An Empire Falls. Again. Any ideas? Anyone?

How can poetics & the multi-media arts educate, inform, even warn communities about demagogues and the concentration of dictatorial power?

The author on the stage set she painted for Woodminster Amphitheater’s production of Camelot (another well-intentioned empire that failed), July 2000 Photographer unknown.

The above question is asked in a call for entries for articles, poetry, art and illustration in Chant de la Sirène. (Deadline for entries: May 1, 2025)

My short, knee-jerk answer: Holy Hell we tried. We Democrats tried our damndest to educate, inform and warn all last summer and autumn using every form of media and enormous stadiums. Millions of us gave our time, money and energy to fight fear tactics based on lies. We lost. Pretty much all that’s left is the Serenity Prayer and boycotts.

Another question Chant de la Sirène asks in the call for submissions…

Do audiences for art and literature change under fascism and tyranny?

Short answer: No.

Longer answer: Fascism has already set the channel locks and is cranking them down fast and hard. No need to supply links. Unthinkable atrocities have been pounding us every hour for the past month. The far right successfully grabbed control because they played a long game so successfully that the ‘audience’ had already been converted into incurious, unquestioning followers…