When we started The November 3rd Club – the journal which preceded Radius – we were asked quite seriously why we wanted to mix poetry and politics. For many, the latter would prove toxic to the former. We disagreed on two counts: One, we think poetry is tougher than that, and that high-quality political literature can both be of value can endure beyond the immediate headlines, and two, we believe the latter suffers for the absence of the former. “It is difficult to get the news from poem,” said William Carlos Williams, “yet men die miserably every day for lack of what is found there.”
2017 has been a stomach-churning year of politics, and everything has been politicized – football, Hollywood, avocado toast – but within that seeming complete breakdown of civility, social norms and civic institutions, there is a small glimmer of hope: That the increasingly apparent corruption that comes of generations of racism, misogyny and other stripes of xenophobia has been brought to the surface of the American culture and revealed to be what it is: Rot. And in seeing it for what it is, there’s a hope that it can be cleared away and replaced with something better.
A better world is a thing worth fighting for.
This is what Radius aims to bring to the discussion: Rage, yes, but also humanity, empathy and compassion. We aim to apply the gifts of poetry to a world that needs the perspective it brings, to a world that sees less poetry in its daily news than ever before.
That’s the plan, but as always, we need your help to do it.
In order to keep Radius up and running free and free from ads, we have to occasionally ask for your help: We have set ourselves a goal to raise $300 by December 20th. This is a modest amount, but we really don’t need much. Just enough to help pay for our hosting and a few digital tools.
You can make donations by visiting our new Square store, or by clicking the “Donate to Radius” button on the top right-hand corner of the website.
And that’s it: No song and dance, and only a tiny bit of groveling. Even a $5 or $10 donation will go a long way toward keeping Radius online.
And again, thank you. Your support and belief is what keeps us going, and it’s immensely appreciated.
Much thanks,
Victor D. Infante
Editor-In-Chief
Radius: Poetry From the Center to the Edge
http://www.radiuslit.org/
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