I was recently asked by a young interviewer if writing, with all the time it takes and its use of paper (though I compose on a computer) is not antithetical to what is needed now, the speed that is, to push a speedy change of consciousness and behavior. I answered: “But it’s the writers who reflect on what it means to be alive now, and who leave a record, if there is any to be left.” And it is the experience of story-telling that encourages and creates empathy.
At The Kenyon Review, Karen Malpede reflects on the role of theatre, writing, and art in activism.