I am working on a manifesto.

I have decided to immerse myself in the concept.  To journal it out.  To look at the history of the manifesto.  What it means to write one.  To look at the classics.

The first obvious one that comes to mind for me, personally, is the S.C.U.M. Manifesto by Valerie Solanas:

It’s a radical, troubling piece, the message inseparable from Valerie’s history of childhood trauma and mental illness, but it is a powerful piece in its style and declaration.

Valerie Jean Solanas (April 9, 1936 – April 25, 1988) was an American radical feminist writer who is best known for herassassination attempt on artist Andy Warhol. Born in New Jersey, Solanas said that she was the victim of sexual abuse by her father; and, after her parents’ divorce, she had a volatile relationship with her mother and stepfather as a teenager with her unruly behavior. As a consequence, she was sent to live with her grandparents. Her alcoholic grandfather physically abused her and Solanas ran away and became homeless. She came out as a lesbian in the 1950s. She graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Solanas relocated to Berkeley, California. There, she began writing her most notable work, the SCUM Manifesto, which urged women to “overthrow the government, eliminate the money system, institute complete automation and eliminate the male sex.” [SOURCE]

I am fascinated by the notes Valerie added to the book:

Warhol’s Assailant Left Another Mark, on a Library Book

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