Much of the literature of the 20th Century has been written in response to momentous events such as the first and second world wars. Draw up a short list of some of the momentous events that have been hitting our planet in the last 5 years and suggest a few ways in which writers might try to make sense of any one of these events. Your response to this suggestion, might itself be a piece of creative prose or poetry

The last five years have brought about devastating events. Such events may have resulted in impacts on a global scale or specific to singular countries. 2016 brought about the most unexpected of American elections, ushering in a new age of reality TV politics. The election of Donald Trump was quite shocking to the world. Initially his campaigning was seen as a joke and then developed into a dark reality that continued to grow far more grim. There have already been some works that have emerged surrounding his presidency, I believe the most interesting works will follow the end of his presidency. Certainly there are certain works that currently exist that are applicable to the Trump administration, such as Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry. 2017 unveiled both a beautiful progression for Australia and a sobering moment in history with the same-sex marriage referendum being passed. Whilst this was a beautiful moment that recognised love is love, it’s devastating to consider that it took so long to allow the harmonious union of two people of the same gender. I would like to see writers discuss the length of time this took to pass, perhaps addressing it through a subversive or even dark humorous lens to demonstrate this inequality. 2019 introduced Covid 19 to the world with it initially being understood as far and distant to most countries. However, once we arrive in 2020 the entirety of the year has been consumed by Covids impacts on society, economics and health. There will absolutely be a flurry of works that will be released in coming years that reflect life in isolation, many music artists have already done such works. I have personally played with a highly satirical dark representation of anti-maskers and their refusal to wear a mask. Such relatable texts already exist like The Plague by Albert Camus which depicts life in an epidemic. Finally, the prominent protests that have occurred through this period provide insight into the general public’s opinions into pressing issues of our world. These include the climate change protests and the black lives matter protests. These too may be explored over years to come, however, I’m not too sure what works may arise from these issues.