“The long-standing image of the lonely artist wasting away in obscure isolation is a bit overdone. Not all artists are recognized; some are probably lonely. But the fact is that most of us, in many fields of art, do not work alone. We are one part of a collaboration that…

It has come around again. Today in 1992, I took to the podium at the Republican National Convention and spoke my truth in the face of the AIDS Crisis. The words I shared then continue to ring true today and on this year’s anniversary I’d like to share the following excerpt from “A Whisper of AIDS”: I have a message for you: It is not you who should feel shame, it is we. We who tolerate ignorance and practice prejudice, we who have taught you to fear. We must lift our shroud of silence, making it safe for you to reach out for compassion. It is our task to seek safety for our children, not in quiet denial but in effective action.

“I’m living proof that we do not need to suffer the fear that life has no meaning, that we have no value. I’ve had the feeling, but I’ve also learned the distinction between subjective feelings and objective facts. Objectively, life has meaning. Therefore, so do you. You matter. …

You were made for a purpose. Go. Serve. Heal, and be healed, in grace and in peace. From “Learning to be Healed”, a speech given by Mary Fisher Birmingham, AL — May 17, 2015

“I never want to say that I love art more than I love anything else, because it isn’t true. I love my children, and I would give up my art for them. But were I forced to make that trade, my sons would have a hollow, mute mother. When I…

“I don’t know what I’ve done for the world of art, but I know what art has done for me. It has given me a voice with which I can speak about the unspeakable — that which is too mean for language, and that which is too glorious for words…

I’ve wondered lately if I’m the only one who feels like language is failing us. We have words — Lord knows, we have lots and lots of words. But when we string them together in sentences I’m not certain they say anything. Take “democracy,” for example. Donald Trump wants to…

I should have known it all along but, for some reason, it has always eluded me. I knew that watching the news did not foster a sense of informed awareness. Even the local channels’ evening broadcasts could raise my blood pressure twenty points. Part of what drives my anxiety when…

Thank you@nycaidsmemorial. I’m honored to be remembered and the fight continues.