How are the good people of Manhattan, Kansas fighting the regime? Well, in many ways, but one is via Indivisible MHK — the local chapter of Indivisible, the national pro-democracy organization founded by Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg. To find out what, precisely, we are up to, follow us on social media (BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, Substack, TikTok, YouTube), visit our website, and join the fight for democracy.
I say “we” because I’ve been involved since early February, and have written a good bit for the IMHK Substack:
- “Refusing, Together: How to Fight the Regime and Defend Democracy” (31 July 2025)
- “Democracy Is a Living Thing” (12 June 2025)
- “Make It Shine for You” (29 May 2025)
- “Hope: An Orientation of the Heart” (20 April 2025)
- “Is Hope Necessary?” (25 March 2025)
- “How to Save U.S. Democracy: A Five-Point Plan” (23 March 2025)
- “How to Keep Going: 10 Things to Remember” (12 March 2025)
I’ve also been making videos.
And doing a range of other things.
This is one reason my own blog has been quieter in recent months. So, I invite you to check out the IMHK Substack for more of the political content that might otherwise appear here.
Related (on the blog unless otherwise indicated)
RESIST
- “Town Hall with Missing Senator Moran” (25 Feb. 2025)
- “Language Matters: DEI” (23 Feb. 2025)
- “No More Kings! Protest Musk’s Coup, on Presidents Day 2025” (16 Feb. 2025)
- “Another World Is Possible” (19 Nov. 2024).
- “You Are Not Alone: A Letter to My Students After the 2024 US Election” (6 Nov. 2024).
- “Resolutions for a New Academic Year: A survival guide for higher education in perilous times” (Chronicle of Higher Education, 5 Sept. 2017)
- “The Public University in an Age of Alt-Facts: Remarks on Receiving a Higuchi Award” (13 Dec. 2016)
- “Surviving Trumpism, Restoring Democracy” (12 Nov. 2016)
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE & EDUCATION
- “Defending the Right to Read: Resources for Opposing Book Bans” (1 Jan. 2024).
- “Why Are People Afraid of Multicultural Children’s Books?” (Geschichte der Gegenwart, 21 May 2023). See also the related blog post.
- “Breaking up with your favorite childhood classic books” (Washington Post, 16 May 2021).
- “Seuss, Racism, and Resources for Anti-Racist Children’s Literature” (9 Mar. 2021).
- “Trump is a liar. Tell children the truth” (Public Books, 15 Oct. 2019). See also the related blog post on the essay.
- “Migration, Refugees, and Diaspora in Children’s Literature” (ChLAQ) (11 Dec. 2018). Blog post announcing special issue of the Children’s Literature Association Quarterly on this subject, including excerpts from my introduction.
- Refugee Stories for Young Readers (Public Books, 23 Mar. 2017). Francesca Sanna’s The Journey and other contemporary refugee tales for children.