Art Saves Lives
An essay series curated by Seema Reza & edited by Ben Weakley.
Introduction by Seema Reza
I begin writing workshops with new groups of people by saying “Writing has saved my life. It continues to save my life on a regular basis.” I say it because it’s true. I say it because the best way to help people feel comfortable about being vulnerable is by modeling it. And mostly, I say it because it calms my own nerves to admit right up front that I am still working on saving my own life. It reminds me that this work, this moment, the act of writing is sacred. The stakes are high.
In the space after I say it, the room leans in. People who have been stifled by the pressure to pretend they are perfect are able to relax into the hard work at hand. People who are skeptical that someone like me, who gets to sit at the head of the table, could possibly get it trust me a little bit more.
I hope that this series of essays will give the writers of each piece the opportunity to reflect on the sacred act of art making and allow readers to feel seen and safe to reach further inside of themselves in their own art making practice.
Thank you for your submissions!
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Art Saves Lives essays are listed below in order from the most recent to the oldest post.
Art Saves Lives: Writing as Proof by Susanna Sonnenberg
I know I’m crazy. I try to align events with my body’s tension but can’t remember properly, my racing heart or late-night brain awake with calculations for escape. What if I just walked out, took my body with me? I could wait until my mother and sister are asleep and...
Art Saves Lives: Writing Against State Erasure by Arthur Kayzakian
"I ran from the country of my birth because I did not want to die. I am a child of state erasure."I was born on a war-torn block. Bombs shook the ground and lit up the sky. Fire hung in flaming threads from blown-out windows in abandoned buildings. Foot soldiers...
Art Saves Lives: Words and Other Lifesaving Devices by Anne Barlieb
I’ve been invited several times in the last two years to write about how writing transforms the story I tell about myself, how it saves my life. I desire to write about this absolute truth. I set the intention and make the time. I’ve been given deadlines by...
Art Saves Lives: Beyond Survival – Becoming Human Again, by Ben Weakley
“No one is coming to save us, so we create, we connect, and we save ourselves.” -Ben Weakley