John Kenneth Press on "Culturism"

On Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. SHARP
at Bohemian Hall (29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria,
NY 11102), John Kenneth Press will discuss his
concept of "Culturism" which is presented in
his new book of the same name. Culturism's
definition holds that majority cultures have
a right to define, protect and promote themselves.
Islamic and Asian nations already do. The question
here is if Western cultures have the right to
define, protect and promote themselves. More
information on Culturism can be found at
http://www.culturism....

John Kenneth Press was born on May 22, 1964.
His parents were hippies of a sort. For one thing,
they named him after John F. Kennedy who had been
shot six months before his birth. He grew up in
Venice Beach and Santa Monica California. His
parents participated in the divorce trend when
he was eleven. This caused his young life to
sputter a bit. We can see from the biography
so far that the greater trends of society are
not impersonal.

Before and after graduating from high school,
John played music in the Los Angeles punk rock
scene. He eventually played with members of
Sonic Youth, Red Cross and Nirvana. These were,
however, short lived experiences. After completing
a solo recording in which he played all of the
instruments Press traveled for a year and a half.
Visiting Europe, West Africa, Israel and Egypt
made quite an impression on him. He lived with
Muslim cults, saw great art, and was turned
rightward politically.

Upon returning to Los Angeles he joined the famed
cult glam group the Groovie Ghoulies. But this
short stay was interrupted when he moved to San
Jose to pursue a degree in psychology and two
teaching credentials. He had adopted, at this point,
a love of capitalism, which was soon to be nearly
entirely reversed.

At San Jose, Press accomplished his academic goals.
He also took many extra credits and became the
Vice President of the campus environmental group.
When the first war with Iraq was looming, he dropped
out of school to protest and prevent it. In doing
so he joined the musical ensemble 100th Monkee
Generation: Difference Between Everything and
widely toured to leftist events.

After a car wreck that nearly took his life, the
death of a friend, and the insanity of a girlfriend
it was a time for a change. He moved on to teach
English in Korea. While in Korea, he broke his
knee doing martial arts and met his future wife.
After traveling for another six months, he returned
to Los Angeles.

At first substitute teaching was Press? source of
sustenance. Soon, however, he found a position in
the wonderful Eagle Rock Jr. / Sr. High School
community. There he taught cultural awareness,
philosophy, psychology, and U.S. History for
eight years. He also served as the union representative
for three years.

Press earned a Master?s degree simultaneous to his
teaching. He also turned forty and wrote three book
length manuscripts. Realizing that he was not going
to be able to meet the academic demands of writing
culturism while teaching full time, he moved to
Korea. There, living with his wife in Seoul, he
wrote culturism.

While in Korea, Press also got accepted to a doctorate
program in the History of Education at NYU. His
doctorate will focus on one Frances Kellor. He
lives in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

It should be clear to all that John Kenneth Press
has lived a rich and interesting life. His perspectives,
which are reflected in his concept of Culturism should
be fascinating to hear.

Make sure you don't miss this event!

In Liberty,

Dr. Tom Stevens
Membership Director
LPQC