Fire Dragon Street Theater 1962-1967 - Paperback

by Jeri Hilderley (Author)

This memoire-driven novel chronicles my soul-searching journey from introspective, apolitical sculptor to thespian protestor in the iconic 60s. Protagonist Lucina, born to a conservative Protestant midwestern family, armed with a Master's of Fine Arts and a fierce desire to carve out an identity, realizes her education has just begun when her loft in New York City's factory district becomes a hub for articulate politicos.

Despite wrenching inner struggles, she makes a collective decision with her chosen "family," a complex assemblage of gutsy artists who've abandoned home and family conventions, to build their own communal platform and ethics in a wider world: they will confront injustice by welding their creative skills into political street theater, the social media of their day. They bring banners, masks, drums and challenging dramas to parks and community forums, inspiring conversation and action, unaware of brutal attacks lying ahead. As the troupe's women explore their oppressions and authentic identities, the group develops its social consciousness. They prepare to take their expanding repertoire across Amerika.

With today's alarming reactionary developments, I hope my story inspires readers of all ages to transform outrage and despair into collective activism, and forge unique ways to challenge oppression and unjust wars through peaceful, creative cooperation.