At the Nonfiction Now writers’ conference in Phoenix on Nov 1-3, 2018 (a few days before the midterm elections), Robin Hemley, Nicole Walker, and David Shields asked their fellow writers and professors of nonfiction the following questions: How do you know what you believe? Do you have any absolute beliefs? Is there such thing as “truth”? What is “nonfiction,” and is it “true”? What do you think is the difference between “truth” and belief? If you have siblings, have they shown your view of the world to be flawed? Are you superstitious? Do you believe in ghosts? Why are you here and not canvassing for Stacey Abrams?
The consensus answers: There are no absolute truths other than that there is no truth; my sister and I are estranged; there are no ghosts except psychic luggage; I’m not canvassing for Abrams because all I finally care about is art.
How We Got Here consists of interviews with more than thirty Nonfiction Now attendees; eighteen brief 2-Truths-and-a-Lie videos, to demonstrate the precariousness of truth, especially now; and a slideshow / TED talk (on speed) / montage / soundscape / voiceover / monologue / intellectual history of the last 170 years, in which Shields argue that Melville plus Nietzsche divided by the square root of (Allan) Bloom times Žižek (squared) equals Bannon.
Q&A with David Shields following screening. Moderated by Penny Lane.
“Should be required viewing in every Intro to Humanities course in the country.”—Autofocus
Free, signed copies of the companion volume (aka book) to the first 25 attendees.
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