Dark Times Academy

Image one description: Picture of the PAPA logo with the following white text above the logo on top of a black and red background: "PAPA Mobilisation Prisoners Clothing Protest 1PM 16 November Auckland Region Womens Correction Facility 20 Hautu Drive, Wiri, Manukau City Help Fight For Better! www.papa.org.nz"

Image two description: Picture of an artistic depiction of a clothes line with the following white text on top of a red and black background and next to the PAPA logo: "Our Demands: - A minimum standard of providing clothing for prisoners. - Corrections to follow their own regulations around providing clothing to prisoners - Halt all prison expansions. - All prisoners to be provided appropriate and hygenic supplies. Tāmaki Makaurau | 16 November"

Image three description: Picture of an artistic depiction of clothes in front of Māori iconography and with a broken chain and the PAPA logo around both, with the following pink text around the picture and on top of a red and brown background: "Prisoner Clothing Protest Dignity For Victims of Dispossessive Colonial Accumulation Fund Our Future Not Incarceration Invest In The Classroom, Not the Cell Block Minimum Standards Of Care For Prisoners Now! Halt All Megaprison Expansions! November 16th 1pm Outside Auckland Regional Women's Corrections Facility 20 Hautu Drive, Wiri, Manukau City"

Image four description: Picture of a poster by Min Iles that contains the following text surrounded by chains and locks: ""Clothing or footwear that is provided by the prison must be adequate for safety, warmth, comfort and health." - Corrections Regulations 20025, Clause 68 (In others words, THE LAW)"

People Against Prisons Aotearoa invites you to support us in calling on the Department of Corrections to give people in prisons appropriate clothing and hygienic supplies on Sunday 16 November from 1PM outside Auckland Region Womens Corrections Facility. www.facebook.com/events/68706...

Get people in prison the basic supplies they are legally entitled to The Department of Corrections is failing to provide basic necessities like hygienic bedding, underwear, socks, shoes and thermals. This is a breach of human rights and a failure to care for those in s...

If you can't attend the protest, then please sign our petition calling on the Department of Corrections to provide prisoners the basic supplies they're legally entitled to: our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/ge...

The Dark Times Academy Reading Room is a gathering place for sharing ideas, imagining a brighter future, a place to plot a better world, and it's welcoming to everyone!

We open the space every other week to people from all over the world to just talk. No cost, it's just a place to talk.

Come join us this weekend! It should be a lovely chill time to talk about the world, art, and what going on with everyone!

Introducing the Movement for Black Lives Issue Takeover Lessons on building collective power.

A fantastic @darktimesacademy.bsky.social Direct Action! class today with the incredible Chinyere Tutashinda as our guest lecturer. She left us feeling hopeful and energized and beyond grateful. You can read some of her work here:

A super cool part of this is that the job is part-time, so I can keep running @darktimesacademy.bsky.social AND making pots!

It's part-time, so we will keep on running cool classes and supporting our students and instructors because times remain dark.

Even if @narwhallibrarian.bsky.social is starting a super cool new role.

a drawing of a woman reading a book with the name nk-illustrates Alt: a drawing of a woman reading a book with the name nk-illustrates

It's break week at DTA and we are curling up with a great book, some lovely tea, and all the pets 🐈‍⬛🐕🦎🦜🐁

See you all next week for more fabulous conversation with our students and guests.

We had so much fun in Direct Action! class today with Joel Bellman!

Thanks to Joel for coming along and talking about his work reporting on Lyndon LaRouche and his movement--and the days when Nixon was as bad as anyone could imagine. 😱

Dark Times Academy Reading Room RSVP Please use this form to RSVP for the Dark Times Academy Reading Room

Oh and we have another Reading Room coming up this weekend if anyone is keen to pop by and talk about the state of the world or just hang out and make some cool art together!

Check your local time here: www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/f...

RSVP to get the link!
forms.gle/HiezQLT6rMkT...

Amazing Making Hope class with @ketanjoshi.co today!

Thanks so much for joining us and hanging out for a bit.

Lots of talk about renewables, solutions that aren't going to work, and how we can all communicate better about climate.

Plus! We had a BABY visit and a dog and even a kitty!

a cartoon of alice from alice in wonderland saying " thank you " Alt: a cartoon of alice from alice in wonderland saying " thank you "

Wonderful conversation today with @paolobacigalupi.bsky.social today in our Vision class!

Thanks so much for joining and to all of our amazing students!

a cartoon cat is saying thank you with hearts surrounding it . Alt: a cartoon cat is saying thank you with hearts surrounding it .

So great to welcome @stopgenai.com to our Direct Action class today!

It was a ✨fabulous✨ conversation for all!

Thanks Kim!

Collage of colourful radishes on a brown background.

And if you aren't already signed up, please subscribe to our newsletter for updates, new class announcements--and sometimes even pots and painting from @narwhallibrarian.bsky.social

This week's newsletter features one of her collage pieces, Radishes.

And if you missed our newsletter this week, give it a read to learn about the new site and what we've been up to in class!

Home - Dark Times Academy Welcome to Dark Times. These are hard times for those of us who love learning for the joy of learning and teaching for the joy of teaching.

So a while back Owen Savage reached out and offered to design a new website for us--and we said YES!

So we are extremely pleased to announce that we have a new website!

Thanks so much to Owen for his work on this--we love the new look!

it's time again! Pop your name in (or reach out via email or DM!) if you want to join us tomorrow!

Our Vision class just had the loveliest conversation with @clairegcoleman.bsky.social about her writing, art criticism, and lobbing empathy bombs!

Thanks Claire for joining us and thanks to our students!

It's working again! 🎉

Thanks @transform6789.bsky.social for joining our Direct Action! class today--it was so lovely to have you along!

Phenomenal class 💜

Hey all!

Our website is down at the moment--we are hopeful the internet fairies get it up and working soon for us!

Mandy Henk with the Dark Times Academy owl to start her slideshow.

Things are great and the problem is solved! Not.

The mugs ARE very nice and I think you should buy a mug. About $40 plus maybe shipping? says Mandy but she is not good at business also the mugs are heavy, please buy them now.

The #LIANZA2025 presentation by @narwhallibrarian.bsky.social on the state of <flails hands> was both hilarious and sobering. Despite initial appearances, disinformation is not fixed, money to do so is drying up, and @darktimesacademy.bsky.social is fundraising with mugs.

Keen to join? There's still time to sign up and meet some of the best science fiction authors writing today!

We had a ✨fabulous✨ start to our Direct Action! class!

Our students are always so kind and lovely and inspiring 💜

Can't wait to do it again next week!

It is wildly irresponsible for political orgs to gather PPI up and then not have a clear plan for what they will do to keep people safe when the government comes knocking.

We have almost no money, and yet we at @darktimesacademy.bsky.social still managed to keep people safe when the request came.

VISION IMAGINING THE FUTURE How can we let go of the world as it is to bring about the world we want? To build the future of our dreams, we must first imagine it. But how can we do the work of letting go of what is to explore what might be? And how can we work together to ensure that others share our vision and that our vision makes space for everyone? This class will bring together some of the best writers of our time to explore how they do the work of imagination and of creating vision. What does it take to be bold and imagine a different kind of future - and how can we all work towards contributing to a powerful vision of a different kind of future? JOIN US ON ZOOM. REGISTER AT: https://imaginingthefuture.lilregie.com 19 SEPT - 14 NOV DARKTIMESACADEMY.CO.NZ FACILITATORS: THE DA TEAM GUEST SPEAKERS: Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Paolo Bacigalupi, Monica Byrne, Claire Coleman ... and more!

Vision: Imagining the Future (19 Sept – 14 Nov)

Join with socially aware science fiction writers to explore how they do the work of imagination and creating vision - Annalee Newitz, Charlie Jane Anders, Paolo Bacigalupi, Monica Byrne & Claire Coleman.

Register here: imaginingthefuture.l...

Making Hope had a lovely first class!

So wonderful to meet everyone and start the class!

Our first class of the term is about to start!

Super excited to meet everyone 🎉

Finally looked at our student lists today and we have SO MAY returning students!

I am so incredibly excited to be welcoming back so many wonderful learners to our classes 💜

There's still time to sign up for our Direct Action class!

If you're on the fence or not sure what our classes are like, give this a watch to get acclimated and get to know us!