Dennis Bernstein
Encyclopedia
Dennis Bernstein is producer and co-host of the radio news program, Flashpoints Radio
on Pacifica Radio
. Flashpoints originates from Pacifica Radio's flagship radio station, KPFA
, listener-sponsored, noncommercial FM radio that is also carried on the Internet.
in New York City.
Four hours after the broadcast, and after a talk with then Berkeley Chief of Police, Butler Yeats, Bernstein was arrested. It is unclear what Bernstein was charged with and what was the outcome of that case. Cynthia Cotts, the media reporter at the Village Voice described the dispute with Mary Frances Berry
who then chaired the Pacifica national board.
KPFA supporters Alice Walker
, the late June Jordan
, Joan Baez
, Michael Franti
, Michael Moore
, the late Grace Paley
, United Farm Workers of America founder Dolores Huerta
, Ani DiFranco
, and others rallied to oppose the sale of the listener-supported radio stations. KPFA listener-members removed the board that had considered the sale and the two radio stations were not sold.
, ZZYZYVA, and The New York Quarterly
. Bernstein's poem, Getting Tough, appeared in The New York Quarterly best-of anthology, issue 26, edited by William M. Packard.
Bernstein worked with Packard to record most of Packard's plays, including Ty Cobb.
Bernstein also worked closely with the late poet and biographer Muriel Rukeyser
. Bernstein founded the Muriel Rukeyser Center for the Arts in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn
, New York
a place where Rukeyser said people had “the opportunity to experience the arts where they live and work.” In this context, Bernstein also aired the Muriel Rukeyser reading series, On the Air, which featured interviews with Rukeyser, Robert Bly
, Grace Paley
, Denise Levertov
, Audre Lorde
, Quincy Troupe
, and Gregory Orr
.
Bernstein also produced a series of portrait documentaries of poets including Packard and Rukeyser for the New Letters On the Air national radio show.
Bernstein's books with author Warren Lehrer, French Fries and Grrrhhhh: A Study of Social Patterns are a part of the special books collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre in Paris. French Fries was featured and performed at the International Book Art Festival. Grrrhhhh was visualized as a production at the Dance Theater Workshop
of New York City.
Bernstein's poetry chapbook, Particles of Light, accompanied a traveling exhibition of woodcuts depicting family life in everyday America. The poems were greeted positively by the New York Times.
Bernstein's essays and writing have appeared in publications such as The Nation
, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News
, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Jose Mercury News
, Dallas Morning News, Vibe, Helicon Nine Reader, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The London Observer, Utne Reader
, Mother Jones
, San Francisco Chronicle
, Kyoto Journal, Spin
, The Progressive, and The Village Voice.
His essays and poetry have been anthologized in The Shape of the Century, Health and Society, Appeal to Reason
, the Helicon Nine Reader, and Spud Songs.
He wrote a blues opera, Ann at 94, with singer/songwriter Biaja Solomon.
He has spoken at the University of California at Berkeley, City University of New York, Columbia University, Rutgers University, University of California Santa Cruz, Claremont College, New York University, The New School and Sonoma State University.
He is the recipient of the Art of Peace Award, the International Service Journalism Award from Friends World College, a Golden Reel from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters
, and six Project Censored
awards for investigative reporting.
Bernstein's radio program, Flashpoints, offers extensive coverage of the Palestinian refugee camps.
Journalist Robert Fisk
quoted Bernstein in the 9 July 2002 edition of The Independent
of London as saying: “Any US journalist, columnist, editor, college professor, student-activist, public official or clergy member who dares to speak critically of Israel or accurately report the brutalities of its illegal occupation will be vilified as an anti-Semite."
Flashpoints (radio program)
Flashpoints is a daily investigative news and public affairs program broadcast weekdays at 5 p.m. PST on Pacifica Radio station KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California...
on Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...
. Flashpoints originates from Pacifica Radio's flagship radio station, KPFA
KPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
, listener-sponsored, noncommercial FM radio that is also carried on the Internet.
Stopping the sale of two radio stations
Bernstein was arrested on July 13, 1999 after airing a report on Flashpoints revealing that a new board had been considering the sale of KPFA and Pacifica's sister station WBAIWBAI
WBAI, a part of the Pacifica Radio Network, is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, broadcasting at 99.5 FM in New York City.Its programming is leftist/progressive, and a mixture of political news and opinion from a leftist perspective, tinged with aspects of its complex and varied...
in New York City.
Four hours after the broadcast, and after a talk with then Berkeley Chief of Police, Butler Yeats, Bernstein was arrested. It is unclear what Bernstein was charged with and what was the outcome of that case. Cynthia Cotts, the media reporter at the Village Voice described the dispute with Mary Frances Berry
Mary Frances Berry
Mary Frances Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania and the former chairwoman of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She is also the former board chair of Pacifica Radio...
who then chaired the Pacifica national board.
KPFA supporters Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
, the late June Jordan
June Jordan
June Millicent Jordan was a Caribbean American poet, novelist, journalist, biographer, dramatist, teacher and committed activist...
, Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Michael Franti
Michael Franti
Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer. He is the creator and lead vocalist of Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock...
, Michael Moore
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore is an American filmmaker, author, social critic and activist. He is the director and producer of Fahrenheit 9/11, which is the highest-grossing documentary of all time. His films Bowling for Columbine and Sicko also place in the top ten highest-grossing documentaries...
, the late Grace Paley
Grace Paley
Grace Paley was an American-Jewish short story writer, poet, and political activist.-Biography:Grace Paley was born in the Bronx to Isaac and Manya Ridnyik Goodside, who anglicized the family name from Gutseit on immigrating from Ukraine. Her father was a doctor. The family spoke Russian and...
, United Farm Workers of America founder Dolores Huerta
Dolores Huerta
Dolores C. Huerta is the co-founder and First Vice President Emeritus of the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO , and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.-Early life:...
, Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is an American Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, poet, and songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums, and is widely considered a feminist icon.-Biography:...
, and others rallied to oppose the sale of the listener-supported radio stations. KPFA listener-members removed the board that had considered the sale and the two radio stations were not sold.
Poet
Bernstein writes poetry, which has appeared in The Texas Observer, The ProgressiveThe Progressive
The Progressive is an American monthly magazine of politics, culture and progressivism with a pronounced liberal perspective on some issues. Known for its pacifism, it has strongly opposed military interventions, such as the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. The magazine also devotes much coverage...
, ZZYZYVA, and The New York Quarterly
New York Quarterly
The New York Quarterly is a popular contemporary American poetry magazine. Established by William M. Packard in 1969, Rolling Stone Magazine has called the NYQ "the most important poetry magazine in America."- History :...
. Bernstein's poem, Getting Tough, appeared in The New York Quarterly best-of anthology, issue 26, edited by William M. Packard.
Bernstein worked with Packard to record most of Packard's plays, including Ty Cobb.
Bernstein also worked closely with the late poet and biographer Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser
Muriel Rukeyser was an American poet and political activist, best known for her poems about equality, feminism, social justice, and Judaism...
. Bernstein founded the Muriel Rukeyser Center for the Arts in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
a place where Rukeyser said people had “the opportunity to experience the arts where they live and work.” In this context, Bernstein also aired the Muriel Rukeyser reading series, On the Air, which featured interviews with Rukeyser, Robert Bly
Robert Bly
Robert Bly is an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.-Life:Bly was born in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, to Jacob and Alice Bly, who were of Norwegian ancestry. Following graduation from high school in 1944, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving...
, Grace Paley
Grace Paley
Grace Paley was an American-Jewish short story writer, poet, and political activist.-Biography:Grace Paley was born in the Bronx to Isaac and Manya Ridnyik Goodside, who anglicized the family name from Gutseit on immigrating from Ukraine. Her father was a doctor. The family spoke Russian and...
, Denise Levertov
Denise Levertov
-Early life and influences:Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Essex.Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, p74 Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, came from a small mining village in North Wales...
, Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde was a Caribbean-American writer, poet and activist.-Life:...
, Quincy Troupe
Quincy Troupe
Quincy Thomas Troupe, Jr., , is a poet, editor, journalist-Early life:The son of Negro League baseball catcher Quincy Trouppe , Troupe Jr. attended Grambling State University on a baseball scholarship...
, and Gregory Orr
Gregory Orr
Gregory Orr is an American writer and director of documentary and fiction films. He is the son of the late actress Joy Page and the late TV producer William T. Orr.-Career:...
.
Bernstein also produced a series of portrait documentaries of poets including Packard and Rukeyser for the New Letters On the Air national radio show.
Bernstein's books with author Warren Lehrer, French Fries and Grrrhhhh: A Study of Social Patterns are a part of the special books collections of the Museum of Modern Art and the Louvre in Paris. French Fries was featured and performed at the International Book Art Festival. Grrrhhhh was visualized as a production at the Dance Theater Workshop
Dance Theater Workshop
Dance Theater Workshop, colloquially known as DTW, is a New York City performance space and service organization for dance companies. Located as 219 West 19th Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, DTW was founded in 1965 by Jeff Duncan, Art Bauman and...
of New York City.
Bernstein's poetry chapbook, Particles of Light, accompanied a traveling exhibition of woodcuts depicting family life in everyday America. The poems were greeted positively by the New York Times.
Bernstein's essays and writing have appeared in publications such as The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News
Rocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
, Minneapolis Star Tribune, San Jose Mercury News
San Jose Mercury News
The San Jose Mercury News is a daily newspaper in San Jose, California. On its web site, however, it calls itself Silicon Valley Mercury News. The paper is owned by MediaNews Group...
, Dallas Morning News, Vibe, Helicon Nine Reader, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The London Observer, Utne Reader
Utne Reader
Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...
, Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, Kyoto Journal, Spin
Spin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
, The Progressive, and The Village Voice.
His essays and poetry have been anthologized in The Shape of the Century, Health and Society, Appeal to Reason
Appeal to Reason
The Appeal to Reason was a weekly political newspaper published in the American Midwest from 1895 until 1922. The paper was known for its radical politics, lending support over the years to the Farmers' Alliance and Populist movement before becoming a mainstay of the Socialist Party of America...
, the Helicon Nine Reader, and Spud Songs.
He wrote a blues opera, Ann at 94, with singer/songwriter Biaja Solomon.
Politics, Education, and Culture
Bernstein co-authored Henry Hyde's Moral Universe: Where More Than Time and Space are Warped and contributed to Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney.He has spoken at the University of California at Berkeley, City University of New York, Columbia University, Rutgers University, University of California Santa Cruz, Claremont College, New York University, The New School and Sonoma State University.
He is the recipient of the Art of Peace Award, the International Service Journalism Award from Friends World College, a Golden Reel from the National Federation of Community Broadcasters
National Federation of Community Broadcasters
The National Federation of Community Broadcasters is a national membership organization of community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations, producers, and other organizations and individuals committed to community radio in the United States....
, and six Project Censored
Project Censored
Project Censored is a non-profit, media criticism and investigative journalism project within the Sonoma State University Foundation. It is managed through the School of Social Sciences at the university....
awards for investigative reporting.
Bernstein's radio program, Flashpoints, offers extensive coverage of the Palestinian refugee camps.
Journalist Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk
Robert Fisk is an English writer and journalist from Maidstone, Kent. As Middle East correspondent of The Independent, he has primarily been based in Beirut for more than 30 years. He has published a number of books and has reported on the United States's war in Afghanistan and the same country's...
quoted Bernstein in the 9 July 2002 edition of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
of London as saying: “Any US journalist, columnist, editor, college professor, student-activist, public official or clergy member who dares to speak critically of Israel or accurately report the brutalities of its illegal occupation will be vilified as an anti-Semite."
External links
- Interview With Dennis Kucinich, by Dennis Bernstein
- Obama Finance Chair Linked To Subprime Industry, by Dennis Bernstein
- Bernstein interviews Goldstar Mom Cindy Sheehan on what would have been her son Casey's 29th birthday
- A Strange Kind of Freedom, by Robert Fisk, The Independent
- Flashpoints.net: Dennis Bernstein
- KPFA archive of Bernstein being escorted by armed guards out of KPFA in 1999 live on the radio
- Photo of Bernstein being escorted by armed guards out of KPFA in 1999
- Flashpoints archive: report of break-in ~54:30
- Nation's Oldest Public Station Under Arrest, by Dennis Bernstein
- Free Speech For Sale, by Cynthia CottsCynthia CottsCynthia Cotts is a journalist who began working in the New York publishing world in the late 1980s and who most recently worked as the senior editor of Paros Life, a monthly magazine for ex-pats on the Greek island of Paros, in the Cyclades. In addition to her interest in modern Greek language and...
, The Village Voice - Michael Moore's Letter to Pacifica
- Photo of Bernstein, Joan Baez, and Robbie Osman
- Photo of Bernstein at protest of Jose Napoleon Duarte in NYC
