Loud, Louder, Loudest
Our best voices will not stop. They are our ammunition, our super-weapons, and they're going to help us win.
I’m sorry, I’m going to have to keep this short again. The pain in my hand is tendinitis and it’s flaring when I least want it to. I thought I might talk this into a microphone, but trust me, I’m really bad at it. I’m going to need more practice, and I need to say this now:
I’m beginning to think we’ll win this battle (You know the one I’m talking about.) and we’ll do it by calling out, speaking out, yelling out, shouting out whenever Trump and his henchmen do the expected, which is and always will be something terrible and stupid.
Who can deny that more than eight million of us came together on No Kings Day in March? Loud and proud! And ready to do it again.
Who can deny that our voices have become our most useful ammunition? We’re standing in crowds, speaking at podiums, joining in panels, creating podcasts, setting up Zoom meetings, and those of us who are writers, when we aren’t doing those other things, are writing.
So today, instead of putting my own thoughts out here, I want to bring attention to some of the writers who are brilliantly and tirelessly bringing the truth and spurring us on, often without enough attention. I’ve hesitated to do this because I really don’t want to leave anyone out, but dang, these people are saying everything I’ve been thinking but haven’t been able to articulate nearly as well. Some of them make me swoon. All of them give me hope.
Please read them, follow them, and subscribe to them if you haven’t already. Let them know what absolute treasures they are. And by all means, if you’ve found other writers who consistently inspire you, let us know in the comments. We can all use more of this kind of inspiration. I may do this again with a whole new crop of writers I know I’ve left out.
A reminder that I keep an ongoing list of other more known writers who inspire and direct us every day. You can find it under the tab above called, Writers for Democracy.
Here we go, in no particular order or timeline. (Note that I could have chosen any essay on any of their pages and it would have been just as supreme):
I’ll start with D. Earl Stephens ✍️ , whose piece two days ago inspired me to do this, finally. It’s so precisely accurate, the perfect target:
I’ve been reading Heather Delaney Reese for a while now and she never disappoints. I come away each time understanding our plight better, seeing my own thoughts clarified. I highly recommend following her and subscribing.
It’s no secret that I love Lucian K. Truscott IV’s writing, and this is no exception. I love the scoffing parts.
Mark Mansour is a friend, I’m happy to say, but I read him because he makes me think and learn and he does it in such a way that I’m getting tired of smacking my head. (Right!)
Gloria Horton-Young is another friend who manages to grab me every single time. She writes beautifully, with guts and strength and heart. I’m not ashamed to say I’m addicted.
Connie Schultz is back after a silence that was beginning to worry me. In her newest piece she explains the feeling so many of us have when bad things escalate despite our best attempts at stopping them, and hope is something we have to struggle to hang onto.
I’ve been following Viktor Kravchuk for a while now, and he never ceases to amaze and inspire me, given he’s on the front lines in his native country, Ukraine, never knowing when danger will strike. His poignant missives often make me cry, but more often I want to cheer. We need to know that real people suffer and are afraid in these wars, but we also need to know they still laugh and sing and feel hope.
And with that I’ll end this, hoping you’ve found some enlightenment and inspiration. Please share this where you can. And let us know what you’ve found that will do the same. I’ll be back soon. ❤️💙❤️
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Thank you for the referrals! I’m always looking to expand my knowledge.
Good to see you, hope it gets easier for you💜
Hope you feel better soon, Ramona! Pain is difficult to deal with. I read most of your recommendations already. I would add Joyce Vance, Heather Cox Richardson, Jay Kuo, and Scott Dworkin.