presenting three panels and workshops on
Transformative Justice, science fiction, and anti-racism.


Times and other information on Common Action's panels and workshops
are available below. For the full bookfair schedule, including other
exciting panels and workshops, visit the Seattle Anarchist Bookfair
website at http://www.seattleanarchist.org .


Saturday, October 17


3:00PM-4:30PM

Community Accountability/Transformative Justice (Panel)

Transformative Justice is a radical strategy of response to conflict,
a revolutionary alternative to the on-going violence and oppression of
the State's criminal justice system.

As an analysis, it takes seriously conflict's place within systems of
oppression. As a practice, it strives to put justice in the hands of
the communities directly involved.

A panel featuring members of For Crying Out Loud, Common Action, and
others, will discuss their perspectives on Transformative Justice, how
it differs from other forms of justice, their groups' successes and
difficulties in applying it, and its relevance to anarchists. The
panel will then be opened to Q & A and general discussion.

For Crying Out Loud is a group dedicated to preventing, addressing,
and talking about sexual assault and perpetrator accountability in an
anti-authoritarian setting. For a lot more info go to:
http://forcryingoutloud206.wordpress.com


Sunday, October 18


11:00AM-12:30PM

Beyond The Dispossessed: Anarchism and Science Fiction

This panel will consist of local anarchist fans, writers, and scholars
of science fiction. The panel will discuss major works of anarchist
and leftist science fiction, and anarchist themes in science fiction;
i.e. anarchist utopias and dystopias, class struggle, radical social
movements and revolutions in sci-fi. We will also explore the
intersection of feminist, anti-racist and Marxist science fiction with
anarchist sci-fi. We will discuss the dynamics of anarchists in sci-fi
fandom, and sci-fi fans in the anarchist movement. The workshop will
also cover the relationship between social movements and sci-fi's
representations of the future, and the transformation power of
speculative literature.


5:00-6:30PM

Anarchism, Anti-racism, and our local histories: Creating anti-racist
practice and struggle

Racism has shaped the United States, and the Pacific Northwest is no
exception. Each area, city and neighborhood we call "home" has a
history of racism: from the violence of a race riots and expulsions,
to the day-to-day institutional realities of borders, policing, and
gentrification. And alongside each history of racism, there is a
history of resistance.

Through sharing local histories, this workshop will explore how racism
has shaped our lives and our communities, underscoring the importance
of developing an anti-racist analysis that intersects with
understandings of gender, class and capitalism. How does knowledge of
this history shape anti-racist struggles today?