Additional information
by Tamara Pearson (Author)
A creative writing toolkit for healing, disrupting injustice, and for hope
A book of creative writing exercises to help breathe life into vital issues, to strengthen the brain, the heart, and fuel the struggle.
Find ideas and inspiration, link the personal with the political, make sense of the chaos, humanise, and extract meaning. Use the exercises to process the horror and work through emotions and transform them into something meaningful, beautiful, or useful.
A vital resource for socially-conscious writers and other creatives, as well as for activists, critical thinkers, concerned global citizens, and anyone who wants to break out of routine, problem solve, and convey the harsh context we live in.
Author Tamara Pearson is a journalist, literary fiction author, editor, and activist with a background in alternative pedagogy and many years teaching writing for empowerment in community and alternative schools.
Exercises include ✶Quick creativity warm-ups ✶Processing overwhelming news and anger at injustice ✶Grief for loss and endings ✶Appreciating past struggles ✶Imagine other realities ✶A body's story ✶Photo challenges ✶Lose clichés ✶Word portraits, and many more.
"This book is an important reminder that all of us who have print literacy skills have enormous power. Our writing, however short or humble, is valuable and worthwhile, and can heal and transform. This book is a warm and practical guide to tapping into our power as writers." - Ruth Ratcliffe, activist and university lecturer, Australia
"A book with many exercises that help us see our environment in more detail and depth. Resistance Words is valuable for writers, current and future, of fiction and non-fiction." - Peter Bohmer, activist, faculty emeritus in political economy, USA
"Creative activity inspires resilience, builds community, and uncovers hidden possibilities. And what better purpose for creative activity than to critically examine what's going on around us, imagine better ways things could be, and gather the collective strength to resist injustice and build something new? Pearson's book is an extremely useful and accessible resource for activists, teachers, and organizations seeking to use the craft of writing to advance toward a more just world. Her pedagogy visibilizes the unseen, opens doors for the silenced to find their voices, and shines with profound empathy for all those disempowered and suffocated by oppression. Whether you're looking to get unstuck, create characters that defy societal stereotypes, process trauma or clarify emotions, view concepts or problems from a different angle, find the joy and purpose in daydreams, or create stories that reimagine and liberate, this book is complete with step-by-step instructions, original examples, and useful prompts to help you challenge yourself and break free from the rules in the best way possible. " - James Suggett, activist and educator, USA
"This book is a no-nonsense guide to writing for change." - Peter Boyle, Green Left activist journalist, Australia
