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A 501 3 (c) Nonprofit Journal of Literature, Democracy, and Dissidence Providing a Forum for Vigorous Debate, Cornerstone of Democracy —Founded in 1998 by the editor, G. Tod Slone, 1837 Main St., Concord, MA 01742-3811— todslone@yahoo.com www.theamericandissident.org
Truth, Wisdom, and Protest in Poetry and Writing in the Spirit of Revolutionary Patriots Improving America through Free and Open Criticism of All American Institutions and Icons
Subscriptions: $18/yr (individual), $20/yr (institutional), $9/copy. Please send checks to the above address. Call for Manuscripts: Poems (one-page max) and essays (1000-word max) written ON THE EDGE in English, Spanish, or French, stemming from EXPERIENCE, PURPOSEFUL CONFLICT WITH POWER, and/or INVOLVEMENT with, if possible, a dash of personal RISK. Do not be afraid to name names, a form of quality control! Bunnin and Beren (Writer’s Legal Companion) note that “a truth statement, no matter how damaging, can’t be libelous.” Highly critical cartoons and sketches are also needed. Include SASE. DO NOT SUBMIT CREDITS, but rather a short biography of personal dissident information. What enabled you to neutralize indoctrination? When did you dare stand apart from your friends or colleagues and "go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways" (Emerson) and “let your life be a counterfriction to stop the machine” (Thoreau)? —On Literature and Democracy— The vague unwritten rule with regards "not offending" evidently serves to encourage self-censorship and discourage free and open debate, cornerstone of democracy. The American Dissident is a unique literary journal because it actually encourages the latter. In fact, it not only urges readers to openly criticize the journal and its editor, but will publish any such critique. The journal contains poetry, essays, literary letters, and cartoons of a caustic nature and will not hesitate offending if it means exposing reality and other such uncomfortable truths. The academic/literary established-order milieu constitutes an enormous army of cultural and literary functionaries and bureaucrats, including poets, writers, editors, publishers, librarians, two-thumbs-up critics, journalists, pop-star actors and musicians, professors, other educationists, and artistes. It acts as Ministry of Information and Entertainment for the nation's ruling families, Republican and Democrat—white, black and Hispanic—, and seeks to instill in the nation's populace a modus operandi of fame seeking and wealth worship, a kind of happy-face fascism of groupthink and team-play, as opposed to individual free expression and intelligent criticism, belittling the latter, equating it with negativity, complaining, and loser. It is in the interests of it and Big Business to render poetry and other writing a safe diversion. Big Business does not want American citizens to think. Instead, it wants to keep them entertained; unfortunately, literature’s prime function today. The American Dissident was founded in 1998 as a direct result of the editor’s personal experience with intellectual corruption in the Massachusetts state college system as a professor and constitutes an ongoing experiment in free speech performed in the academic, cultural, and literary milieu, the core of the nation's intelligentsia. The American Dissident is an ongoing battle with academic and literary functionaries who, for the sake of democracy, must be fought, criticized, and otherwise denounced. That poets, artists, and academics are more open than most to debate and criticism is a myth for, in reality, they will, more often than not, detest anyone daring to “speak the rude truth in all ways,” especially when it might concern them. Weak minds, fragile self-esteem, lack of principles, fear of solitude, careerism, materialism, and control of turf constitute the reasons for their rejection of criticism. The American Dissident encourages writers and artists to become activists and bite the multiple hands that feed and seek to silence them. It urges that experiments in free speech and expression be performed on the grassroots level and crafted into literature. Criticism, as opposed to "be happy-don't-worry" positivism, has been responsible for all major improvements in civilization. —The Poet as Conformist, Careerist, and Diversionary Entertainer— The American Dissident serves as public record for the often illogical and absurd statements issued by poets, academics, artists, literary editors, publishers, and journalists (i.e., partisans of the established-order status-quo intellectual autocracy). It serves as witness to the general disdain of the literary and academic infrastructure vis-à-vis the free and open exchange of ideas, debate, freedom of speech and expression—cornerstones of democracy. The American Dissident exists not to please people, but to question, challenge, and otherwise criticize society and its cohort of court-jester literary, academic, and cultural functionaries. It is a no-bullshit, no-hype literary journal emphasizing ideas, criticism, and debate, as opposed to celebrity, who you know, which muzzle you adorn, where you've been published, and what contests you've won or judged. The two most disheartening discoveries made during the editor's earlier years as full-time professor and novice poet were that professors and poets, in general, tended to be anything but dissident. Most tend to be careerist apparatchiks who dare not criticize the literary and academic infrastructure because doing so would probably hurt, if not destroy, their careers and prospects of winning prizes, awards, fellowships, and grants, and jeopardize speaking engagements, festival invitations, and publishing opportunities. They are thus shamefully content to allow corruption to thrive in their particular domains. Most would perhaps even deny the very existence of corruption or label it "politics," in an effort to excuse it and their own spineless silence. Most would also not hesitate to denounce, ostracize, or ridicule the rare poet, artiste, or academic in their midst who might actually dare “go upright and vital.” Most would define poetry as clever wordplay, adept versification, effete wit, evoking feelings, though rarely if ever anger. "One writes in order to feel: that is the fundamental mover," stated former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove. In other words, the purpose of writing, according to that pillar of poetry, is to "feel." The American Dissident defines writing quite differently, not as a mere means to “feel,” but rather one of truth telling. Our society continually drowns citizens in the diversionary entertainment of celebrity, including that proposed by poets, artists, writers, and journalists, so that it may continue functioning in its dubious business-as-usual modus operandi. A poet should seek the truth and write the truth, not simply “feel.” The American Dissident seeks to goad poets, professors, and artists to take that giant leap away from the herd and "go upright and vital, and speak the rude truth in all ways.” For an in-depth discussion on these ideas, please visit www.theamericandissident.org. If you have questions and/or would like to express disagreement, please write todslone@yahoo.com. |
