Stumbling/tumblr-ing across Atwood’s quote reminded me of another I found (and lost) recently, which was along the lines of ‘an academic explains a simple thing in a difficult way, an artist explains a difficult thing in a simple way’*.
I like this idea. After nigh-on five years in university, I often find myself overcomplicating my views with theory. So when I was ask to speak on a panel for Oxford Brookes’ OutBurst Festival, on the topic of ‘The Power of Words’, I panicked. Not least because the other panelists include Man-Booker shortlisted Nikita Lalwani (who teaches on my course) and personal poetry idol Dan Holloway.
My initial thought was a big thumbs up for the power of words. Then the academic crept in. What if the others disagreed? What if my gut reaction wasn’t enough? What if I was *whispers* wrong? 
I settled down to do some serious thinking. I read essays from Robin Allott, Roland Barthes and Foucault. I thought myself into theoretical dead-ends and imagined a combative debate where I had to fight myself out of an ideological corner. But it wasn’t until I cracked, and did the social media equivalent of wikipedia-ing, on tumblr (searching ‘the power of words’) that I got anywhere.
Here I found quote after quote from writers such as Philip K Dick, Cassandra Clare, Edgar Allan Poe and, of course, Atwood. And each of them succinctly captured that initial, emotional reaction I had – ‘YES! I believe in the power of words! I do, I do!’
Clap with me!
Words have pulled me out of some pretty deep darkness, and other words have put me down there in the first place. In every book I’ve loved, I’ve found something completely true to me written down in someone else’s hand, someone who I never met and who doesn’t know I exist. Not only that, I believe in the power of the spaces around the words, the silence, which poetry has taught me is half the point.
Five years of academia has made me too cautious, too worried about being wrong, or scared of being mocked by someone I thought was a friend for googling a word they used that I didn’t know (AND breathe). But as a writer, it’s my job to learn, my right to be curious. I’m even allowed change my mind!
Screw you, Academic Cat. On Thursday, I’m going to go in with my writer head on, and feel powerful in my words. If you want to bear witness to this resolve, come along: http://www.englishpen.org/event/radical-publishing-the-power-of-words/
*If anyone knows where that quote is from, let me know!