Fiction (and other) reading in trying times

The world feels fragile these days. In all this chaos, corruption, and lack of empathy, the arts are as important as ever. So what do you need? I don't know--maybe it's to just breathe and find some way to steady yourself. Maybe it's to take in some (non-AI!) works of art or listen to some music (my kids are big fans of the musical/concept album Epic). 

But maybe you want to read. Maybe you want to read to escape--not to stick your head in the sand and pretend things are better, but escape as defiance, as healing, as a way to get back into life from a better place. Or you might want to read about the struggles directly, about the real world but told slant. You want stories of other people facing terrible situations, people who defied the corrupt and the powerful, who found ways to make their worlds better.

I recently sent this list out to my newsletter subscribers (if you haven't yet, subscribe!), dividing some of my writing into these two categories. I don't usually repeat my newsletter info here, but decided it was worth doing this time. So...read on!

Escapism? Slant? What?

Ok, brief intro: (not a full essay, don't worry) Sometimes when you're in a rough place, you need something light and escapist. A little bit of whimsy, a sense of playfulness--I don't consider myself a comical writer, but play and whimsy are important words in how I write and create.

But sometimes, when the world feels like it's falling apart, we find inspiration in characters who've faced terrible situations and pushed back or powered through--or...stumbled through, aching and broken, into some sort of success, however they define it. I have stories about that as well.

If I were turning this into a full essay, I'd point out how it's a false dichotomy, how even the play and whimsy are wrapped up in the world (and even the characters going through a wringer can have moments of wonder and whimsy).

But more importantly I want to say that there's nothing wrong with either need, and what each of us needs might change as our lives and the world around us change. There are times when people try to create a moral judgment of one over the other, but I say read what you need to read in the given moment.

Read, widely, of whatever will get you through.

How 'bout some escapism?

My sense of whimsy is rooted deep in Italo Calvino's works. Whether you know his writing or not, here are some that I think share a touch of his art:

Looking for poetry? Try Ephemeral Village, a chapbook collection of poems about a belonging and home, meaning and wandering.

Want some very short fictions? Try The Market of Magical Goods, which is me at my most whimsical, spinning little 100-word tales about an open-air market and the magical lamps and swords and potions you might find within.

Something a little longer? Cities of Wonder, Rails of Irreality is a collection made up mostly of flash fiction (1000 words-ish) but also some poetry and one longer story, about the lands visited by a wondrous railroad and the ways people construct their lives based on where they go and how they perceive those places. 

Or for something a little less whimsical, a little more narrative-focused, you might try the quest fantasy novella The Patterns of Cloth and Dreams. It's set in the same world as the Spire City stories (see below) and tells the story of a seamstress who travels north to procure a rare kind of cloth, in the homeland of a mysterious people.

The real world, but tell it slant

Want a story about a corrupt, eccentric inventor who uses his wealth and connections to push down the powerless? Well, the original Spire City novels aren't that exactly--they aren't about the obscenely wealthy per se; instead they're about those powerless ones who find a way to fight back, expose the inventor, and save what they can about their city. A steampunk series that's as rooted in the punk as in the steam.

Want a story about living through a time of change, about a group of people who dream of a more just society and do what they can to create it--even as those with the power and wealth do all they can to stop them? Throw in a new kind of storytelling magic (new media!?) that's changing the world and a frozen land made inhabitable by geysers, and you've got the Arcist Chronicles.

Maybe you want a standalone story about an occupied city after the death of a local hero. Spire City: Occupied weaves a fast-paced story of five people in a steampunk city after the death of a famous inventor. Featuring trench warfare, chained singers, new inventions, a harsh wilderness, and a smuggler's airship! The characters face cruel armies and unreasonable demands and even their own misconceptions while trying to get through their own terrible times.

And as a related note--but avoiding spoilers--I have two novels that include a key scene of a large wall coming down. Each plays out differently in its novel--and each in a different imaginary world. These are not exact analogs for real-world events--neither wall was built for racist purposes but rather constructed out of a mistaken belief that they would be beneficial. Still, I'm entertained by the way they resonate with (and play against) both each other and all the rhetoric around building walls.

If you're looking for an assignment (the teacher in me suggests), find both scenes I'm referring to, and compare them :)

May all walls that divide people come crashing down.