Creativity is non-acceptance, wonder, rebellion
Some journalists, writers, and fiction authors would argue that when we have a social justice message we should communicate it subtly through situation, rather than stating the message outright. Many argue that this method respects the reader more - they'll understand. On the other hand, respect can also be just saying what you mean, clearly,... Continue Reading →
Miguel M. Morales grew up in Texas, in the US. He worked there as a child laborer and migrant or seasonal farmworker. He wrote this poem - by a migrant, about migrants. This Is a Migrant Poem This is a migrant poem a farmworking poem, a poem that covers itself in long sleeves to avoid... Continue Reading →
Since the lying, incompetent orange man became the Republican candidate in the US, then president, fact checking websites and other content have been trending. Fact checking has become a buzzword. Part of that comes down to US-centrism: after all, lying rich people are running most countries, as well as most of the transnationals that are... Continue Reading →
The students I work with struggle to let go sometimes: I have to find tools, techniques and activities which seemingly give them permission to be creative. At the ages of 12-15, they have been excessively trained in the so-called rules of writing, drawing, and maths: to do the task as the teacher asks, because the... Continue Reading →
Poet Mari Evans died last month. According to media reports, some 500 mourners attended. Evans had written of her funeral: When I die I'm sure I will have a Big Funeral ... Curiosity seekers ... coming to see if I am really Dead ... or just trying to make Trouble ... Evans was one of... Continue Reading →
Many believe that academics are the neutral gods above us, who look down at the world and see things clearly. Academics are the “experts” of society that are quoted and interviewed in the media, despite having minimal participation in that society. They hog the intellectual limelight, while others on the ground do the hard yakka... Continue Reading →
In 1872, the president of Ecuador ordered that Manuela Leon be shot, after her leading role in an indigenous rebellion against forced labour. Her troops had been victorious, and they say she had managed to kill the lieutenant Miguel Vallejo. In the president's decree, he called her Manuel. And just like that, he erased the... Continue Reading →
Our role as writers, and the way we write varies with the social and economic times that we find ourselves in, and with who we are. That is, our writing reflects and rebels against the current inequalities, the current discourse, and our own economic oppression. It can take up the current struggles, and it speaks... Continue Reading →
Right-wing cartoonist Bill Leak died recently. He had portrayed same-sex marriage campaigners wearing rainbow-coloured Nazi uniforms, Aboriginal fathers as neglectful and more. He also won nine Walkley awards and 20 Stanley awards, eight gold Cartoonists of the Year, and was twice the winner of News Corps' award for best cartoonist. Aussie same-sex marriage campaigner, and brilliant... Continue Reading →
What speed does history travel at? What is the rhythm of humanity? What sort of chapters best capture the pace of life? What types of stories are most suited to a world where a quarter of the world seems to live on the Internet, and three-quarters are struggling with food and shelter? We're told it's... Continue Reading →
Here are some writing prompts for a story, poem, vignette, spoken word... taken from the current news. Rebel! Imagine! What would that be like? What could happen instead?Or what's the worst or best that can happen? A French police officer accidentally fired a gun during the president's speech. Then.. A woman who kept a £20... Continue Reading →
This poem, originally posted on RedWedge, is a creative, cutting look at US Black confidence and desire amidst struggle by Crystal Stella Becerril i. black on black on Black on Timbs; an interruption – no, an intervention. a reminder to the Columbus-ing ass fuckboys (and girls) that they still here. reminder to the survivors, the... Continue Reading →
Writers don't usually the see the impact they have. On Saturday, some friends who were visiting Mexico wanted to see the Frida Kahlo museum. It has gotten pretty intense since I visited it in 2009: now you either have to pay for your tickets online first, or wait in a very long queue. There are... Continue Reading →
Horror films are often allegories for what we most fear - and what we most fear is often political (nuclear wars, war and violence, disappearances, sexual violence, or even just not being heard or listened to). In this exercise, we're going to use similar sorts of metaphors to look at issues (personal or political... Continue Reading →
I dreamt I saw an eye, a pretty eye, In your hands, Glittering, wet and sickening; Like a dull onyx set in a crown of thorns, I did not know you were dead when you dropped it in my lap. what horrors of human sacrifice Have you seen, executioner? What agonies of tortured men Who... Continue Reading →
So we know that more men get published, reviewed, and read, than female writers. And we know that few books from poor countries are published or translated. We also know most writers are not paid for the work they do, and that many books aren't written because some people are too busy trying to stay... Continue Reading →
resistance words 