(Excerpt from Issue 10’s Director’s Cut):
According to Plato, the measure of a man is what he does with power.
George Orwell, who knew a thing or two about what drives human behavior—and with a couple more centuries of history than Plato was privy to—declared: the object of power is power.
Both of these sentiments, wise in ways that cut across sociopolitical, military, religious, and academic concerns, seem especially apt when reflecting on current events. They also remind us that, as it relates to humankind’s worst tendencies, power—which can be defined as leverage, ownership, access, agency, subjugation, or some combination of all these—is invariably the prime, primal impulse.
One might be tempted to observe that we too are animals, and what is nature if not a never-ending battle for supremacy and survival? Well, humans, with our big brains (and libraries of documented atrocities committed by and against our own kind) and evolved hearts, remain the only inhabitants of this world who know might doesn’t make right, yet fabricate or justify reasons why this time it’s different, and violence and collateral damage are, alas, unavoidable. Of course, to our disbelieving eyes, we see events unfolding right now—in the 21st Century—where a dictator is scarcely attempting to rationalize his barbarity.
What, then, does art tell us at times like this?
Quite a bit, actually—and it always has. Plato the philosophizer and Orwell the author both used storytelling to describe and explain who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Is there any multi-volume narrative that can tell us more about the pernicious tendencies of the powerful than what Percy Bysshe Shelley achieves in only 14 lines with “Ozymandias”? Does any big-name biography explain conflict and what drives it better than Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War” (or Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” if you prefer)? No words are necessary for a genius like Goya to indelibly illustrate corruption and brutality—and once you’ve seen his work you never unsee it.
Perhaps that’s the rub: the people who are drawn to art are seldom the ones most in need of its lessons. More: if so many of our worst ambassadors, including psychopaths ranging from Cortés to Hitler to Putin, were able or willing to expose themselves to the intellectual and spiritual riches our best storytelling imparts, we might have answers to questions that shouldn’t need asking.
1455 exists to connect communities, instigate discourse, and celebrate storytelling in its myriad forms. All our free programming is dedicated to this mission, and we remain proud that Movable Type serves as a viable showcase for the type of talent and empathy on display throughout this issue. Please help us spread awareness and do our small part to shine some light in this darkness.
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Hear contributors from Issue No. 10 read and discuss their work. Video (and bios of each contributor) below. *Special thanks, as always, to 1455’s Creative Director and MVP Morgan Ryan, for her amazing cover art and brilliant design — if you like what you see (and how could you not?), all credit goes to her.
CALLING ALL CREATIVES: Movable Type Issue 11 will explore “the state of the art” (this is an annual theme; read last year’s issue here), and we welcome submissions of poetry, prose, memoir, essay, visual art, music, and interview. Send pieces (or questions) to me at sean@1455litarts.org
Justen Ahren is a poet, photographer, musician and writing workshop facilitator. He’s published two collections of poetry, A Strange Catechism (2013) and A Machine for Remembering (2019). His poems have been set to music by Grammy award-winning Composer Glen Roven, and Cuban composer Ileana Perez Valezquez. HIs photographs are held in private collections and have been exhibited in both solo and group shows. He’s received two commissions for poetry from Wendy Taucher Dance Theater Opera, and one from John Sims’ Afro Dixie Project. His album, The War For The Valley is available on here and on iTunes.
Stephen L. Pettler, Jr. is an attorney who maintains a nationwide practice representing clients in complex business litigation and transactional matters. He is the managing member of Harrison & Johnston, PLC in Winchester, Virginia. Mr. Pettler serves as general counsel for a number of national businesses, as well as local counsel to national and multi-national companies in Virginia. Mr. Pettler has closed scores of multi-million dollar business transactions and litigated cases throughout the country. Mr. Pettler has served on the boards for numerous charity, civic and industry organizations. Most recently Mr. Pettler has served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Home Builders Association of Virginia on its Legislative Committee and as a Trustee of HBAV’s BuildPac. Mr. Pettler has also recently acted as counsel to Project Hope and provides pro bono counsel to several non-profit organizations.
Thomas Rayfiel is the author of eight novels, including In Pinelight and Genius, Split-Levels, Colony Girl—a Los Angeles Times Notable Book of the Year—and Eve in the City. He has published stories in GQ, Grand Street, Antioch Review, and The Quarterly. He lives in Brooklyn.
Hilal Isler is a Turkish American writer based in the Twin Cities. Her work has appeared in the Paris Review, the Brooklyn Review, the LA Review of Books online, and is forthcoming in McSweeney’s Quarterly. She’s a staff reader for Ploughshares, and is founding editor of the Hennepin Review, a literary arts journal devoted to the work of women and non-binary creatives of color. Read more about Hilal and her work at hilalisler.com and follow Hilal on Twitter @HilalIsler
Jane Palmer is a professor, researcher, and activist in Washington, DC. When she’s not reading, writing, or hanging out with her family and friends, she is dreaming of – and working toward – a world without violence. Follow Jane on Twitter: @jane_e_palmer
Jon Madof is a guitarist, composer, producer, bandleader, label owner and educator based in New York. He is the leader of several bands including Zion80 and Rashanim, and has worked with artists including Matisyahu, Bill Laswell, Frank London and Marc Ribot. Madof has performed around the world at prestigious venues and festivals, been featured in media outlets including the New York Times and NPR, and has maintained a decades-long association with composer John Zorn. Since 2017, Madof has been the co-owner of the prolific and eclectic Chant Records label. Madof also consults with other musicians and teaches about digital distribution, promotion, crowdfunding, technology, social media and audience development. Learn more about Jon Madof at jonmadof.com
