Diana Block was a founding member of San Francisco Women Against Rape and the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee in the 1970’s. She spent thirteen years living underground with a political collective committed to supporting the Puerto Rican independence and Black liberation movements. While underground, she had two children, worked in the AIDS movement, and published poetry under a pseudonym. Since returning voluntarily from clandestinity in 1994, Diana has committed herself to anti-prison work, becoming a founding member of the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (www.womenprisoners.org) and the Jericho Movement for Political prisoners. She is a member of the editorial collective of The Fire Inside newsletter which has been giving voice to women and transgender prisoners since 1996. Her articles have been published in Counterpunch and MR Zine. Diana’s memoir Arm the Spirit-A Woman’s Journey Underground and Back, offered unique insights into her personal and political history. Understanding that fictional narratives can open up windows on the truth beyond the limits of memoir and non-fiction, Diana has written Clandestine Occupations, a novel that explores history imaginatively and speculates about the dimensions of radical possibility in the future. Diana lives in San Francisco with her life partner, former political prisoner Claude Marks.
Check out the Clandestine Occupations Facebook page HERE
Check out Diana’s October East Coast Book Tour Dates HERE
Praise
Clandestine Occupations: An Imaginary History
SKU: 9781629631219
Author: Diana Block
Publisher: PM Press/Spectacular Fiction
ISBN: 9781629631219
Published: 10/2015
Format: Paperback, ePub, mobi, PDF
Size: 5 x 8
Page count: 256
Subjects: Fiction
Praise
“Clandestine Occupations is a triumph of passion and force. A
number of memoirs and other nonfiction works by revolutionaries from
the 1970s and ‘80s, including one by Block herself, have given us
partial pictures of what a committed life, sometimes lived underground,
was like. But there are times when only fiction can really take us
there. A marvelous novel that moves beyond all preconceived categories.”
—Margaret Randall, author of Che on My Mind
“Diana Block creates a vivid and engaging tapestry of how political
passion interweaves with the intricacies of personal relationships. Clandestine Occupations
takes us into the thoughts and feelings of six different women as each,
in her own way, grapples with choices about how to live and act in a
world rife with oppression but also brightened by rays of humanity and
hope.”
—David Gilbert, political prisoner, author of Love and Struggle
“Through this fascinating novel, Diana Block brings to life stories
about radical history that will educate and engage today’s activists.
Her portrayal of a woman in solitary confinement rings true to
experience, offering a raw view of the struggle for resilience under
daunting circumstances. Through flights of imagination, the novel gives
us hope for political transformations in the future.”
—Sarah Shourd, author of A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran
“Diana Block once again challenges our understanding of the ethical
essence of revolution. Beyond political theory and practice, the moral
dilemmas and turmoils are constant and consistent. Where does your
loyalty lie, how does your dedication confront obstacles? These are the
questions found in these pages as Diana searches for a just balance in
human relationships and politics. Clandestine Occupations
captures and occupies the heart and spirit, teaching us what it means to
be genuine and sincere in revolutionary life and love.”
—Jalil Muntaqim, political prisoner, author We Are Our Own Liberators: Selected Prison Writings
Book Events
november, 2024
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Reviews
- Reverberations of Underground Activism
- Clandestine Occupations on Counterpunch
- Puerto Rican Independence Activist Diana Block Discusses Her New Novel
- More Fictional Days of Rage
Interviews
- Accessibility Through Art— Diana Block on KPFA
- Diana Block on Poet to Poet
- Diana Block discusses Clandestine Occupations on Indymedia
- Diana Block speaks to Lani Hannaon Audio Interference 17
Mentions
Blog
- Abolitionist Fantasies: Revisiting the Fictional 2020 of My Novel
- From Freedom Summer to Black August
- Two Wings of the Same Bird – Puerto Rico, Cuba, Hurricanes and Political Prisoners
- Reflections on a Delegation to Imprisoned Palestine
- Rasmea and Oscar: Resisting the Criminalization of Freedom Fighting
- No Sanctuary for Palestinian Scholarship