The upcoming presidential election has, for the most part, relegated the Iraqi War to second-page status for some in the mainstream news media.

Artist Barbara Renaud Gonzalez, however, often has trouble thinking about anything but the war in Iraq.

“War has never been on the backburner to me,” she said. “I think it's so hard for us to imagine Iraqis dying and the maiming of American soldiers both physically and psychologically that we can't confront it for it's overpowering reality. But I think about it all the time.”

But Gonzalez isn't content to simply reflect on her opposition to the ongoing conflict in Iraq. Rather, she insists on voicing that dissent.

Gonzalez, along with friend Pablo Miguel Martinez, are organizing an event “Let These Words Be My Weapon: Poets and Writers Against War” for Thursday, March 20, at the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center. The night will feature anti-war readings, ranging in form from poetry to testimonial to short fiction, in remembrance of the five-year anniversary of the Iraqi war.

All readings will also be taped and considered for an anti-war anthology.

“I protested the war from the beginning,” Gonzalez said. “I protested it politically ..... but I'm one of the many artists who feel deeply about violence and are against the violence of war. Many artists don't have the time, so I am finding the time to organize this event. It's our way of protesting.”

Politically motivated writers and artists are nothing new to American culture, as storied authors like Walt Whitman and Mark Twain, not to mention contemporary figures like Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni, have all at one point spoken out on behalf of some aspect of politics.

“Many of the great writers we know protested wars, from the Civil War to World War I to Vietnam,” Gonzalez said. “This isn't anything new. I'm hoping to use this event to encourage and challenge writers from around the city to stand up and make a difference.”

According to Gonzalez, that is the role of an artist.

“Artists should always be the ones to stand up and say, ‘Wait a minute, what are we doing?'.” she said. “Even if the cost is high and you end up marginalized, all I have to say is that it was my truth, and I felt in my heart that it was wrong.”

CLINT HALE | 210SA