Craft and Conscience: How to Write About Social Issues

by Kavita Das

Overview

The first major book for writers to more effectively engage with complex socio-political issues—a critical first step in creating social change

Writers are witnesses and scribes to society’s conscience but writing about social issues in the twenty-first century requires a new, sharper toolkit. Craft and Conscience helps writers weave together their narrative craft, analytical and research skills, and their conscience to create prose which makes us feel the individual and collective impact of crucial issues of our time. Kavita Das guides writers to take on nuanced perspectives and embrace intentionality through a social justice lens. She challenges writers to unpack their motivations for writing about an issue and to understand that “writing, irrespective of genre or outlet, is an act of political writing,” regardless of intention.

The book includes essays from a fascinating mix of authors, including James Baldwin, Alexander Chee, Kaitlyn Greenidge, George Orwell, Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz, Gaiutra Bahadur, Jaquira Díaz, and Imani Perry. By including Das’s own perspective and those of the featured writers about motivations and approaches to writing about fraught social issues, this book both demystifies the process of engaging social issues on the page, and underscores the intentionality and sensitivity that must go into the work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807046531
Publisher:	Beacon Press
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
Sales rank:	598,161
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

Kavita Das has taught nonfiction writing at the New School and Catapult and has written about social issues for ten years. Previously, she worked in the social change sector for fifteen years, addressing issues ranging from community and housing inequities to public health disparities and racial injustice. Das is also the author of the biography Poignant Song: The Life and Music of Lakshmi Shankar. Find her online at kavitadas.com and on Twitter (@kavitamix).

Table of Contents

Foreword, by Mira Jacob
Introduction

CHAPTER 1
Why We Write: Interrogating Our Motivations for Writing About Social Issues

· “Why I Write,” by George Orwell
· “Autobiographical Notes,” from Notes of a Native Son, by James Baldwin
· “Ellaji and Lakshmiji,” by Kavita Das

CHAPTER 2
How We Are All Connected: Understanding the Relationship Between the Writer, Reader, and Subject

· “Tramp,” by Kavita Das
· “Jyoti’s Rainbow,” by Kavita Das
· “Black and Blue,” by Garnette Cadogan
· “Football, Free on the Streets,” by Garnette Cadogan

CHAPTER 3
Diving In Deep or Casting Wide: Considering Context Versus Narrative to Shape Our Stories

· “Red Ink of Revisionist History,” by Kavita Das
· “Selective Perception of Disinformation,” by Kavita Das
· “Introduction: This Land,” from An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States, by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
· From “Fear” in Breathe: A Letter to My Sons, by Imani Perry
· “How Could I Write About Women Whose Existence Is Barely Acknowledged?” by Gaiutra Bahadur

CHAPTER 4
Writing from Outside In or Inside Out: Reporting, Personal Narrative, or a Hybrid Approach

· “COVID-19 Vaccine: What White Conservatives Can Learn from Black Americans,” by Kavita Das
· “A Virulent Privilege,” by Kavita Das
· “La Otra,” adapted from Ordinary Girls, by Jaquira Díaz
· “The School-to-Prison Pipeline Is Getting Worse for Black and Brown Girls,” by Jaquira Díaz
· “99 Years After the Tulsa Race Massacre, an Artist Reflects,” by Crystal Z Campbell

CHAPTER 5
Staking a Claim: Writing Opinion Pieces (Op-Eds)

· “The Anti-Vaxxer Threat amid a Pandemic,” by Kavita Das
· “Tolerance Has a Fatal Flaw. This Is the Solution,” by Kavita Das
· “Stories of Transracial Adoptees Must Be Heard—Even Uncomfortable Ones,” by Nicole Chung
· “The Specter of Caste in Silicon Valley,” by Yashica Dutt

CHAPTER 6
Are You the Right Storyteller for This Story?: Understanding Cultural Sensitivity and Avoiding Cultural Appropriation

· Introduction and Conclusion from White Negroes: When Cornrows Were in Vogue . . . and Other Thoughts on Cultural Appropriation, by Lauren Michele Jackson
· “Who Gets to Write What?” by Kaitlyn Greenidge
· “How to Unlearn Everything: When It Comes to Writing the ‘Other,&rsrquo; What Questions Are We Not Asking?” by Alexander Chee
· “Who Gets to Write About Whom: Examining Authority, Authenticity, and Appropriation in Biography,” by Kavita Das

CHAPTER 7
Ripple Effects of Making Waves: Implications (Good and Bad) of Writing About Social Issues

· “Writers Shouldn’t Romanticize Rejection,” by Kavita Das
· “Recovering My Fifth Sense,” by Kavita Das
· “There Is No One Way,” by Alice Wong
· “Stepping on a Star,” from We Wear the Mask: 15 True Stories of Passing in America, by Gabrielle Bellot

Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Recommended Resources
About Kavita Das, Author
About Mira Jacob, Foreword Writer
About the Contributors
Notes
Permissions

Editorial Reviews

09/05/2022

Das (Poignant Song: The Life and Music of Lakshmi Shankar), who teaches a course on writing about social issues, shows what great social justice writing looks like in this insightful how-to. While writing about social issues can take lots of forms, Das notes, it always requires thoughtful intention: “Ethics are not ancillary to craft but, in fact, critical to the craft of writing.” Das offers guiding questions (“What can you do to prepare your subjects for any positive and negative attention the piece might attract to them?”) and dives into aspects of craft that activists-cum-writers face, including analyzing one’s motivations for writing about a topic; distinguishing between reportage, personal narrative, and a hybrid approach; and conducting research (writers from outside a community should consider having a community member read a finished piece for accuracy, she suggests). Essays by James Baldwin, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Imani Perry, and Alice Wong, among others, show Das’s tips in action and speak to the power of writing about marginalized communities. Through concise language and well-chosen excerpts, Das delivers a one-of-a-kind writing guide that’s pitch-perfect for her niche. Activists ready to put pen to paper won’t want to miss this. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Through concise language and well-chosen excerpts, Das delivers a one-of-a-kind writing guide that’s pitch-perfect for her niche. Activists ready to put pen to paper won’t want to miss this.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Das’s rare gift is her ability to demystify a subject of so much anxiety and debate.”
—Ali Sharpe, LIBER

“A useful primer for writers who are newer to writing about social change, regardless of their overall writing experience . . . Those steeped in social justice discourse will encounter many familiar concepts and references, all of which can lead to new or deepened insights upon being revisited.”
—Hippocampus Magazine

“Craft and Conscience is that rigorously researched and lushly written ‘How-to’ book that every single human who has dared to write needs in our lives. . . . Rarely do we get books that encourage readers to reconsider how we read and write. Intellectually and soulfully invigorating.”
—Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

“A gift to writers and justice seekers everywhere! Craft and Conscience is a handbook for how to wield words to shape culture and inspire change.”
—Valarie Kaur, civil rights leader and author of See No Stranger

“Das constructs a vocabulary, a methodology, and an ethics for socially engaged writing, while bringing together a staggering range of writers and issues. . . . This book has restored my faith in the written word.”
—Lacy M. Johnson, author of The Reckonings

“Das gathers up a wide-ranging and whip-smart array of thinkers while serving us a feast of timely advocacy and learning.”
—Aimee Nezhukumatathil, author of World of Wonders

“Kavita Das has assembled a vital primer on writing with purpose, a guidebook that our turbulent times demand.”
—Jabari Asim, author of We Can’t Breathe

“A book of phenomenal intelligence, generosity, and wisdom, and indispensable for the classroom and for anyone who wants to make words matter.”
—Marie Mutsuki Mockett, author of American Harvest

“Brilliant! A must-read for anyone who cares deeply about social and political issues and wants to make their own voice heard.”
—Laurie Gwen Shapiro, author of The Stowaway

“Kavita Das orients us with great precision to the many contradictory considerations that nonfiction writers face. . . . I found myself reading and nodding in agreement, thinking: yes, that’s exactly right!”
—Daisy Hernández, author of The Kissing Bug

“A fascinating and forceful guide to stepping up and speaking out on the page.”
—Susan Shapiro, author of The Byline Bible

“An instructive guide for writers hoping to move the needle.”
—Matthew Salesses, author of Craft in the Real World

“Kavita Das’s book is part how-to, part call to action. . . . It is more needed than ever.”
—S. Mitra Kalita, founder and publisher of Epicenter NYC and cofounder of URL Media

“For writers seeking guidance on how to write about social justice with compassion and insight.”
—Tanaïs, author of In Sensorium

From the Publisher

10/01/2022

Activist and nonfiction writing instructor Das (Poignant Song) provides a writing guide that serves a dual purpose. First, she dispenses practical advice for writers, such as avoiding the pitfalls of cliché and self-promotion. Second, she compiles a large selection of essays by authors who write about social issues. The essays include works by Das and others, including George Orwell, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Imani Perry, and James Baldwin. The topics covered include violence against Black Africans, settler colonialism, and discrimination influenced by Indian caste at a large company in California. Writing about current social issues presents unique challenges for writers, such as avoiding cultural appropriation and examining one's motives and intentions. However, the craft requires some of the critical techniques used in other forms of writing, including balancing content with the interests of the reader, and the delicate walk between context and narrative. Das does not back down from current issues, including taking on the anti-vaccination movement. VERDICT This guide for the socially conscious writer will be helpful for those writing about marginalized communities. It's also a solid collection of American perspectives on social-sciences writing.—Jeffrey Meyer

Library Journal