Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues

Das (Poignant Song: The Life and Music of Lakshmi Shankar), who teaches a course on writing about social issues, shows what great social justice writing looks like in this insightful how-to. While writing about social issues can take lots of forms, Das notes, it always requires thoughtful intention: “Ethics are not ancillary to craft but, in fact, critical to the craft of writing.” Das offers guiding questions (“What can you do to prepare your subjects for any positive and negative attention the piece might attract to them?”) and dives into aspects of craft that activists-cum-writers face, including analyzing one’s motivations for writing about a topic; distinguishing between reportage, personal narrative, and a hybrid approach; and conducting research (writers from outside a community should consider having a community member read a finished piece for accuracy, she suggests). Essays by James Baldwin, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Imani Perry, and Alice Wong, among others, show Das’s tips in action and speak to the power of writing about marginalized communities. Through concise language and well-chosen excerpts, Das delivers a one-of-a-kind writing guide that’s pitch-perfect for her niche. Activists ready to put pen to paper won’t want to miss this. (Oct.)