There’s a huge link between art and activism. Most successful recent actions and movements have had visible and recognisable links to different forms of media. Here in GCN Towers, we’re incredibly lucky to have the talented Cassia Gaden Gilmartin interning with us. Cassia tells us about Channel Magazine, a literary journal she has created with Elizabeth Murtough and how arts activism can make a difference.
“I’ve teamed up with poet Elizabeth Murtough to create Channel Magazine, a new literary journal publishing poetry and prose with an environmentalist outlook.
“We believe the current climate crisis is, in part, a result of society’s collective disengagement from the natural world. Not many of us still feel the emotional connection to nature that, if we were lucky, we may have experienced playing outdoors as kids.
Channel Magazine is intended to play a part in rebuilding that connection, by publishing work that ties human lives and human habitats together.
“Arts activism has an impact. We’ve seen that in everything from Joe Caslin’s marriage equality murals to the Artists’ Campaign to Repeal the Eighth Amendment. The influences behind Channel include existing environmentalist journals overseas, such as Orion Magazine and Canary.
“These, like most literary magazines, have a small reach, but the connection between a single reader and a piece of writing can be powerful – and that connection tends to spread outwards.
“We hope to publish work that readers will want to share, and that will inspire them to get involved in the environmentalist movement.”
Channel Magazine‘s website launched on Earth Day, April 22. You can reach the team at [email protected].
Climate Emergency
Last week, Ireland became the second country in the world to declare climate emergency. Following the news, Extinction Rebellion Ireland, who recently co-hosted the Climate Crisis event ‘Mayday: The Fight To Save Our World’ alongside GCN announced a rally at the Dáil to demand the Irish government take action on the ecological crisis.
? The Dáil has declared a climate emergency ✊ But declaring an emergency means nothing unless there is action. Come to our Rally at the Dáil a to demand our government takes REAL action on the climate and ecological crisis! ? #ExtinctionRebellion ?https://t.co/lJGuv4xu4p
— Extinction Rebellion Ireland (@ExtinctRebelsIE) May 10, 2019
This story originally appeared on GCN’s May 2019 issue. Read the full issue here.
© 2019 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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