Call to Action
American democracy is under attack.
As writers and citizens, we cannot stand by and see our institutions dismantled. Please join us in the battle of our lives.
Call, email, write, and show up at the offices of your elected officials. Remind them government is by the people, for the people.
Register to vote and show up at the polls, especially in special and runoff elections. Find out if there’s an election near you and vote prepared and informed at vote.org.
Consider writing an OpEd for one of our nation’s online or print publications (see guidelines here) or submit to our Substack page.
Join Writers for Democratic Action. We’ll keep you informed of specific national campaigns and state opportunities to volunteer locally. You can also check out our Civic Action Toolkit.
Don’t have a state WDA chapter? Form one. Contact us, and we’ll get you started.
RENE NICOLE GOOD In Memoriam
The murder of Renée Nicole Good, an innocent, unarmed civilian and mother of three, and award-winning poet, in her car in front of her house in Minneapolis by ICE agents on January 7 is a crime against all Americans, and embodies the lawless, violent, chaos the Trump administration is fomenting across the nation as it continues to usurp democracy and turn government militia on law abiding American citizens. The Trump administration’s refusal to acknowledge this act of violence and wrongdoing by fabricating a false narrative in order to demonize the victim by calling her a domestic terrorist is morally outrageous and continues the pernicious propaganda of an administration that is unhinged and holds its citizens in contempt. We stand with the leaders of Minnesota who are appalled at the violent and unprofessional actions of ICE and call for their withdrawal from their state. Writers for Democratic Action demands government accountability for Renée Good’s death and an end to Trump's militia violence against American citizens.
Her poem, “On Learning to Dissect Fetal Pigs”
To donate in support of Renée Good’s wife and family, click here.
Join the ICE OUT FOR GOOD COALITION in a National Weekend of protest—Saturday, January 10, and Sunday, January 11!
Call for ICE to leave our communities now!
Sponsored by Indivisible & 50501
FEATURED NEWS
From Our States
Massachusetts Chapter
January 6th: A Day Forever
In-person | Wellfleet, MA
Outermost Performing Arts Center
2357 State Highway Route 6, Wellfleet
January 6th, 2026 6:30pm ET
Get your free tickets now!
For more information, click here.
For more information, click here.
DC + Maryland Chapter
Illinois Chapter
FALL OF FREEDOM
Ban the Bans at The Seminary Co-op
Friday, November 21
4:00PM – 5:00PM CST
5751 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago
New Hampshire Chapter
Visit the New Hampshire Chapter’s Federal Workers’ Stories Project.
Wisconsin Chapter
From Our Writers
New from Peter Balakian:
NEW YORK TRILOGY
An American long poem in three sections that moves between decades of tumultuous life in New York City and explosive parts of the Middle East and explores the impact of historical events including the Armenian Genocide, the bombing of Hiroshima, the Vietnam War, the AIDS epidemic, the attacks of September 11th, the US war in Iraq, and the climate crisis on the protagonist’s life. (University of Chicago Press)
What Happens When Gen Z Encounters Catullus’s Filthiest Poem?
By Rachel DeWoskin
Literary Hub
December 11, 2025
From the Democracy Theater Project. . .
Writers for Democratic Action invites you—as members & partners—to present your own version of the Democracy Theater Project’s newest play, January 6: A Day Forever—easily mounted using a five-reader script drawn from The Congressional Record of the Second Impeachment Trial of Donald J. Trump by James Carroll and Rachel DeWoskin. See the January 6 and Democracy Theater Project webpages below.
DOWNLOAD THE SCRIPT HERE.
A note from CIVICUS, the international organization which tracks the health of civil society worldwide:
“A global realignment appears underway, driven by the Trump administration, which seems determined to reward acts of aggression, ripping up longstanding international alliances and shared assumptions in favour of an axis of authoritarianism. . . In tough times, it’s a challenge to be creative, and introspection may seem self-indulgent. But crises can present opportunities to experiment. The time has come to reimagine how civil society can ensure it’s able to keep defending and advancing human rights amid a cascade of crises.” —CIVICUS, 2025 State of Civil Society Report
TO READ THE FULL REPORT, CLICK HERE.
“Despite today’s many challenges, civil society continues to strive on all fronts, combining advocacy, protests, online campaigns, strategic litigation, international diplomacy and every other tactic imaginable. In a world overwhelmed by disinformation, civil society’s truth telling serves as a crucial counterforce to the false narratives that sow division and mobilise hatred towards excluded groups. . . In these volatile and unpredictable times, civil society must keep carrying the torch of hope that a more peaceful, just, equitable and sustainable world remains possible. . .”
The Art of Peace: On Amichai, Darwish, and the Poetic Imagination
by Yahia Lababidi
Consequence Forum, August 6, 2025
Ezzideen Shehab returned to Gaza in 2023, following a decade of medical studies abroad. Five days after his return, the war began. Dr. Shehab founded the Alrahma Medical Center in Jabalia, a small clinic that provides free medical care for the injured and starving of north Gaza. To support Alrahma, visit Chuffed.org.
Thank you to all who joined the nationwide NO KINGS DAY protests in October 2025!
7+ million attendees at 2,700 events occurring in all 50 states!
Writers for Democratic Action mobilized, with our partner Indivisible and the 50501 Movement in April, June, and October in to resist the MAGA assault on our country and Constitution, and peacefully defend our freedoms, our rights, and our future. When those in power try to silence us, we rise louder. When they attack our communities, we fight back—together.
Thanks to all who joined us!
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Oppose the Attack on Education!
"Donad Trump and his administration are dismantling the US Department of Education, which was created in 1979 to coordinate most financial assistance to education. The Department's mission is to serve America's students by ensuring equal access. Make no mistake: this is an attack against the marginalized. This is an attack against literacy. This is an attack against our fundamental rights.