Muse & the Marketplace 2018

To change the world, first you've got to make people care. Now more than ever before in our lifetimes, the personal is political—and so is art. Our lives, and our art, contain within them the strands of social justice issues and moments that testify to an urgent need for social change. More and more writers of both fiction and nonfiction are creating impactful stories that dramatize the past and move us to think differently about the present and the future. But how do such narratives begin? How does the writing become than just polemical? How do you balance characters and argument? And what strategies do writers use in researching and shaping their work? In this session we'll look at many published examples of works both short and long that speak powerfully about social justice. We'll also do writing exercises to help you identify issues you're passionate about and get you started on the path of turning them into story. Attendees will leave with a list of suggested further reading in multiple genres and on multiple social justice issues.