Here is another submission on the topic of oppression as it relates to your life by Edward Michael Supranowicz! Edward is the grandson of Irish and Russian/Ukrainian immigrants. He grew up on a small farm in Appalachia. He has a grad background in painting and printmaking. Some of his artwork has recently or will soon appear in Fish Food, Streetlight, Another Chicago Magazine, The Door Is a Jar, The Phoenix, and other journals. Edward is also a published poet who has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize multiple times.

He says about his piece, “false smiles are themselves oppressive and usually given as a “gift” by those who oppress.”

Thank you Edward for this wonderful submission. It has already given me a lot to think about as I analyze the impact of not being authentic. I would love to know what questions, feelings, thoughts are arising from all of you as we continue to dive deeper into this project. Feel free to send your submissions to me at ishvaraconnections@gmail.com. Lets use this project as a way to broaden our horizons on the topic of oppression and open up conversations; feel free to message me about what is arising or post your thoughts in the comments section.

Mahalo,

Rylee