Until writers know what we can be and do, for and with ourselves and each other, the story or strong subtexts of the stories and poems- the lives and the works- of all writers will be to show what a writer can be and do. Our history and landscape is littered with the stories of what a writer can't be or couldn't be, can't have or couldn't have, shouldn't have or shouldn't be. Mostly they are stories of what and who destroyed the writer, or tried to.

Like all workers, until now writers have accepted working mostly as slaves. We have been arrested and brought in and don't know why (Kafka). For some, this may be the appeal of signing up to be a writer, and then doing nothing at all (writer's block=going on strike). Until this has been talked about and confronted, among ourselves, writers will not have much else to think about, whatever else it is we talk about. We will go on talking around this, and keep looking for ways to avoid talking about this, and talk about how to get the word out, all the time trying like hell to avoid thinking and talking about this. This is why we fight among ourselves. Until we learn how to use our words, our communicative skills, on behalf of each other, we will go on disliking ourselves, even hating ourselves and each other, even destroying ourselves and each other, or trying to.
(3/12/99)