I'm finally returning to finish Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States," and it's exhilarating to learn of all these social movements and rebellions I've never heard of. Like unwrapping gifts of possibility. Also very painful. Recently, the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army had a training in Charlottesville, and a gaggle of "clownvassers" visited low income "minority" neighborhoods to register people for the upcoming Dialogue on Race. It was wonderful to share some of these beloved skills with new friends here, and it opened up a real sense of possibility. Charlottesville is surprisingly alive with all kinds of rebellious and progressive politics. An urban communitarian network of cooperative anarchists, various neighborhood associations focused on mutual aid and autonomy in the legacy of the civil rights movement, various artists and writers working creatively for social change, tons of non-profits, a new popular education center forming in the countryside near here, a new age book shop that runs a prison books project, a blossoming local food movement with transition town potential, engaged buddhism, environmental negotiation, bicycle activists, clowns without borders, a city government supporting a race and reconciliation project embracing action for change, and the list goes on... It's exciting. I still often have the urge to flee (wrought from my conditioned transience), but I think we have a good thing going on in this place. An idea is percolating to band with others and create a cooperative for mapping cville projects and alliances and then offering capacity-building process and storytelling training -- playback theatre, theatre of the oppressed, oral history, ethnography, writing, documentary... I feel more connected than ever to the sense of value in acting locally, but also strategically and holistically. Perhaps it's Howard Zinn's storytelling, tales of brave folks coming together in relation to their circumstances. Women walking out of mills to stop the overseer from turning back the clock.