I'm the Damn Fool Who Shot Him

I fell in love with Hamilton the first time I heard it. I have sung the entire thing over and over. Some of the songs have gotten me through the worst moments of my life to date. I made it about thirty seconds into the opening song before I started crying when I got to see it on Broadway. It's brought me friendships and joy and ten years later is still one of the soundtracks I reach for.

And, like other things I love a whole lot, I love seeing people discover it for the first time. It's so fascinating to see reactions and that same sense of wonder in other people. All that to say I've had a lot of Hamilton first watch videos queued up on the YouTube while I work lately.

I love reaction videos because it lets me get an idea of how other people interact with art. While I don't believe that a novel is a collaborative effort between author and reader, not in the actual definition of the word. "Produced or conducted by two or more parties working together." The reader isn't involved in the creation of a work, in that a novel still exists even if no one reads it. The after where readers read and interpret and live in a novel after the fact is something that gives a novel wider range than it would be without an audience. That part is true.

There's been a lot of talk in the science fiction sphere recently (again) about politics and writing and if the two intersect or if one can just write a bunch of guys shooting at each other and blowing shit up.

And I just... * sighs and looks at sky * if you don't notice the politics it's because you think it's the default. If you don't notice the politics it's because you are privileged. If you don't notice the politics it's because at some point over the course of your life you turned your DAMN BRAIN OFF.

Everything is political. Nutmeg is political.*

And look, I get it. I went to college as a pretty well-read kid in the early 90s, but I was also from a small town and the way my eyes got opened (and back of my head gently smacked) was life changing. There's always time to learn new things, no matter what age you are. But the most important part of it is to stop assuming you know everything and that just because you don't know something it's not worth messing with. * stares in current administration *

In much the same way you need to be aware of the art and music and religions and food choices in your stories, you must also be aware of the politics. Both the ones that your characters' lives are influenced by and the ones you are.

It's fine if you're not out there overtly writing a political book, but you do need to be aware enough that even if you're not - your politics are still influencing everything and anything that gets written down on the paper. There is no escaping this and denying it just makes you look like a bit of a tool. (or a very large one, depending)

So yeah, Hamilton is political. So is Project Hail Mary. So is every single other piece of art, music, theatre, film, novel produced since the dawn of time. Anyone who claims otherwise is selling something.

*don't believe me? Go read about it in The Nutmeg's Curse by Amitav Ghosh

I hope you're taking care of yourselves and your communities as best as you are able. And don't forget I'll be in Virginia at Ravencon April 24th through the 26th, come see me if you're able!

Love,
K

Important hockey note: The Colorado Avalanche are 49-15-10 as of the writing of this newsletter.

Currently Reading: 
This is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets, edited by Kwame Alexander
Packing for Mars by Mary Roach

Currently Listening: 
Hamilton Soundtrack & the Mix Tape

Where you can find me these days:
Bluesky: @kbwagers.com
Instagram: @midwaybrawler
Discord: @greenskywarning
Patreon: kbwagers