The diameter of the bomb

"I support the freedom to educate oneself, the freedom to pursue one's own interest, to follow one' own curiosity, without risk to life and limb, nor the life and limb of one's children and parents. I saw in Al-Mutanabbi Street a striving towards that freedom. I cannot pretend to understand what is happening or why. I don't know how to place a value on that freedom in order to know at what point the cost is too high. Death and Life are both huge. Generations of freedom into the future are huge. The pain of being wounded, living in constant fear, grieving for a lost child, a father, a mother, a lover, is huge. The ability to raise your children and grandchildren with all of the hope for the best education and opportunity the world can offer is huge. In this poem, the violence of the bomb blast reaches to infinity. Freedom to pursue happiness and develop one's ideas and passions can do that, too. For me, this raises questions related to book burning, suppression, and quality of life without freedoms. 'Who thought it was a good idea to blow up Mutanabbi Street, and why?'"--Bill Denham's statement from The Arthur & Mata Jaffe Center for Book Arts (viewed June 22, 2015).

"Kim Vanderheiden is the owner and creative director of Painted Tongue Studios, including the letterpress shop, Painted Tongue Press, and the Painted Tongue Community, a resource for Oakland area artists"--Statement from the artist's personal website (viewed June 22, 2015).