In early 2017, in the stunned aftermath of Donald Trump’s first election, writers across the country gathered for a series of “Writers Resist” events—readings staged as acts of civic engagement. In Woodstock, that energy filled the Bearsville Theater. Nearly a decade later, with Trump back in office and a renewed sense of urgency around civil liberties, a group of Hudson Valley writers is reviving the effort.
“Things just felt far too urgent,” says Lisa A. Phillips, author and SUNY New Paltz journalism professor, who helped organize Writers Resist Revival, an April 26 fundraiser at the Bearsville Theater supporting reproductive justice, immigrant rights, and press freedom. “Every single day I’m reading about and teaching about new threats to press freedom. And every single day people are not able to access the healthcare they need.”
Phillips had been considering a revival for some time, but waited until the release of her most recent book (First Love: Guiding Teens Through Relationships and Heartbreak) was behind her. “It just got to be like—now it’s the time to walk my talk and pull this thing together,” she says. She reached out to her longstanding Woodstock-area writing group—Beverly Donofrio, Nina Shengold, Robert Burke Warren, and Jana Martin—many of whom had helped organize the original event. The answer was immediate: yes.
That sense of collective response is central to the evening, which brings together a wide roster of writers and performers, including Jessica Valenti, Dinaw Mengestu (president of PEN America), and Lucy Sante, alongside dozens of other regional voices. Proceeds will benefit the New York Abortion Access Fund, the Ulster Immigrant Defense Network, and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
While protests and rallies remain essential, Phillips sees literary gatherings as serving a different function. “In a protest, you’re part of a crowd—and that’s powerful,” she says. “But in an event like this, writers and musicians are bringing their individual creative selves to the stage to fuel the community.”
The program reflects that ethos. Structured in three acts, the evening will feature short readings—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, humor, and more—interspersed with musical performances by David Gonzalez, the Goddess Party, and Robert Burke Warren. Each segment will also spotlight one of the beneficiary organizations, grounding the artistic expression in concrete action.
For Phillips, the blend of art and advocacy is not incidental—it’s sustaining. In her telling, political engagement without creative expression can become exhausting, even demoralizing. “Coming together and doing something creative with people I adore…that is a winning combination,” she says. “It helps fight that sense of doggedness and endlessness that is plaguing so many of us.”
If the original Writers Resist events were born of shock, this revival is shaped by endurance. The issues at stake—access to abortion care, protections for immigrants, and the viability of a free press—are no longer abstract concerns but daily realities. Phillips hopes the event reconnects attendees not only to those causes, but to one another. “I hope they carry with them memories of really great performances,” she says, “and that they connect more deeply to the causes.”
Writers Resist Revival is on Sunday, April 26, 5-8pm at the Bearsville Theater.
