The Crash of Opposites: a quick note on suffocation and expression
Sep 26, 2025
The Crash of Opposites
Writing in Upheaval is a reader-supported publication on Substack. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber to my Substack at https://anyaachtenberg.substack.com/ .
Anya Achtenberg
September 25, 2025
A quick note on suffocation and expression; resistance to silencing; silencing and writing; and—a free Zoom meeting next week, on writing that overturns silencing.
The forces of suffocation are hard at work to push back language just when we have a deep need to express, to make something of use from this broken time, to pull others to our radical hearts, to write as well as to act. What expression faces now is more repressive and punitive, surveilled and threatening; the assaults, more targeted and arbitrary, violent and surreal. But definitely meant to shut—us—up. As well, the overwhelm of emotions—grief, rage, horror—is oceanic, pressing, both suffocating and uncontrollable.
With expression simultaneously corralled and shattering, imploding and exploding, the need to speak up urgent, writing in community can relieve some pressure, show us our allies in the world and in expression, and bring us back to the path of our writing and its truths, authentically and powerfully.
I’m here to announce a free Ask-Me-Anything session on Writing in Upheaval coming next Thursday, October 2nd, details below.
Ask-Me-Anything session, a free hour of Q & A on writing blocks, story craft, expansion of creativity; questions on upcoming workshops; sharing by participants.
Open to all, register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/67Q2TCY
Many of you know me as a creative writing teacher, a manuscript consultant, a fiction writer and poet—many do not. So, I would like to offer a free hour of zoom discussion of writing and organic story craft; an “ask-me-anything” meeting on writing issues. Participants’ sharing of where you are in relationship to writing and how the current times have impacted it, is welcome.
Please, join us! Thursday, October 2nd, at 1:00 pm Eastern Time/NY; 10:00 am Pacific Time/LA; Ireland and UK 6:00 pm; France, Germany…7:00 pm Central European Time. Do check your time zone for correct time of our meeting!
Open to all, register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/67Q2TCY
[In the next post I’ll give you dates and details for single-event multigenre writing workshops in The Standalone/Write-together Workshop Series, and, for my upcoming 10-week intensive course, Custom-Made Story.]
Anya Achtenberg
Writing in Upheaval is a reader-supported publication on Substack. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber at https://anyaachtenberg.substack.com/
Anya Achtenberg 