The Artist and Self-Reflection: James Baldwin and Lillian Smith

On a recent episode of “Dope with Lime,” I spoke with Michael Bibler about a recent course he taught, “Baldwin’s Queer South.” We spoke about a lot of things, but one thing that got me thinking was the role of art and the artist in the world. He mentioned James Baldwin’s “The Creative Process,” and after our discussion, I went to read Baldwin’s 1962 essay, and I revisited Lillian Smith’s “The Role of the Poet in a World of Demagogues,” a speech she delivered in 1965 after being the first recipient of the Queen Esther Scroll, awarded by the Women’s Division of the American Jewish Congress.” Both Baldwin and Smith explore the artist’s role in the examination and formation of society. They are not unique in this discussion, by any means; however, I find their exploration of these themes important for us to think about.

Baldwin calls the artist “that incorrigible disturber of the peace” who battles with society and its traditions. The artist, in every society, butts heads with tradition and with society’s desire to stand as a “bulwark against the inner and outer chaos,” protecting individuals from “themselves” in order for them to have a bearable life. The confrontation of tradition proves difficult and an irritant to most of society because, as Baldwin writes, “it is absolutely inevitable that when a tradition has been evolved, whatever…