Margaret Killjoy and Ursula K. Le Guin at Powell’s Books
A few weeks ago, I posted the schedule for Margaret Killjoy’s Mythmakers & Lawbreakers Spring 2010 tour; I’m pleased to report that the tour was a smashing success! Thanks to all the authors who joined Margaret on the tour, and all of the amazing bookstores, community spaces, and other venues that hosted the tour, and all of the folks who helped to promote the events in their own hometowns … y’all are awesome!
I asked our intrepid anarchist fiction expert for a recap of the tour; here’s what Margaret had to say:
For the past month, I’ve been traveling around the US in my minivan, doing talks about the intersection of anarchism and fiction. In one regard, I could say I’m doing it in promotion of my book Mythmakers & Lawbreakers, but that isn’t really accurate: I’m doing it in promotion of anarchism and fiction.
And the response has been incredible. I genuinely believe that this is something that people have been waiting for: anarchists read fiction, always have. Anarchist write fiction, always have. But we’ve long told ourselves that fiction is frivolous, that history and theory are somehow more important than the fantastic. But in every city I’ve been to on this tour, people have been excited about exploring the ways in which fiction can help enrich political struggle, about expanding the idea of what writing is “useful” or not.
What’s more, talking about something like anarchism through the lens of fiction has brought out a lot of people who’ve never stepped foot in an infoshop before, who are just curious. Letting them know about the rich history of anarchism (and letting them know that some of their favorite writers were anarchists…) has been, well, really rewarding.
This book tour thing has been awesome. I’ve met so many passionate writers (and readers). I’ve got two dates left (one tonight in Seattle, one on Monday in Olympia), but it’s winding down. In Portland, I shared the stage with Ursula K Le Guin to a packed audience of over three hundred, which gave Ursula a chance to speak candidly about her politics and myself an opportunity to reach people I never would have otherwise.
And people are excited about booking events that aren’t just music. The anarchist scene could certainly use more book tours.
If you’re in the Seattle area, please do join Margaret at Left Bank Books tonight, or in Olympia at Last Word Books on February 1. You can read some of the other tour reflections at Birds Before the Storm, or check out this amazing video of Margaret speaking at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, with the legendary Ursula K. Le Guin! Thanks to the great folks at pdxjustice Media Productions for the recording.
Ursula K. Le Guin and Margaret Killjoy – Mythmakers & Lawbreakers: Anarchist Writers On Fiction from pdxjustice Media Productions on Vimeo.