As our time to stand up and actually say something for ourselves draws near, I find myself a bit stumped. Yes, having creative arts in Harlot feels right. But what can I actually say when someone asks me the question, “Why showcase creative arts in a journal about rhetoric?” As my fellow harlots have allowed me to admit, I can’t answer this question as a rhetorician. It’s simply not my field of expertise. But I can answer this as a writer who, like many of my peers, is just looking for a good home for my own work.
Mostly, as Kelly mentioned, I think it is Harlot’s philosophy of inclusion–of breaking down walls, not choosing a side to step onto–that makes this journal so important for artists, writers, and audience. So far, a number of creative submissions to the pilot are fun, playful, and above all, wonderful pieces by artists collaborating, mixing medias, and moving in and out of their genres. It’s as if the pressure is off. There is no internal critic or censor. And the results are really exciting.