“The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to make people click ads.”
— and we lost.
We lost when countless tribes and species were annihilated.
We lost when an oligarch became the president of the most powerful country in the world.
We lost when a fascist was embraced and garlanded by the largest failing democracy on the planet.
We lost when millions were thrown in internment camps inside the largest prison-states of our times.
We lost when we let the “enlightened” capitalists profit from machines of war, surveillance and oppression.
Stop. Listen — our loss doesn’t make us weak. Our loss is great, and it is the source of our strength — the righteous rage of our generation.
Every issue of Mithila Review is a testimony to our collective resilience — each a dedication to the craft of storytelling and resistance, and also the human capacity for love, change, and forgiveness.
As you read this issue (12), do not forget that we live in a world where reading and writing can make us targets of the government. Tomorrow all the pages of Mithila Review and your favorite books could suddenly disappear from your devices and the world wide web. Anyone holding a forbidden book or a poem might be considered a traitor or a terrorist, lynched, incarcerated or sent for re-education, and-or executed by sword, stone, shock or starvation.
So why do we play with fire? Why do we read, write and publish? Why do we resist?
Because we are human — we are extraordinary storytelling animals. We use fiction and poetry to come to terms with our collective sorrow resulting from personal loss, injustice, hardships and failures. We read, write and share stories with each other to prevent these demons from defeating us.
The best of science fiction and fantasy is a balm to our wounded soul — our dream to reach the stars, become a caring and responsible star-faring civilization. And it wouldn’t be possible for me to indulge in this fantastic endeavor without your generous contribution and support.
If you can, please consider donating to Mithila Review to help us continue to exist and function as an open and collective platform.
We have only reached 8% of our funding goal for each issue on Patreon. If you haven’t, please consider gifting, subscribing and supporting us to help pay our contributors for their excellent work.
Donate: https://mithilareview.com/donate
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Arigatou gozaimasu!
— @salik
