Everybody reacts differently to a crisis.

When the pandemic hit, we took the route that we knew best: We threw ourselves into work. We’re writers for America’s best magazines. Foreign correspondents. Investigative reporters. Essayists from the country’s most respected literary magazines. Poets, painters, sculptors, photographers. Global musicians and local heroes.

We're not knee-jerk leftists, and we're definitely not hard right. At the same time, we don't pretend we're not sentient beings. A vs. B journalism, giving equal weight to patently false statements from industry spokesmen that you give to the impassioned words of citizens? That's nearly killed journalism. And it's dumb.

Our first allegiance is to the truth. That means fairness, even when the conclusion isn't what we like.

The second? Don't be boring. Nonfiction writing has evolved in deeply interesting ways during its stint in the academy. Now we're taking it back into the "real" world.

Because we know now, as Americans, that we don't live outside history, and that's where art can be found.

The most helpful way to support the work is via a paid membership. If you want a tax break, hit us up with an email. We're low-budget, but not no-budget.

If it's not that kind of time for you, keep on reading. We will never have a paywall.

You're welcome here.

Shotgun Joe: Past as Prologue