Return of the Light: an actively hopeful list from 2023

I've decided to make this a wee tradition. Last year on the winter solstice, we posted a list of books that embody the meaning of active hope, books that dare to dream about more just, caring realities that can only become possible if we work for them - that become reality in the making. This is writing that is all about that work.

At the winter solstice the sun is the furthest away from our half of the earth. It's the longest night and the turning of the light toward brighter days: just the time to turn toward the change we can't see yet, but which is carried by our actions.

This year to celebrate the solstice we've put together a new list on the same theme, this time with books that were all published in 2023. From a feminist manifesto from Chile to protests in Iran and writing about disability and nature, they all recognise that hope cannot be something we receive; it's something we create together.