WALL OF RESISTANCE

Special Call for Contributions

Angels Flight • literary west has launched an emergency “Wall of Resistance” issue in response to the U.S. presidential election. We are seeking short fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography, art, music and video from writers and artists looking to put a voice to resistance. Our intention is to create a wall of stories that will serve as a beacon of humanity against the recklessly hateful and dangerous actions and rhetoric of President-elect Trump and many of his supporters. While they seek to debase and tear us apart, we aim to reach deep within and tell stories that bind us together.

We are especially interested in work that focuses on personal experiences: How are you grieving? How are you resisting? How are you creating? How are you surviving? How are you thriving? We want history to know how the aftermath of the election is affecting our lives and those we love, and shaping the lives of our imagined characters and the contours of our hopes and fears.

As in any time of political unrest or revolution, the voices of artists are crucial. But now, as we find ourselves in an environment where the personal is political, the voices of all who comprise the spirit of Los Angeles are needed, and we want to include as many as possible from groups most at risk from the repercussions of 11/9 that are largely represented in our city: people of color, immigrants, women, and Latino, Asian, disabled, LGBTQ, Muslim and Jewish communities, among many others.

In some ways, Los Angeles has become the biggest thorn in the incoming administration’s side. So much about our city embodies its nightmares: We have overwhelmingly rejected the very idea of Trump at the ballot box and we have continuously risen up in protest against him, his appointees, his proposed policies and countless heinous acts committed by his supporters following the election.

It is more important than ever for Los Angeles to keep standing up and speaking up. Angels Flight • literary west wants to be one of its megaphones. All our voices need to be heard. Note that the city’s wide reach means you don’t have to live in L.A. to contribute to this special call, only that some part of you or your story resonates here. Anonymity is welcome for those concerned publishing would be a risk.

We request that prose be kept to under 1,000 words. Please send your work to Submit@AFLWmag.com. We will be publishing on a rolling basis starting Dec. 1. Deadline: ongoing.

We held an epic and powerful a post-inaguration live event, in collaboration with David Rocklin’s Roar Shack, to come together as a community and share submissions from the issue on January 22, 2017, at Clifton’s, DTLA.

We look forward to sharing your work and creating a wall of resistance together.

— The editors at Angels Flight • literary west

Updated: May 1, 2017