early afternoon in the rain

I deeply love this book - I might have read it through at least 4 times. I won't go into detail again about why I love it, you can find the explanation here! today, I had the opportunity to listen to the extremely talented ruth l. ozeki, meet her briefly, and get her autograph! as poe would attest, I was "giddy like a school girl"...I think she was relieved that she didn't have to disown me after it all. a few interesting things came up during the "word on the street" public event...someone asked her whether she sees herself as an activist, whether her intention in writing these books (about the american beef industry, as well as genetically engineered potatoes) was to spearhead a social movement of sorts. she responded that she identifies herself as a novelist - and as long as her books arouse curiosity and that she herself stays curious - that is all she would ever ask for.

her response made me think about the importance of art and of literature in the grand scheme of advocacy - not everyone needs to be an "activist" (however you may choose to define that), but rather we are all participating in getting information out there for the public to know and be aware of. one role isn't more valuable than the other - we need writers, musicians and filmmakers to inspire us with their creativity, and we also need those who will be tenacious in the fight against issues such as the use of hormones in cattle, whether that's through challenging legislation or protesting peacefully.

now to decide what category I want to fit in...hmmm....can't I have the best of both worlds? ;)