The 2008 election season has been both inspiring and enlightening for many of the writers I’ve talked with in the last several months. Most have acknowledged that this year has and will continue to affect their writing on a much larger scale than elections of the past. Is that because of the historical significance of the presidential race (both in the primaries and in the general election), the weight of the crises that have overshadowed the whole season, the divisiveness of state and national campaigns to average Americans, or the highly controversial social issues on so many state ballots? I think it’s all of these things, and I don’t think the election is the end of this emotional roller coaster we’ve found ourselves riding. While it may seem like it’s time to unfasten our seat restraints and step onto the platform, ready to head home with a bag of cotton candy and a caramel apple, we’ve actually just come around the first turn. Now more than ever, it is time for writers and poets to break out their pen and paper (or word processors) and write toward a future of mutual understanding and acceptance. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Presidential Election 2008’ Category
After the Election: There’s Still Work to Do
Saturday, November 8th, 2008Voter Suppression and Intimidation is Real
Monday, November 3rd, 2008As I went to check my email this morning, a headline on MSN caught my attention, “Dirty tricks increase as Election Day nears.” I’ve been following voter suppression stories for more than a month and couldn’t be more angry about the legalized disenfranchisement that is happening in states all across the nation. This story isn’t about legalized disenfranchisement, though. Instead, it focuses on illegal, misleading or downright false fliers, pamphlets, and phone calls that people are receiving days before the election. From threats about police being at the polls to arrest people with parking tickets to lies about when the election will happen, people who don’t believe in real democracy are out in force this year.
G. Martinez Cabrera on Presidential Election 2008
Friday, October 31st, 2008G. Martinez Cabrera answered question #2, “Are you responding to this election differently than you have others and if so, why do you think that is?” His answer is below.
I long to care about who my leaders are but most election cycles, sadly, that’s as far as it has gone. Politics, for me, has always been akin to my relationship with church. I want to see the point in it, but I am unable to.
And then Obama came around.
Editor Answers to Presidential Election 2008 (Part I)
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008First, I want to say “Thank You!” to every writer/poet who submitted answers to our Presidential Election 2008 questions. I posted every response that we received and have been pleased to see some great conversations started around those responses. The sheer number of people actively involved, thinking, and talking about the presidential election, as well as reports of record-breaking voter turnout in early voting states, has given me tremendous hope for our future.
Cal Nordt on Presidential Election 2008
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008Cal Nordt answered our call with responses to all 8 questions:
Question: Are you usually politically active, either in your writing or in other ways, and has that changed during this presidential campaign?
Cal’s Answer: I’ve mostly been active over the years just in thinking and talking to friends, but became a local activist in North Carolina a few years ago when some powerful towns ganged up on a small community which included within it an African-American community of historical importance. This recent campaign has really galvanized me, with the primaries’ religious inquisitions bringing me to fever pitch last year.
Bob Mustin on Presidential Election 2008
Monday, October 27th, 2008Bob Mustin answered three of our questions for the Presidential Election 2008 feature. His answers appear below:
Question: Are you usually politically active, either in your writing or in other ways, and has that changed for this presidential election?
Bob’s Answer: I’ve been morbidly interested in presidential politics since the drama of the run-up to the ‘68 election. As years passed, however, I’ve become jaded, preferring to focus on local culture, economics, and politics. However, the eight years of the George W. Bush presidency, which will be remembered for rolling back treaties, alienating allies and international friends, allowing de-regulated capitalism to run wild, entering an ill-advised, protracted war that continues to drain the U.S. economy, sanctioning torture, a diminishment of personal privacy and liberties, makes the outcome of the 2008 election as compelling for me as any since 1932.
Shaul Hendel on Presidential Election 2008
Friday, October 24th, 2008Externalist favorite Shaul Hendel wrote a brief essay in response to our questions on the 2008 presidential election. You never quite know what you’re going to get with Shaul, but as usual, this short piece does not disappoint.
On Voting, and High-Power Salami by Shaul Hendel
Am I politically active in my writing? It’s all politics.
Can I go through a single day without making political statements left and right? Can you? Take my morning coffee for example: it comes from a farm in South America where workers are paid fairly, and receive benefits. It’s organic. It is roasted by a local business, here in my small Upstate town. I pay a couple bucks extra for it, but I don’t care, for it gives me the chance to shove a caffeinated foot in the fat behinds of the large beverage corporations, with their human rights abuses, not to mention their inferior java products. It is one hot and steamy political statement.
A.D. Winans on Presidential Election 2008
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008Poet A.D. Winans responded to three of our Presidential Election 2008 questions:
Question: Are you usually politically active, either in your writing or in other ways, and has that changed for this presidential election?
A.D. Winans’ Answer: I have written many political poems, speaking out on the issues of the day. Some examples are “America,” “The System,” and “Fourth Of July Poem.” I was politically active in local and national politics, but at age 72, I have stepped back from active participation, except for part of a protest march or two.
Santiago del Dardano Turann on Presidential Election 2008
Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008Santiago del Dardano Turann answered four of our questions for the Presidential Election 2008 feature. This answer came in on October 4th from San Francisco and I’m compelled to follow up with the poet to find out if he is still undecided (updated below). His answers below:
Question: Are you usually politically active, either in your writing or in other ways, and has that changed for this presidential election?
Santiago’s Answer: For my entire adult life I have been politically aware, but I have not participated in either campaign this election. The main stumbling block for me is my indecision (unusual at this late stage) over which side to support.