The Permanent Carnival

"The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed." (Steve Biko) Mitchel Cohen's poems -- loaded with insight as well as incite -- seek to deny the oppressor that weapon. Mitchel Cohen lives in "The People's Republic of Brooklyn." He is a member of the Brooklyn Greens/Green Party, and for many years made his living (such as it is) selling his poems in the subways. He was a founding member of the Red Balloon Collective and its "poetry conspiracy" at SUNY Stony Brook in 1969 and edited its journal through the decades. Cohen was one of the "Lib-er-ty Bell 7," arrested for demanding free-dom for political pri-son-ers Mumia Abu-Jamal and Leonard Peltier. He co-founded and coordinates the No Spray Coalition against toxic pesticides, works with NY State Against Genetic Engineering, Chairs the WBAI Local Station Board (99.5 FM), and broadcasts a weekly internet radio show, "Steal This Radio" at www.nytalkradio.net.