"Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it." This quote from revolutionary poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht describes the relationship of the Review section of Green Left Weekly to the material it covers.
Review is sponsored by Cultural Dissent, an organisation dedicated to the promotion of a variety of alternative culture. While not holding to any prescriptive ideas about culture, Cultural Dissent seeks to support radical music, theatre and writing.
The Review pages of Green Left provide gender aware, class conscious and culturally relativist reviews of the mainstream, but also of the alternative. Review will keep you informed on developments in the independent media in your city, let you know if a film is worth watching and introduce you to new artists.
Review will not attempt to blind you to the facts with special effects. There can be no walling off of politics from art, and we're not afraid to say so.
You don't have to be an expert to contribute to Review. Simply to have a progressive outlook, and to have seen a film or play, or to have read a book you think may be interesting to Green Left readers is enough. Photos also are constantly in demand.
The section is a vital part of building an alternative. Its contribution to the depth and flavour of the paper is immense. If you are able to, the most concrete way of contributing to the success of Review is to donate to its sponsor. Donations to Cultural Dissent are tax deductible, and can be made care of Green Left Weekly, PO Box 394, Broadway NSW 2007.
Helping to build Green Left means helping to promote the cultural alternative as a whole. Read, contribute and participate. Green Left Weekly — it's your newspaper.