The Activist Fiction Writers’ Circle is a collective of activists creating works of fiction featuring activist characters and social movement settings. Our work depicts activists’ adventures, struggles, romances, conflicts, and humor in ordinary life and in extraordinary times during movements for a just and compassionate world.
Our novels appear under the imprint Life in the Liberated Zone (LLZ) Books. The name refers to the spaces activists carve out, in fiction and reality, to experiment with creating the new world now. Our fiction opens windows into those spaces to draw readers into exciting, inspiring, amusing, and entertaining stories of daily life in the midst of movements for change.
We hope, to encourage readers to identify with the protagonists and imagine themselves forging new liberated zones.
Brooke Kumara has lived a life of activism, communal living, parenting, and romance. She joins actions supporting environmental issues, reparations for African Americans, and solidarity with Northern Ireland peace activists. She never gives up working with others to create a better world. Now as an elder, finding love and overcoming disabilities, Brooke continues to sing her way through life.
Rain Zohav has spent her life organizing and participating in countless marches, demonstrations, and vigils for peace and justice. Much like her protagonist, Rain is also an educator and parent. She now resides in Rockville, Maryland with two roommates and a couple of hardy houseplants. Connect with Rain and buy ElderSong at RainZohav.com.
In 2086, power in the world teeters precariously between the many and the few, the rebels and the Empire of the Diez Familias. The many forge ingenious, ever-evolving truces with climate and political chaos, while the few–the crumbling Empire–- disappear rebels and despoil Earth as they ready to escape to their replica planets. Elder Marina flees the City to track her disappeared husband, Ori. Emboldened by her son, Machi, Marina joins the winner-take-all fight to take back Earth, but will she find the courage to get her son and husband back?
Maritza Arrastía’s five-decade writing life includes reporting and editing at CLARIDAD, publishing and performing poetry, fiction—including the novel Exile–, drama, journalism, and essays. She’s committed to activist, liberatory writing, and to building collective vehicles for publishing. Find her fiction and poetry at TheWritingRoom.org. (https://thewritingroom.org)
Former union organizer Marlie wakes one November night in 2006 to the roar of a helicopter, unaware that community activist Demetrius, fleeing that same helicopter, has taken refuge in her basement. Under the sharp-eyed gaze of Marlie’s young granddaughter Samantha, the characters confront past and present injustices in Rainwood House, her decaying but highly historic, mildly haunted home, and wrestle with the meanings of solidarity, sanctuary, and mutual trust.
Juliana Barnet is a lifelong activist, popular educator, and avid fiction reader. Annoyed by the dearth of activist characters in novels and movies, she decided to start writing—and encouraging others to write—stories showing the joys and struggles of activist life. She also trains a critical eye on the stereotyping of activists in stories.
Her daughter, artist Sophie Barnet-Higgins, collaborated with Juliana on the original edition.
In 1972, Ruthie, the young mother of a 4-yr-old daughter, Sasha, leaves her with her ex-husband at a commune north of San Francisco and travels to Cuba with other American activists to work in solidarity with the newly triumphant revolution. When she returns after three months, Ruthie learns that Sasha and her father have vanished. Her quest to find her daughter forces Ruthie to confront the complexities of being an activist mother as she joins with other mothers to gain the courage to go on.
Elena Schwolsky, a retired nurse, activist, and writer, is author of the award-winning memoir, Waking in Havana: A Memoir of AIDS and Healing in Cuba (She Writes Press, 2019). Her work has appeared in anthologies and journals on healing. Writing activist fiction has allowed her to explore the universal issues that she has faced as a woman and a mother dedicated to the movement for social change for over 60 years. Since her 2021 cancer diagnosis her writing has become a lifeline connecting her to the world and to her fellow writers and activists. See Elena’s Facebook Author Page at https://www.facebook.com/elenaschwolskywriter.
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