This was a fun read. I’d love to hear more on your thoughts on wokeness. Interesting how the term was co-opted from “stay woke” to the “woke” pejorative. Personally I’d love to read more Black and left engagement with the “woke” era. As a Black person on the left, I want all of these progressive policy goals to succeed, but also I feel that there were some real toxic aspects to left political culture in the 2010s. I just have a hard time reading much of the cultural criticism of that period, because so much of it is written by white people who i feel never really wanted these movements. It’s like the people who i want to hear from are sad, or morning, or trying to protect the reputation of a movement so they aren’t putting out much and it feels like a void — a void of people in the movement space writing about the good and the bad.
Hm. I dunno how much I have to say. I don’t really do a ton of serious political writing or reflections on this blog about the 2010s because I mostly write literary criticism about fiction and how political phenomena is depicted or not. I’ve written a bit about riots and African-American literature for the Metropolitan Review, so maybe those pieces might be helpful. I’ll link those, but I try to stay away from making like clear political points as I think political organizing strategies should be developed in real life, not on the internet.
my partner suggests you check out Edward Said “representations of the intellectual” which talks about the contrasting needs between professionalism and intellectualism. he is wrestling with some of the same questions as you.
As we read certain paragraphs of this essay, my partner suggests you check out Edward Said “representations of the intellectual” which talks about the contrasting needs between professionalism and intellectualism. he is wrestling with some of the same questions as you.
This was a fun read. I’d love to hear more on your thoughts on wokeness. Interesting how the term was co-opted from “stay woke” to the “woke” pejorative. Personally I’d love to read more Black and left engagement with the “woke” era. As a Black person on the left, I want all of these progressive policy goals to succeed, but also I feel that there were some real toxic aspects to left political culture in the 2010s. I just have a hard time reading much of the cultural criticism of that period, because so much of it is written by white people who i feel never really wanted these movements. It’s like the people who i want to hear from are sad, or morning, or trying to protect the reputation of a movement so they aren’t putting out much and it feels like a void — a void of people in the movement space writing about the good and the bad.
Hm. I dunno how much I have to say. I don’t really do a ton of serious political writing or reflections on this blog about the 2010s because I mostly write literary criticism about fiction and how political phenomena is depicted or not. I’ve written a bit about riots and African-American literature for the Metropolitan Review, so maybe those pieces might be helpful. I’ll link those, but I try to stay away from making like clear political points as I think political organizing strategies should be developed in real life, not on the internet.
https://metropolitanreview.substack.com/p/searching-for-bigger
https://metropolitanreview.substack.com/p/nothing-is-over
This one kinda reflects on the right-wing and apolitical turn of the current moment through some analysis of graphic novels, so that might be useful.
https://irregularnotes.substack.com/p/the-melancholy-of-the-age
Oh yeah, both of these pieces kinda address BLM and abolition politics to some degree.
If nothing else, you have encouraged me to finally read some Joyce with your words. Thank you.
he rocks!
my partner suggests you check out Edward Said “representations of the intellectual” which talks about the contrasting needs between professionalism and intellectualism. he is wrestling with some of the same questions as you.
I’ll check it out! Tell your partner thanks.
observant and beautiful. you have unexpectedly revived my hope in the novel as form...
Thanks. I love novels. They are the only way for me to make sense of the word.
excited to read your fiction the fiction from the early 21st century
thanks hopefully the novel will be out one day!
As we read certain paragraphs of this essay, my partner suggests you check out Edward Said “representations of the intellectual” which talks about the contrasting needs between professionalism and intellectualism. he is wrestling with some of the same questions as you.