Art and Resistance

There are posters and content creators online who are telling us that if we are not openly and consistently raging against what is taking place in the country and around the world, we are complicit. But that is a simplistic viewpoint, in my opinion.

I, along with many others, feel the anxiety and fear that our current state of affairs presents. I take the situation seriously and continue seeking and finding personal ways of supporting those on the front lines working to resist the harmful and negative actions taking place as well as responding in ways that align with my values, even if that work isn’t visible here.

I also believe that writing and creative endeavors are a part of what keeps us mentally healthy and human.

I will continue to write about craft and keep telling stories in this space because writing is and has always been a way to make meaning and to provide some respite from the act of staring into the abyss of dark and evil doings.

I know some people think that writing and reading fantasy and science fiction, and many other speculative fiction subgenres is less important that writing about history and contemporary issues. That it is all escapist—and to be clear, there is nothing wrong with escapism, especially in dark times—but, as I have always said, for me and many others, speculative fiction offers us a way to examine difficult subjects and come to grips with them without savaging our emotions.

And maybe, just maybe, our work will help some reader somewhere revise their beliefs and ideas in at least some subtle way. And, in my experience, it certainly offers catharsis and outright validation for many.

After all, my creative writing thesis was titled “THE FEMALE HERO AND FEMINIST FANTASY FICTION AS RESISTENT TEXT FOR YOUNG ADULTS.”

As I tell my book coaching clients and workshop attendees, we are complex beings, capable of holding more than a single idea or emotion—grief and art, outrage and craft—at any given time.

So, this space will continue to be a writing space, a reading space, a place for this author to share my ideas and stories with my community while holding other spaces for the more difficult work we are called to.

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If you’re interested in reading what I write, you can check out some of my books, like The Healer’s Legacy Trilogy, or my MG novel, Lostuns Found.

Or, if you like something a little darker, check out my collection of dark fantasy and light horror with a bit of humor. Blood From a Rose.

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Interested in what else I write? Check out my books!