OccupyWriters.com is providing a platform for authors and editors who want to lend their names, and their work, to the Occupy Movement. As of today, more than 900 names are listed on the site under the statement: “We, the undersigned writers and all who will join us, support Occupy Wall Street and the Occupy Movement around the world.” Included on the list are notable Canadian writers—Margaret Atwood, David Bezmozgis, Mark Kingwell, Naomi Klein—and other big names from the U.S. and around the world such as Noam Chomsky, Sasha Frere-Jones, Neil Gaiman, Salman Rushdie, and Gloria Steinem.
The site is also collecting poetry and prose about the Occupy protests. As of now, four writers have submitted original work: Francine Prose, Lemony Snicket, D.A. Powell, and Duncan Murrell. Snicket’s piece, “Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance,” is particularly good. Here are the first three observations:
1. If you work hard, and become successful, it does not necessarily mean you are successful because you worked hard, just as if you are tall with long hair it doesn’t mean you would be a midget if you were bald.
2. “Fortune” is a word for having a lot of money and for having a lot of luck, but that does not mean the word has two definitions.
3. Money is like a child—rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there.
If you’re interested in having your name and work appear on the site, email OccupyWriters.com here. You can also follow OccupyWriters on Twitter here.
