Reviews

Books, Music, and Film to Wake Up Your Muse and Help You Change the World

A music recording, movie, or book qualifies as a Bard pick if it manifests at least two of the following qualities:

It’s authentic, original, and delightful;
It poses and admirably responds to questions that have a direct bearing on my view of existence;
It stimulates my mind;
It harmoniously unites art with social action, saving me from both seclusion in an ivory tower and slavery to someone else’s political agenda;
It provides respite from a sick and cruel world, a respite enabling me to renew myself for a return to mindful artistic endeavor;
It’s about attainment of the true self;
It inspires an awareness of the sanctity of creation;
It displays an engagement with and compassionate response to suffering;
It gives me artistic tools;
It makes me want to be a better artist;
It gives me tools of campassion, enabling me to respond with compassion and efficacy to the suffering around me;
It renews my enthusiasm for positive social action;
It makes me appreciate that life is a complex and rare phenomena, making living a unique opportunity (Cybiont).

mindfulbardbookimage BOOKS


Committing Theatre
— Our Way to Fight Who’s Afraid of Frances Fox Piven?
The Essential Writings of the Professor Glenn Beck Loves to Hate
Soundtrack for a RevolutionThe Third Man Factor: The Secret to Survival in
Extreme Environments
 States of Race: Critical Race Feminism for the 21st Century
Lorcan Roche, The Companion
Paulo Coelho, The Winner Stands Alone Symon Hill, The No-Nonsense Guide to ReligionJohn Wall Barger, Pain-Proof Men Alina Bronsky, Broken Glass Park Gourmet RhapsodyGetting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of GirlsThe Ballad of Stompin’ Tom New World Coming: The Sixties and the
Shaping of Global Consciousness
Louise Gray, The No-Nonsense Guide to World MusicIan McKay, Reasoning Otherwise: Leftists and the People’s Enlightenment in Canada, 1890-1920 From Counterculture to CybercultureJoseph Gould, An Oral History of Our TimePeter Doggett, There’s a Riot Going OnFrancesco Casetti, Eye of the CenturyThe Elegance of the HedgehogRoddy Doyle, The Deportees
Elisa Albert, The Book of Dahlia
Reginald Shepherd, Orpheus in the Bronx
The New Layman’s Almanac Confessions: An Innocent Life in Communist China Forgetfulness, in Recent Memory Sebastian Faulks, EnglebyAlberto Manguel, The Iliad and The Odyssey: A BiographyRobert Alter, The Book of Psalms: A Translation
with Commentary
Richard Rorty and Pascal Engel – What’s the Use of Truth? Karen Armstrong, The Bible Rick Mercer, The Book Steve Erickson, Zeroville Millard Kaufman, Bowl of Cherries Clive James – Cultural Amnesia Kiran Desai – The Inheritance of Loss
Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future
Michael Jacoby Brown – Building Powerful Community Organizations

venturesalbumcoverMUSIC

Magnetic Ear Amanda Martinez Conjunto Roque Moreira Stacey Kent The Henry Chinaski’s Ashtray Gao Hong Meklit Hadero Preservation Hall Valkania Blancheneige Bazaar Orchestra Cochemea Gastelum Clothesline Revival SLAM! Sam Baker Miller-Kelton Corin Raymond Gordie Tentrees Cynthia Sayer, Attractions Garage á Trois Allen Toussaint Marco Benevento —  Gurf Morlix, Last Exit to Happyland Ravi Coltrane
BettySoo, Heat Sin Water Skin
Greg Herriges Spookey Ruben Rah Rah Rose Laughlin, The Chicago Sessions The Mindful Bard Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Ries
The Spinney Brothers, 
Jonathan Byrd, The Law and the Lonesome Todd Snider The Handsome Family T@B Jon and Roy Fucked Up Rory Block Sam BakerThe Human Statues Serrons-nous la main The Iguanas Del McCoury The Mindful Bard
T@b
The Gift: A Tribute to Ian Tyson Doctor Sparkles
the Coward Robert Ford
Corb Lund Library Voices Steppin’ In It Shut Up and Sing
Rachael Davis
Cat Power Sam Baker: A Million Shining Things
Sam Baker, Pretty World
Bob Snider Jonathan Coulton
Greg Brown
Ron Hynes The Handsome Family

mindfulbardfilmFILM


Footnote
The Time That Remains Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life The Sunset Limited Mozart’s Sister The ArtistLeaving Eden And Everything Is Going Fine Thunder Soul The Bad Sister in Three Recent Films Certified Copy My Joy Carnage Benda Bilili! Sidewalls Cave of Forgotten Dreams Project Nim A Dangerous Method Portlandia A Somewhat Gentle Man The Mill and the Cross Page One: Inside the New York Times Ken Burns: Prohibition Life in a Day Bal The Trip Submarine Inception Aftershock The Illusionist Metropia Incendies Potiche Rubber Made in Dagenham Public Speaking Another Year Budrus True Grit Soundtrack for a Revolution Mary and Max Ajami Catfish Biutiful The Scenesters Even the Rain Marwencol Daydream Nation House of Memory Waste Land For Colored Girls It’s Kind of a Funny Story Waiting for Superman LebanonHowl Winter’s Bone In A Strange Room Avatar The Man of a Thousand Songs The Lovely Bones (DVD) Defendor The Yes Men Fix the World Watchmen Faubourg 36 Desperately Seeking Brian Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai Heaven on Earth Coraline Séraphine The Wrestler Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson My Winnipeg Adam’s Apples Joseph Gould, An Oral History of Our Time Fugitive Pieces Intervention Dante’s Inferno The Band’s Visit Atonement The Assassination of Jesse James by
the Coward Robert Ford
The Honeydripper An Inconvenient Truth The Great Debaters Sweeney Todd Forgetfulness, in Recent Memory Shut Up and Sing Inland Empire Pan’s Labyrinth For Your Consideration Mile Zero Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles Land of Plenty Ron Hynes – Ron Hynes American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980 –1986

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