We were super thrilled to support the Seattle premiere of the new documentary on progressive movements during the 2016 election and to host the director, Jacob Smith, while he was in town.
There are days in running our gay press, that I think publishing poetry is political enough and you cannot go to protest, call Senators, writer letters… and sometimes I do talk myself out of some kind of more direct action. But then, let us be real, we are in a state of crisis with the environment and with the rise of neo-fascists and so if I have to pour a third or fourth cup of coffee, we must still find time to take the streets and turn our rage into actions. This is tough. And I would be remiss to not say that our business of poetry publishing hasn’t suffered, it has. But, well, we will just keep muddling along fighting the inhumanity of ICE, the mendacity of Trump and the corruption in the system because if we don’t prevail, there will be no such thing as “gay press”.
Waking the Sleeping Giant: The Making of a Political Revolutionis the story of the attempt to build a 21st century progressive movement in the United States. Five remarkable individuals wrestle with persistent racial injustice, growing economic inequality, and the corrupting influence of money in politics that shaped this extraordinary election cycle.
From the presidential campaign trail with Senator Bernie Sanders to a local political race in the failing economy of rural West Virginia, from a mass sit-in on the U.S. Capitol steps to racially charged police commission hearings in Los Angeles, Waking the Sleeping Giant makes sense of this singular moment in American politics, probing the widespread discontent of the past two years, Donald Trump’s dramatic electoral victory, and the challenges ahead for those hoping to build a reenergized progressive movement.
***You can now steam this film on many popular services, so look for it on whatever you stream.