God I love this. Stunning. Not only do I need to read more about La Tartuga, i feel so reminded of why I'm working on an anti-Empire novel. As it happens I designed the logos for Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, the orgs that got AOC elected, and am currently helping a campaign in SF to unseat Pelosi, And I keep thinking about writers and poets, like Roberto Bolano, who were dissidents as well as artists. Apparently you are, too.
Great work with Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats and your campaign of the moment.
Most Revolutionary, the novel that I'm currently serializing on Substack, is a literary thriller plotted with a progressive/revolutionary AOC figure as President. Politically the novel is to AOC and Bernie's left, as someone - or something - needs to run to their left to help normalize progressive values much more with the American public. Currently, Bernie and AOC and the closely related are barely as left as conventional European Social Democrats - in other words, barely left, not far enough to create full democracy and have the chance to save the planet, let alone to stave off additional and ongoing massacres and misery. Culture needs to help change culture to push them there.
No reason not to be dissident and progressive and revolutionary in fiction. Every reason to be so. Tamara Pearson is a great example. Among others.
Completely agree. I'm also to Bernie's left, and will carry a burning grudge until I die against AOC for abstaining on the vote to fund Israel's fucking iron dome and then crying about it on the capitol steps. I liked the idea of her a lot before she was in office, and still appreciate some moments when she rips into corporate crooks during hearings, but she doesn't let her principles get in the way of her ambitions. She locked arms with DNC and kept Biden in office when she knew he wasn't fit, just long enough to skip the primaries. She wants to be president.
Fortunately the other candidate BNC ran (the first one!) was Cori Bush who was fantastic until AIPAC ousted her for standing with Palestine. She was a full time nurse who was homeless for a while with two little kids. She was involved in the Ferguson demonstrations and she stayed pretty true while she was in office. Anyway, yes to flaming leftie candidates giving perspective on how centrist our progressives actually are. I live in Italy, which is not a paragon of leftist values at the moment but the city of Bologna is. It's normal here to be communist.
One of the great things about those groups is that the candidates didn't take any corporate or union money so they don't owe any favors. Worth keeping an eye on who they run in 2026.
So the point is, good to know ya, and I'm going to check out your novel. Thanks again for the good work here.
Yes, Cori Bush is great. As is Rashida Tlaib. Bernie and the expanded "Squad" are basically an order of magnitude better than what existed in Congress before. They remain a small minority, so that needs to grow, and they need to continue to move farther left, as half measures only go so far. I'm not always going to agree with the judgment calls of AOC or anyone else. They are often confusing to make, and mistakes will be made. No escaping that. We can try to improve upon it imaginatively in fiction and other art. It can be done though it's not necessarily easy there either, as it's part science and part art. The novel creates its own real life, and something more.
Thanks. Will definitely read. I've been thinking about your comment about AOC and others facing hard decisions and making mistakes, which is a lot more gracious than my approach (and I appreciate that—I'm a huge believer in kindness). Have such mixed feelings about that with public leaders. Calling Biden Genocide Joe seems right to me. A public leader who consistently supported (concealed facts, repeated known lies, showed deference to Netanyahu, approved funds) something so truly horrible, should never be able to walk away from that. But I also know that for congress members it's complicated because if you're too much of an impractical purist, you become irrelevant and have no power. AOC has taken a stand on some really important things. She's also consistently made poor decisions at pivotal moments that had a huge impact, like refusing to say Biden's time was up, or insisting that his administration was doing everything it could to reach a ceasefire. Some serious bullshit.
I don't know the right line there in terms of acknowledging she's human and in a complicated spot and holding her accountable for not using her power when it could have made a difference. One thing I do like about the new version of the BNC movement is the commitment to an organized group. Getting people elected as a group (a new caucus if you will) that can hold each other accountable and wield power as a group. So they aren't as easily co-opted.
But I do go on :) I think these conversations are helpful and important. Connecting with other people (and writers!) who want change is one of the only good things in this constant onslaught of batshit news.
God I love this. Stunning. Not only do I need to read more about La Tartuga, i feel so reminded of why I'm working on an anti-Empire novel. As it happens I designed the logos for Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, the orgs that got AOC elected, and am currently helping a campaign in SF to unseat Pelosi, And I keep thinking about writers and poets, like Roberto Bolano, who were dissidents as well as artists. Apparently you are, too.
Great work with Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats and your campaign of the moment.
Most Revolutionary, the novel that I'm currently serializing on Substack, is a literary thriller plotted with a progressive/revolutionary AOC figure as President. Politically the novel is to AOC and Bernie's left, as someone - or something - needs to run to their left to help normalize progressive values much more with the American public. Currently, Bernie and AOC and the closely related are barely as left as conventional European Social Democrats - in other words, barely left, not far enough to create full democracy and have the chance to save the planet, let alone to stave off additional and ongoing massacres and misery. Culture needs to help change culture to push them there.
No reason not to be dissident and progressive and revolutionary in fiction. Every reason to be so. Tamara Pearson is a great example. Among others.
Completely agree. I'm also to Bernie's left, and will carry a burning grudge until I die against AOC for abstaining on the vote to fund Israel's fucking iron dome and then crying about it on the capitol steps. I liked the idea of her a lot before she was in office, and still appreciate some moments when she rips into corporate crooks during hearings, but she doesn't let her principles get in the way of her ambitions. She locked arms with DNC and kept Biden in office when she knew he wasn't fit, just long enough to skip the primaries. She wants to be president.
Fortunately the other candidate BNC ran (the first one!) was Cori Bush who was fantastic until AIPAC ousted her for standing with Palestine. She was a full time nurse who was homeless for a while with two little kids. She was involved in the Ferguson demonstrations and she stayed pretty true while she was in office. Anyway, yes to flaming leftie candidates giving perspective on how centrist our progressives actually are. I live in Italy, which is not a paragon of leftist values at the moment but the city of Bologna is. It's normal here to be communist.
One of the great things about those groups is that the candidates didn't take any corporate or union money so they don't owe any favors. Worth keeping an eye on who they run in 2026.
So the point is, good to know ya, and I'm going to check out your novel. Thanks again for the good work here.
Yes, Cori Bush is great. As is Rashida Tlaib. Bernie and the expanded "Squad" are basically an order of magnitude better than what existed in Congress before. They remain a small minority, so that needs to grow, and they need to continue to move farther left, as half measures only go so far. I'm not always going to agree with the judgment calls of AOC or anyone else. They are often confusing to make, and mistakes will be made. No escaping that. We can try to improve upon it imaginatively in fiction and other art. It can be done though it's not necessarily easy there either, as it's part science and part art. The novel creates its own real life, and something more.
Rashida Tlaib is so great. And yes, the Squad is much, much better than the what came before. We just need so many more in Congress. You might like this—just came out today https://www.americasundoing.com/p/power-isnt-given-its-taken
And yes to imagination as a path forward.
Forgot to mention - here's an interview with Tamara Pearson about her novel: https://fictiongutted.substack.com/p/the-literary-populism-of-the-eyes
Thanks. Will definitely read. I've been thinking about your comment about AOC and others facing hard decisions and making mistakes, which is a lot more gracious than my approach (and I appreciate that—I'm a huge believer in kindness). Have such mixed feelings about that with public leaders. Calling Biden Genocide Joe seems right to me. A public leader who consistently supported (concealed facts, repeated known lies, showed deference to Netanyahu, approved funds) something so truly horrible, should never be able to walk away from that. But I also know that for congress members it's complicated because if you're too much of an impractical purist, you become irrelevant and have no power. AOC has taken a stand on some really important things. She's also consistently made poor decisions at pivotal moments that had a huge impact, like refusing to say Biden's time was up, or insisting that his administration was doing everything it could to reach a ceasefire. Some serious bullshit.
I don't know the right line there in terms of acknowledging she's human and in a complicated spot and holding her accountable for not using her power when it could have made a difference. One thing I do like about the new version of the BNC movement is the commitment to an organized group. Getting people elected as a group (a new caucus if you will) that can hold each other accountable and wield power as a group. So they aren't as easily co-opted.
But I do go on :) I think these conversations are helpful and important. Connecting with other people (and writers!) who want change is one of the only good things in this constant onslaught of batshit news.
And literary populism is here:
see the most recent chapter of Most Revolutionary - "The Revolution Unleashed" - https://fictiongutted.substack.com/p/most-revolutionary-chapter-twenty-e55
Lovely review. Was hurt by you causally using the now cheapened word Genocide.
Glad you liked it.
Don't get me started about Biden. Or Trump.