Writing = Change

As we face another new year with its call to action in the form of personal resolutions and all of its promise, the thought that comes to mind is how words play a role in effecting our future.

Here at Get Lit! we work year round to showcase poets, authors, essayists, journalists, songwriters, screenwriters, playwrights, and graphic novelists that are contributing to the larger conversation--or rather conversations, since there are many dialogues in process--that impact our understanding of the world we live in. We make a point to bring at least one leading environmental thinker to the festival each year such as Paul Roberts, David Suzuki, and Maude Barlow. In the past, we have hosted political voices like bell hooks, Naomi Wolf, and Reza Aslan. And we have had nearly 100 poets and 100 fiction/nonfiction authors share their work over the years. The goal is to spark discussion within the community and introduce new authors to people in our region.

We also host many educational outreach programs in K-12 schools in Eastern Washington with the hope that our professional writers and authors can help teachers show students that their pens/pencils have a little bit of magic in them. With a pen, a piece of paper, and a point, these young writers are given the opportunity to share their ideas with others. Writing no longer feels like an assignment. Instead, many students have noted having fun, feeling powerful, and getting excited about learning more about themselves and others through sharing. With our "Telling the American Story" theme for 2011, we are also expanding on our usual workshops and panels with a focus on getting local writers of all ages creating and publishing their words. So watch in February for more information on our workshop options!

Meanwhile, we've come across a few articles by Paul Haeder in downtoearthnw.com that address this idea of the power of words. For those of you who don't know, downtoearthnw.com is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest. Here are the articles that sent us down this road:

Power of the Pen: Memory of Earth, Wind and Fire Environmental writing from the edge of the world; fiction and poetry brings truth

Power of the Pen II: Can poetry bring truth? Modern environmental movement welcomes creative thinkers

We invite you to share your thoughts about writing as an agent for fostering change. What have you read lately that compelled you to action? What have you written lately out of passion? In this fast, faster, fastest world, words can serve as a necessary stop light, encouraging contemplation, a new perspective, and even a call to action.