13 min Read Now
Gale
Like the act of pruning a plant, we hurt to trigger growth. In the scarring processes we heal our wounds of memory, of thought, of soul.
Free Expression
39 min Read Now
The Rise and Future of a Queer Polity of Literature in Six Scenes (part two)
In part two, the purposes and ambitions of queer literature change in the ‘80s with the rise of AIDS and a punishing, homophobic backlash. These cultural conditions birthed a new political awareness—one that linked queer communities to other historically marginalized and oppressed people.
4 min Read Now
Navel Gazing
An insight into America’s “culture wars” using the example of Dave Chappelle to highlight the extant and emerging fault lines of artistic freedom of expression and censorship.
8 min View Now
What if this is literature?
As an introduction to the work of Parwana Amiri, we’re republishing her story, “The Olive Tree and the Old Woman,” and making it available for sale from Publication Studio Guelph.
26 min Read Now
Finding a Polity in Prison Writing
We want to find living examples of a functioning Polity of Literature. A friend suggests, why not look at prison writing?
24 min Read Now
Mine for Yours: DC’s Blog is a Lit Community
When an anarchist hosts a blog it becomes a polity. Dennis Cooper’s features literature (and GIF novels).
19 min Read Now
Good News for African Writers
Provoked by blind spots in a recent New York Times piece about “the African literary scene,” Zimbabwean writer Audrey Simango reports on the conditions she finds on-the-ground for millennial African writers today. The conditions look good.
30 min Listen Now
Nowhere to Hide
Vocal improvisers share their perspectives on the unique functions of voice within musical performances, being at once both vulnerable and powerful.
19 min Read Now
Fan Fiction is What a Polity of Literature Looks Like
Readers who love what they read sometimes become writers of the same stories. They call it “fan fiction,” even if copyright lawyers call the police. Juli Parrish asks what happens collectively when the line between reading and writing dissolves.
11 min Read Now
When Writing is Neither Solitary nor Apolitical
This addendum to the Polity of Literature series describes the physical and digital safety considerations for writers planning to report on the 2021 U.S. Presidential Inauguration.
30 min Listen Now
“They Came to Us”: The Royal City Second Line Parade Band
This podcast tracks how a second line band saved Christmas in Guelph, Ontario.
30 min Listen Now
What Work Do You Want the Work To Do?
This podcast shines a light on community art projects that model improvisatory practices’ impact on equity struggles. Featuring George Lipsitz.