Crawl Spaces to Productive Ruptures: A Reflection to Remember Speculative Futures

Perhaps the greatest purpose of artistic expression is trying to make sense of the human experience. Art and storytelling construct and transform our realities. They take the noise of seemingly endless stimuli in our physical existence and identify patterns and meanings, and in so doing, wield incredible power. This is the exact reason censorship is a useful tool to the status quo and reactive. The state of Iowa put this tool to use in 2021 with the passage of House File 802, the law restricting so-called “divisive concepts” and the ability to explore systemic oppression in schools (Iowa Legislative Services Agency). The unnecessary restriction of learning categorized as “divisive” impeded critical thinking and disproportionately censored LGBTQ+ and BIPOC authors. With scant support or direction from educational authorities and little hope of legal repeal, educators attempted to navigate the hostile environment of questionably banned books, inhumane treatment of students, and severely diminished curricula.