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Website Title: Anitra L. Freeman, Poet & Activist
Proprietor: Anitra L. Freeman

I am currently a freelance
writer and activist in Seattle
Washington, with a background
that includes growing up with a
manic depressive and alcoholic
mother, 20 years in the
computer field, a lifetime
disrupted by my own
unrecognized manic depression,
and four months in a homeless
shelter -- during which I did
find treatment, and began life
all over again. I began being
able to complete projects,
maintain relationships, and
build a community -- I also
began exploring the Internet,
as part of one of my projects,
working with the Homeless
Women's Network.

The first line of my first
webpage was "Home is where the
heart is. These are the
projects where I live." That
first webpage was all about my
projects -- which I still think
is valid, because what I pour
my heart into *is* me. But
since then I have added a
biography (which is also
interlaced with links to good,
non-stereotype information on
everything of importance to me
from bipolar disorder to
Guinness); some photos (and
fancy tricks with photos);
samples of my own art (handmade
paper and computer graphics);
samples of my writing
(including poetry, fiction,
essays, speeches and book
reviews); and a list, happily
growing, of other places on the
Net that I've been published.
I have a guestbook with
sign-ins from very interesting
sites as well, and a list of
activist, writers-resource and
other sites of interest so
extensive that several other
activists and homeless groups
have linked to my link page.

And an ever-growing list of
projects. Many of these have
spun off onto their own
websites on different servers,
but since I created and
maintain them and refer to the
whole as "Anitra's Colony of
the Web", I'm going to
introduce them as all part of
"my site":

StreetWrites: a workshop for
homeless and low-income
writers, which I began locally,
has grown to include an online
workshop with members from
other parts of the country, two
websites publishing the work of
workshop members, a webring
including the homepages of
workshop members, and an Online
Open Mic open to all visitors.

Singing Bears, A Home for
Activist Art: linking and
promoting all those using the
creative arts for social
change. This site includes
posting of collaborative works;
links to extensive activist,
resource, and creative art
sites; a webring of Activist
Art; and an Online Forum for
posting your own activist art
contributions and commentary.

StreetLife Gallery: "the home
for homeless art" in Seattle
Washington is a self-managed
program of homeless and
formerly homeless artists
making workspace and materials
available for anyone who wants
to create and otherwise would
not be able to. It is
creativity that gives us our
heart and our strength. This
site introduces art and artists
from the Gallery, promotes the
work of the Gallery, offers for
sale art and several services
including graphic design and
webpage authoring, and also
offers free graphics and
seasonal greeting cards.

Real Change Homeless Speakers
Bureau introduces a group of
homeless and formerly homeless
public speakers who put a human
face on homelessness and
poverty by sharing our
experiences and hope. Besides
information on the speakers and
how to book them, the site
includes links to speakers
resources; a webring for public
speaking websites; a
compilation of guides to using
the Web; and a forum on
promoting your webpage and/or
webring.

SHARE: Seattle Housing and
Resource Effort, is a
self-managed system of homeless
shelters and other resources.
This site includes SHARE's
newest effort, the BunkHouse, a
50-person capacity building
that provides the first shelter
space in Seattle for night
workers; and SHARE's Conflict
Resolution class and links to
other conflict resolution
sites. SHARE also hosts: the
Power Ring, a webring of sites
improving life for marginalized
groups who include the people
being helped in the management
of the program; a webring and
discussion group for promoting
nonprofit community-service
organizations; a webring for
promoting affordable housing
organizations; and a webring of
homeless shelter and resource
information. I am a board
member of SHARE and currently
President. (Which does not mean
I get any extra voice or vote;
I just get to sign legal papers
and chair meetings. It is a
conspiracy to try to keep me
from talking so much, however,
nobody but me thinks it's
working very well.) I began
this site -- but other members,
several in their teens, assist
me now. I am transferring my
skills, which is part of the
program of self-management. We
can now offer free webpage help
and webpage hosting to other
homeless and nonprofit persons
or groups.

WHEEL: Women's Housing and
Enhancement League, is a sister
organization within SHARE,
focusing on the difficulties of
homeless women. Like SHARE,
WHEEL is self-managed and
non-hierarchical, and although
I began this site it now has
contributions from many
members.

In Memoriam: an online
memorial to those who have died
homeless, where visitors can
leave their own testimonial.
All posts are shared with
groups across the country who
hold memorial services making
the invisible dead visible.
May this one day be history,
and no one ever again die
homeless.

October22x3: Outcreate the
Destroyers, is a site
organizing the local Seattle
efforts in support of the
national October 22nd Coalition
to Stop Police Brutality, and
opposing all forms of
institutionalized violence with
poems, art, and the creative
spirit. This site also hosts a
presentation of injustices
against American immigrants,
with a forum for discussing
Immigrant Rights.

Free Minds Online presents the
Q Campaign, calling for
responsible reporting on the
Internet -- where we are *all*
the media, and we must *all*
learn to evaluate information
and report it responsibly.
Don't just question authority
-- question everything. This
site includes a forum for
discussing such issues, and
links to other sites dedicated
to accurate information on the
Internet. If you believe
someone has published an
inaccurate story, and you can
cite source documentation to
prove it, post it here.

Kalliope is an online email
workshop I created for
practicing the techniques of
poetry, from rhythm to extended
metaphor, by practical
exercises and exchanging
feedback with others. Many of
the exercises are also posted
on the Kalliope website, along
with an extensive list of
poetry references and
resources. Kalliope and
StreetWrites have both been
featured in the Poetry section
of The Mining Company.

And my FUN site -- Thalia, Muse
of Comedy: an unorthodox
biography of the first goddess
of parody, with original humor
by an off-duty activist (me)
plus contributions from several
friends and selections of the
classics circulating on the
Internet. As a public service,
I am attempting to compile a
complete list of Why Did the
Chicken Cross the Road? And as
your own public service, you
can Save America's Vanishing
Frompers by recommending a
website that promotes wonder
and imagination.

Write On!
Anitra

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