About Rob Couteau:
Positive reviews of Rob Couteaus books have appeared in the Midwest Book Review, Publishers Weekly Select, and Barney Rossets Evergreen Review. In 1985 he won the North American Essay Award, a competition sponsored by the American Humanist Association. His work as a critic, interviewer, and social commentator has been featured in books such as Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Love in the Time of Cholera by Thomas Fahy, Conversations with Ray Bradbury edited by Steven Aggelis, Ghetto Images in Twentieth-Century American Literature by Tyrone R. Simpson, and David Cohens Forgotten Millions, a book about the homeless mentally ill. Over one-hundred selections of his poetry and prose have appeared in over forty-five periodicals. Couteaus interviews include conversations with Ray Bradbury, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Justin Kaplan, Last Exit to Brooklyn author Hubert Selby, Simon & Schuster editor Michael Korda, LSD discoverer Dr. Albert Hofmann, Picassos model and muse Sylvette David, Nabokov biographer Robert Roper, social activist and music producer Danny Goldberg, poet and publisher Ed Foster, and Puppetmasters author Philip Willan.
Critical acclaim for Portraits from the Revolution :
Most American readers will harbor a prior, casual familiarity with the Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 based on newspaper headlines and events of the times; but for a more in-depth survey of the philosophies, approaches, and concerns of the protests, Portraits from the Revolution: Interviews with the Protestors from Occupy Wall Street, 30 September - 8 October 2011 is the item of choice, offering unprecedented depth and detail on the history and lasting impact of the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Rob Couteau conducted a series of interviews with movement leaders; and while one might think the contents of these pieces would have been reported by the media - they were not. Its also important to note that Portraits from the Revolution remains the only in-depth text interview of participants that is available: so if readers wish to gain more than a casual news reports insights, Portraits from the Revolution is the item of choice.
Chapters explore not just each individuals actions, but their backgrounds, reasons for participating in Occupy Wall Street, and their experiences, and offers criticism of media reporting of the movements history, intentions, and approaches. From how participants decided to react to violent antagonism against the Occupy movement to the social and political ramifications of not just Occupy but the elements it opposed, these interviews capture participants from all walks of life, from teens to full-time workers, and turns the newspaper reports into a series of personal vignettes about Occupys deeper meaning.
Any who would better understand the events and the meaning behind news reports must turn to Portraits from the Revolution for a clearer vision of the why and how of the times.
Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review.
Portraits from the Revolution
Interviews with the Protestors from Occupy Wall Street, 30 September 8 October 2011
Also by Rob Couteau:
Doctor Pluss
Collected Couteau
The Sleeping Mermaid
More Collected Couteau
ROB COUTEAU
Portraits from the Revolution
Interviews with the Protestors from Occupy Wall Street, 30 September 8 October 2011
DOMINANTSTAR
Dominantstar, New York.
Copyright 2011, 2016 by Rob Couteau. All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form without written permission from the author.
First edition. Second printing. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 02
Special thanks to Barney Rosset for featuring chapter two from this collection (To Crush a Butterfly on the Wheel of a Tank) in the Evergreen Review. Other excerpts from this collection have appeared in a slightly altered and abridged form in Occupy the Press and Occupy Wall Street Poetry Anthology.
Cover photo by Rob Couteau.
Dominantstar LLC:
www.dominantstarpublications.com/
Authors web site:
www.robcouteau.com/
ISBN 978-0-9966888-0-2
For Kaylee Dedrick,
and for all the victims of police abuse
Contents
Interviews with the Occupy Wall Street Protestors, 30 September 2011
In their own words, here are a few of the dedicated men and women who have sacrificed their time and energy to provoke change in America.
While the major media continues to put words into their mouths and to spin the story every which way, this is the only lengthy text interview of actual participants that is currently available online.
Beyond any political analysis or interpretation, the most notable thing about all this is the unique atmosphere that has been created in a small park in New York. As you descend the broad marble steps into the partially sunken esplanade, you feel as if youre entering a place far away from the hectic, frenetic, anonymous atmosphere of the city. The sincerity, devotion, and generosity of these young protestors is contagious. This is the Woodstock of our time: on a much smaller scale, yet one that will certainly grow as it spreads across the country.
By incarnating the spirit of a more just and vital America, they have already accomplished something that no one can take away, distort, or destroy. This represents a new historical stepping stone, and it will serve as a focal point for all those who care enough to fight for real change.
4 October 2011
I arrived for my first visit to Liberty Plaza on Friday, 30 September: the fourteenth day of the occupation. Upon entering the park, I noticed two young women, Pearl and her friend Willa, seated on a mattress and politely answering questions from passersby.
Rob Couteau: Where are you from?
Pearl: Queens.
RC: And why are you here today?
Pearl: Im here because I want to join the cause and to move toward having an actual democracy instead of an oligarchy: that the rich rule the majority of the people instead of the people ruling themselves. And thats whats happening. Im not trying to be some sort of anarchist. I just want regular people like you and me who actually have ideas and want to better the society to have a shot at being on the top. Instead of, you know, you might not know much, but, if you have a lot of money, thats how you get the success you get.
RC: How old are you?
Pearl: Im seventeen.
RC: Is this your first protest?
Pearl: Yes.
RC: There are so many university students in New York. Where are they? Why arent they here? There should be tens of thousands of people here.
Pearl: There should be, absolutely. I dont think the country wants to admit that theres a serious problem. And other countries know whats going on; other countries are supporting us. But I think our country should really start coming together. There are other Occupy places. In D.C. for example
RC: Its in over sixty cities now.
Willa: Yes. Also, were young. We have many more years that were going to be here. And its going to be getting worse and worse unless we do something.
Pearl: And we dont want it to get worse. We want it to get better. When I graduate college, its going to be one job to every twelve people, and thats because of the economy. Thats because of the people that are actually ruling the country. They have no idea what theyre doing.
