My name is m(A)tt. I am twenty years old. I've been a wob for almost a year, and an anarchist for three. During that time I've been struggling to make some sense of the world around me and how to change it. I've been involved in the anti-war movement since 2002, and I've expanded into other fields since, such as the labor and immigrant rights movement, the anti-authoritarian movement, etc.

Now I feel I have the capacity to do both to some degree. 

Last year I started a group called Creating Local Autonomy and Solidarity in Hartford, aka the CLASH collective. The group is not anarchist but we are, if that makes sense. We've changed a lot in terms of faces and progress in the last year and a half. We've put out a couple zine issues, as well as countless pamphlets I've printed for free at school. And just last week we opened up the Behind the Rocks Infoshop in the south end of Hartford, CT. We're off to a good start, and I think it will allow us organizationally and the local movement in general to blossom. We have a lot of support and even more potential. We'll start canvassing within a couple weeks - the last thing we want is to be another activist island in a community of color.

Aside from all that, I'm a part time community college student. Last year I was half-heartedly a full time student, so I took half the classes this time around, and i think it will work out a little better for me. Last year I was incredibly antsy in all my classes, scribbling notes in regards to my activism rather than math or music. Maybe when I feel a little more comfortable with the state of the local movement I can focus more on 'normal' stuff like school or maybe seeing the country/world, but until then, forget about it.

The way I see it, if I don't do it, it won't get done. Not to say I'm doing this all on my own, but the fact is that sometimes young people like myself need to be pushing things forward. And there are many people around here like me doing just that, just not in the same categories as I. So, when other shit needs to be done, that is at least on the surface inconsequential, or will likely get taken care of by somebody else, then it tends to be forgotten.

For work, I'm a one of the five bike messengers in the city. My hope is that I can take the frustration and flat-out injustices at our company and spark a little class consciousness, maybe even start an IWW Job Branch. Now that  the infoshop is open, I'm going to start trying to get a General Membership Branch up and running - the Hartford area is in rather desperate need for such an organization.

Things are looking good right now. I think it's part hard work, part luck, as all good things are. It took me a long time to figure that out - school and my parents weren't much help in that capacity - but I'm glad I finally did.

The Future Is Unwritten

(A)