Sascha Altman DuBrul Photograph of Sascha Altman DuBrul.jpg Background information Birth name Sascha Altman DuBrul Also known as Sascha Scatter Born 1974 Origin New York City Occupations Activist, writer, musician Associated acts Choking Victim Sascha Altman DuBrul, aka Sascha DuBrul or Sascha Scatter, (born 1974) is an American activist, writer, farmer and punk rock musician known as the bass player of the classic 90s ska-punk band Choking Victim. He is the co-founder of The Icarus Project, an international radical community support network and media project, which is actively redefining the language and culture of mental health and illness.[1] He founded the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library (BASIL).[2] He divides his time between the Bay Area and New York City. Contents [hide] 1 Early life 2 Punk Days 3 Traveling Activism 4 Seed Libraries 5 The Icarus Project 6 Tours and Teaching 7 Publications 8 References and footnotes 9 External links Early life[edit] DuBrul was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the son of Anita Altman, the founder and deputy director of the ReelAbilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival.[3][4] His father, Paul DuBrul, was a journalist and speechwriter who died the night before DuBruls Bar Mitzvah.[5] In an interview with the Village Voice, DuBrul described his childhood: I was raised by democratic socialists who believed in electoral politics…but my political education happened amidst the Tompkins Square riots of the late 80s.”[6] In his teens, DuBrul found community among punks and anarchist squatters on the Lower East Side.[4] After graduating from Hunter College High School, he attended Reed College in Portland, Oregon for a year but dropped out after having a psychotic break.[7] In a 2002 article for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, DuBrul wrote: I was 18 years old the first time they locked me up in a psych ward. The police found me walking on the subway tracks in New York City, and I was convinced the world was about to end and I was being broadcast live on prime-time TV on all the channels.”[8] He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.[9] Punk Days[edit] After dropping out of Reed, DuBrul played in the classic ska-punk band Choking Victim.[10] In 1995, he co-organized a traveling punk circus, which he then wrote about in his first book Carnival of Chaos: On the Road With the Nomadic Festival, published by Autonomedia. For eight years, DuBrul wrote a quarterly column for the punk zine Slug and Lettuce.[11] DuBrul has written and lectured about the relationships between punk, activist culture, racial identity, oppression, and privilege.[12] In recent years, his writing has been drawing links between punk rock, Judaism, and the power and complexities of spiritual community.[7] Traveling Activism[edit] In his early twenties, DuBrul traveled to Mexico and Central America and worked with the Zapatista Uprising in Chiapas.[13] Awakened by his experiences in Mexico, he went on to participate in a diverse number of activist projects: from the Earth First! road blockades of the Pacific Northwest, to the fight to save the community gardens in New York City, to the protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle in November 1999.[14] Often DuBrul would travel between activist projects on freight trains. The details of his wanderings across the country and through Mexico often ended up in zines which, according to the Village Voice, combine[d] adventure-travel tales with thoughtful observations about the global economy.”[6] DuBrul was the inspiration for singer Jolie Hollands song Sascha.[15] Seed Libraries[edit] While interning at a CSA farm in British Columbia, DuBrul became fascinated by permaculture and the genetic relationships that arose when domestic crops intermingled with their wild relatives. Having been raised in Manhattan, his urban sensibilities gave him a unique way of thinking about agriculture and the need to revitalize older methods of community seed production.[16] In 2000, he founded the first urban seed lending library: the Bay Area Seed Interchange Library, or BASIL.[17] In an interview with the New York Times, DuBrul said: “An urban seed library is about the relationship between biological and cultural diversity, and people having a direct connection to the seeds that are growing their foods.”[2] BASIL has become a model for other seed libraries across the country, including the Hudson Valley Seed Library.[18] The author Ruth Ozeki drew from DuBrul’s vision of seed activism for her New York Times Notable Book All Over Creation.[19] The Icarus Project[edit] In 2002, DuBrul wrote Bipolar World, an article published in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, relating to his personal experiences being diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Among the dozens of e-mails and other correspondence that he received after this publication was a letter from Jacks Ashley McNamara, an artist and writer who identified strongly with his experiences.[20] DuBrul and McNamara corresponded for a few weeks before finally meeting in person and deciding start a website where people who identified with bipolar and other mental illness could find real community and contribute to it. The Icarus Project was born.[4] The Icarus Project is an online, international radical community support network and media project with over 14,000 participants.[21] It has numerous local groups across North America and has released a number of publications. Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness; A Reader and Roadmap of Bipolar Worlds was published by the Icarus Project in March 2004 and is currently in its 6th printing.[22] Tours and Teaching[edit] Shortly after the Icarus launched, DuBrul embarked on a tour of North America, facilitating workshops and leading discussions on alternative conceptions of mental illness and wellness. After the tour, Dubrul worked with McNamara and other Icarus members to create a guide for creating community support around madness and mental health. This was published under the title Friends Make the Best Medicine.[23] In 2007, DuBrul and a group of fellow Icarus Project members organized the Mad Gifts Tour.[24] As part of this tour, the group visited Virginia Tech soon after the April 16th massacre of 32 students, which stirred controversy about mental health on college campuses.[25] DuBrul toured Europe in 2011, facilitating workshops and giving talks about radical mental health support.[26] During the summers of 2010 and 2012, he co-taught month long seminars at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur.[27] In the Spring of 2013, in conjunction with the release of his book, Maps to the Other Side, DuBrul, along with Icarus Project co-founder Ashley Jacks McNamara, toured the United States giving readings, and conducting workshops and discussions on mental health.[28] Publications[edit] Carnival of Chaos: On the Road With the Nomadic Festival 1996. Autonomedia ISBN 978-1-57027-047-5 El Otro Lado (The Other Side). 1999. Self-published zine. Walking the Edge of Insanity. 2002. Published by The Icarus Project Blinking Red Lights and the Souls of Our Friends. 2003. Self-published zine. Navigating the Space Between Brilliance and Madness; A Reader and Roadmap of Bipolar Worlds. 2004. The Icarus Project. Currently in its 6th printing. Mutant Superpowers & Lithium Pills. 2006. Self-published zine. Maps to The Other Side: the Adventures of A Bipolar Cartographer 2013. Microcosm Publishing References and footnotes[edit] Jump up ^ Happy New Year From The Icarus Project! - Mad In America ^ Jump up to: a b A Seed Library for Heirloom Plants Thrives in the Hudson Valley Jump up ^ Reelabilities: NY Disabilities Film Festival ^ Jump up to: a b c To those who are bipolar, it isnt a disease ? its a gift | recordonline Jump up ^ Paul DuBrul - Fireball of a Dad Died 20 Years Ago ^ Jump up to: a b Portrait of a Protest - Page 3 - News - New York - Village Voice ^ Jump up to: a b “THE OPPOSITE OF BEING DEPRESSED” an interview with Sascha Altman DuBrul | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ The Bipolar World | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ ‘Mad Pride’ Fights a Stigma Jump up ^ Crack Rock Steady - Choking Victim : Credits : AllMusic Jump up ^ Mad Farmer Sascha #87 Jump up ^ video.google/videoplay?docid=2152061687257398524 Jump up ^ El Otro Lado Zine | Microcosm Publishing Jump up ^ Sascha DuBrul of Icarus Project Next Guest on MF Radio — MFIPortal Jump up ^ Crazy for Love: Jolie Holland learns that madness is a matter of perspective.By Chris Parker Published: October 11, 2006 Jump up ^ Cant Hang with the Monocult - Lessons in the Forest | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ BASIL: Bay Area Seed Interchange Library « Ecology Center Jump up ^ Hudson Valley Seed Library : Heirloom Seeds and Contemporary Art Jump up ^ Ruth Ozeki - Description of All Over Creation Jump up ^ Off Their Meds | Feature | Oakland, Berkeley & Bay Area News & Arts Coverage Jump up ^ Icarus Project • Index page Jump up ^ Navigating The Space Between Brilliance And Madness: A Reader & Roadmap of ... - Icarus Project - Google Boeken Jump up ^ Friends Make the Best Medicine: Icarus Support Manual Draft | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ Gravel Angels and the Social Freak Brigade: The Icarus Project Comes to Virginia Tech | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ Weekend America: Mad Pride at Virginia Tech Jump up ^ International Allies- Report Backs 2011 | The Icarus Project Jump up ^ A Collective Human Potential Movement - Mad In America Jump up ^ theicarusproject.net/tour2013 External links[edit] DuBruls 2002 article for the SF Bay Guardian about his experiences with bipolar Interview with DuBrul on Madness Radio Interview with DuBrul on Alpine Anarchist DuBruls blog at Mad in America * DuBrul at the Anarchist Book Fair presenting The Secret Life of White People. DuBrul speaking at the American Association of Community Psychiatrists Convention in March, 2012 Categories: Mental health activistsPeople with bipolar disorder1974 birthsLiving people
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 06:51:31 +0000
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