Acknowledgements
This book, like the gathering it documents, emerged from the collective efforts of many hands, hearts and minds. While the medium of the written word often transmits an aura of disembodied universality transcending time and space, all writing is the product of the particular context in which it emerged, which leaves a mark as indelible as the terroir of any wine. In the case of this book, that context is the soil of Thailand and the dozens of generous local friends whose hospitality made it possible for us to gather together in celebration and curiosity during the course of this unconference. The Sak Yant (สักยันต์) designs that grace the cover of this book being one marvellous example, arising from the snycretic blend of Indian tantric buddhist yantras with indigenous Thai pre-buddhist animist practices & cosmology. To Professor Prapapat Niyom, Phra Sangkom Khunsiri, Dr. Wiwat Salyakamthorn, Tang Ratnabhanu and all the staff, students, photographers and volunteers at Arsom Silp, Mab Ueng & the Monkversity who hosted us during these beautiful days, I offer the deepest gratitude and the highest praise I am able to give. I am equaly and delightedly indebted to the Ecoversities Alliance facilitation & organizing team – Petra Carman, Gerardo Amaro Lopez, Suzana Nory, Natalie Limwatana, Ana Marica, Manish Jain, Topsi Wansiri, Abampai Ratnabhanu, Alison Asawaroengchai, Rajesh Choudhary, Yeyo Beltran & Ashish Tiwari – for all the tireless work behind the scenes co-ordinating countless moving parts in order to give us a seamless experience of ease that was at times no doubt far from easy. To my author friends who gifted us the words that fill these pages, I extend a joyful bow and a prayer that your gift effect the change we all want to see in the world. To the donors who sponsored the unconference and the work on this publication, I thank you for your commitment to our shared vision and the abundance of transformative collective joy harvested from the fruits of your solidarity.
Siddiq Khan is a proud dropout, an ex-convict, an immigrant hug trafficker, a hope dealer of dubious intent, and a traitor to every government on the planet. The product of a mixed-race union in apartheid South Africa, he was, like many of his compatriots, born a crime. In his free time, he enjoys stealing from the bourgeoisie, trespassing, loitering, and breaking brethren out of prisons. He is an autodidact who ghosted university and apprenticed under the mentorship of anarchist poet & goldsmith Michael Cope. He is a winner of the 2012 Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award. His poetry has been published in The Decolonizer Magazine, New Contrast, Carapace & The Sol Plaatje European Union Anthology. He is the founder of Love Letters Journal, a periodical focused on revolutionary theory. His prose has been published in The Monthly Review, Crimethinc, The Incendiary Times, Revolt Against an Age of Plenty, Dialectical Delinquents, Against Professional Philosophy, Resilience, and The Permaculture Magazine. For the last 10 years he has dedicated himself full-time to the fields of regenerative landcare and applied psychopharmacology, founding the international association Mycosomatic Magic.
