Who would have thought that existing writing, like The Handmaid’s Tale, 1984 and Brave New World, would become users’ manuals to understand this current American dystopia?
History is carried via culture creators, and writers capture that cultural continuum. Fiction writers can send up test balloons of possible or imagined futures, while nonfiction writers strive to report the facts from the frontlines, for the present as well as for future posterity.
This type of reportage is crucial, now more than ever.
We’re currently living in the Upside Down, suffering from a nonstop firehose of mis- and dis-information, propaganda and gaslighting. History is being whitewashed, science is questioned, facts ignored and dismissed. Cultural correspondents are standing in the breach to bear witness to reality, to celebrate diversity and to report actualities, not “alternative facts.”
As an educator, when I research Shakespeare or Ida B. Wells or another historic change-maker, I appreciate reading contemporaneous notes about what folks did or wore, or where they went and how they conversed. Capturing subtle, well-parsed cultural moments lets modern audiences learn from the past so we are not condemned to repeat it (spoiler alert: those who don’t care about this type of cultural commentary are condemning us all for at least the next four years; FAFO at its unfairest).
Writing can be activism, perhaps should be activism. Writers are witnesses to these dramatic human moments and Chicago remains a leading light in the cultural history of this region, country and world. We need writers to generate this archive and we should compensate them for their time and dedication to telling truths for now and for the ages.
This country has returned to the dark times of kakistocracy because fake news is free and unvetted social media is prevalent, but thoughtful, well-researched opinions tend to live behind paywalls. And those thrifty, low-information constituents might just end our democratic experiment and diminish our cultural vibrancy.
By paying those writers interested in carrying true experiences into daily conversations as well as history books, we help fend off the permeating lies perpetuated by fascism. Compensating those who care about community and creativity, those who celebrate Chicago’s landscape of innovators, is a welcome gift during this season of gratitude.
Third Coast Review writers appreciate your generous support as we give our time, passion and ideas to support our neighbors in this richly diverse city. Mille grazie.
Now through December 31, Third Coast Review is raising money to support the diverse roster of writers you know and appreciate for their thoughtful, insightful arts and culture coverage in Chicago and beyond. Everything raised during this time will go directly to paying these writers a well-deserved year-end stipend; you can make a contribution here. Thank you!