Why Do White People Like What I Write?

Pankaj Mishra London Review of Books
Writers once busy in prestigious magazines rationalizing war and torture are now confronting the obdurate pathologies of American life that stem from America’s original racial sin. Coates wonders why those once fierce in defending bloody imperial missions now embrace him for describing American power from the rare standpoint of its internal victims. Yet the danger for Coates is not so much seduction by power as a distorted perspective caused by proximity to it.

As Long As Rights Are Trampled, There Will Be Forced Migration

Roy Bourgeois and Margaret Knapke Foreign Policy in Focus
We often debate the pros and cons of welcoming immigrants here. We seldom consider the U.S. impact on the countries they leave. Ultimately, reducing the flow of refugees requires a just foreign policy, one that values people over profits. You can be sure: As long as rights are trampled, voices are silenced, and lives are cut short — there will be forced migration. Even at great risk. Even without parents. Even with a wall.

A Pledge to Transform the Resistance, and America

Richard Eskow Our Future
A popular narrative today is that we live in a country which is deeply divided. And the Democratic Party, we are told, is nearly as split as the nation itself. But chatter in the press and social media may overlook some fundamental points of agreement about changes we need to make in our economy. That’s the premise behind a new pledge, the “Agenda for Good Jobs, Sustainable Prosperity, and Economic Justice,” that has been signed by more than 70 prominent progressives.

Mary Lou McDonald Acceptance Speech as Sinn Féin Leader

Mary Lou McDonald Sein Féin
I believe in reaching out. I believe in standing my ground too. We must strive to see things from the perspective of others. We must also be true to our beliefs, our promises. I believe that we should look after one another and be the helping hand when someone falls. I believe in the unity of our nation in all its colours and the unity of all our people. I believe in our freedom.

“Up to Their Necks in Fuel”: On Patricia Smith’s Incendiary Art

Jonathan Farmer Kenyon Review
This poet and this book have just won the $100,000 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award based at Claremont Graduate University. The prize is given to a mid-career poet, and is one of the top literary prizes given in the United States. It is a significant testament to the power of Smith's work. This review shows wide-ranging and powerful art that Patricia Smith practices.