In times of crisis and fascism in politics at the national level, it becomes more and more important to engage with politics at the local level. Even for people cynical about electoral politics in general, it should be clear that local government is, at the very least, one piece of the puzzle when it comes to defending our communities and showing up for one another.
Here in Minneapolis, we have a big election coming up this November, and early voting is already open. For any friends or followers who are just tuning in, a few resources:
As a teaching artist, I’ve facilitated countless workshops, classes, and conversations on the topic of what art and artists have to offer in times of crisis. What can it mean to “meet the moment?” What kind of work can a poem do, and what can’t it do? For those of us who already consider ourselves creative writers, what kinds of tools and tactics are most effective when it comes to speaking out about the causes that matter to us? And for those of us who don’t think of ourselves as artists, what can we learn from how artists approach these issues?
Because I don’t believe that art is ever going to be enough to get us to the world that we want to live in. But I also do not see us getting to that world without it—without some kind of cultural strategy, without narrative work, without artists.
This is the third in my series of conversations with artist friends where we get to dig a little bit deeper into our own work, reflect on our journeys, and hopefully share something useful. Find the first two here and here.
Official Bio:Shannon TL Kearns is a transgender man who believes in the transformative power of story. As an ordained priest, a playwright, a theologian, and a writer all of his work revolves around making meaning through story.
This is the second in my series of conversations with artist friends where we get to dig a little bit deeper into our own work, reflect on our journeys, and hopefully share something useful. Find the first one here.
SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE is someone I’ve worked with for almost 20 years—sometimes directly via collaboration, and sometimes just “in orbit” with one another, focusing on separate projects while still being in conversation. An emcee, poet, producer, visual artist, filmmaker, educator, and more, they’re one of the most talented and inspiring people I know. Like many of our collaborations, this conversation took place over the course of literally years—but I think that ends up working in its favor, in that we get to touch on a number of really cool projects that may have flown under your radar. I’ll sprinkle bandcamp links throughout this.
One last note – our new collaborative endeavor is SECRET RIVERS, and we’ll be performing live on Wednesday, July 23 at Silverwood Park – 6:30pm, free, all-ages, outdoors! We’ll also be joined by yet another SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE project: their collaboration with Kat Parent, SkySpiders & the Imperceptible Web.
Hey- the news is bad. Things are bad. As an artist (whether that’s a musician, poet, or any other kind of performer or person who shares art publicly), it can be overwhelming when we start to think about our role(s) in all this. When I am overwhelmed, I try to find a small step I can take. This post is about sharing one of those small steps: using arts space as activist space.
There are a million ways to do that, but I’ll keep this post down-to-earth. Here are FIVE examples of activist-oriented handouts, zines, or printed materials you can share, for free, at your merch table. I think part of our work, as artists, is to help get more cool stuff in front of more people. And that includes our art, of course, but it can also include more than that. This is a “small” idea, but its smallness makes it actionable.
A quick note that some of these examples are Minneapolis-focused, but the idea of them can be adapted to other communities, and similar resources already exist in some places.
I don’t have time/energy right now to share very much commentary; hopefully people are aware of the news here in Minnesota. Our No Kings rally went forward, and even with authorities telling people not to gather, thousands of people showed up. I shared a poem.
Actually wrote and memorized it last week, but because it ended up being about grief, how we carry it, and what we might do with it, it felt appropriate to share today too. Full text below, for the folks who have been asking for it.
Just wanted to put up a single page that I could link to when talking about all these different events:
Saturday, June 14: the NO KINGS march and rally. I’ll be sharing a poem at the capitol. If you’re newer to protests, this one should be a good entry point, with a focus on families, joy, solidarity, etc. More info here.
Tuesday, July 1: Better Things at Moon Palace Books. I’ll be sharing some work at this reading alongside some fantastic artists. More info here.
Sunday, July 13: ROOTBEER & RESISTANCE at Boneshaker Books. I’ll be talking more about this as the date approaches, but the basic idea is that this is a more informal, community-focused event that will have a few poetry performances but is mostly about sharing some resources and having space to build community – again, especially for people who are newer to activism and organizing. More info here.
Wednesday, July 23: SECRET RIVERS Live at Silverwood Park! Secret Rivers is a project I am very excited about – it’s me performing poems alongside SEE MORE PERSPECTIVE’s live production on the MPC and Loop Station 505. Also: it’s a free, all-ages, outdoor event! More info on the event here. And more info on the Secret Rivers project here.
It might be tempting to read those first two pieces as point/counterpoints, but I think they end up saying similar things: big mass actions are doorways, not destinations. In a social media age when everything is all-or-nothing, black-or-white maximalism, I think that kind of nuance is important: YES, show up to rallies and marches if you are able, but not because those actions alone are going to be the thing that makes us win. Go to them to (1) find energy and inspiration, (2) learn about and connect with organizations who are doing the everyday work of resistance beyond one-time events, and (3) make noise, share photos of funny signs, talk to family and friends about why the event matters to you – that can have a narrative impact with ripple effects beyond the individual day.
Lots more to share, lots more happening. Get in where you fit in. We don’t all have to show up the same way, or in a literal sense at actions or events, but we can all find ways to show up and support/join the work being done. As always, more on that here and here.
some of the materials I’ll be sharing at the various july events.
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a little collage of the past month; top right photo by Tish Jones
I mention the three new videos in the post, but here are some direct links:
Here is the third in my series of 2025 mini-zines. If the term “zine” is new to you, think of it as a “little magazine,” a self-published booklet designed to be easily printed and shared, wherever it might be useful. The title of the zine is from the song of the same name, from this album.
Lots of people coming into political consciousness in this moment, looking for action to take, and navigating that process can be challenging—hopefully this zine can be something concrete to share with people like that in our lives (or ourselves, if that’s the case!) Possibly useful for giving out at neighborhood cookouts, hobby-based events, family gatherings, classes, and other community spaces.
One brief thought: I know that sometimes lists like “here are 47 books you should read to understand XYZ,” or “here is an unorganized googledoc of 300 gofundmes to donate to,” can be overwhelming. So I think it’s worth making explicit that no one person, or even organization, has to do everything here. The idea is to browse all this, take that 10,000-foot view, and continue moving toward where you fit in. In my experience, hearing about concrete examples of action is inspirational, even if that doesn’t end up being the same action I’m going to take. I hope there can be some seed-planting, and seed-watering, in all these examples.
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