Sam Friedman introduces a downloadable pdf on writing socialist poetry
The arts are just a part of the weapons of life. Art can make us see and feel reality and help change that reality. Art is revelation. Art is hard work. Art is part of protest.
– Jayne Cortez
Introduction: An invitation to readers
Although this essay is primarily an analysis and memoir of how my poetic work has inspired my political thought and activism, and how it has helped others in various ways, it is also an invitation to you, the reader.
If you are already a poet or other creative writer, it is an invitation to think about how your writing is also a way of innovative thinking that leads you to new understandings. If you are an activist or social critic or union member, it is an invitation to think about writing poetry as a way to spark new and useful thoughts and feelings in yourself and others. And regardless of who you are, or how old you are, it is an invitation to partake of the joys of writing radical poetry. It may be a lot of fun for you and others, and let you contribute in new way to the movements that humanity so desperately needs.
Based on my experience, and that of others, I think that many on the left underestimate the potential of poetry and other art for building a movement and for communicating aspects of the humanist content of Marxism. I think that both my personal experiences as a poetic Marxist activist, and the content of the poems that I have included in this article, show that poetry can help us cope with the traumas of political life and express ideas and emotions to audiences not yet open to hearing speeches or reading articles on some critical themes. Poetry can also serve as a way for movements to help understand themselves and express their unity to themselves.
The pdf is available to download here.
