We are living in an extraordinary time. The civic institutions that comprise our democracy face unprecedented attacks to their structures, policies, and fundamental mission. Narratives of fear and scarcity have given way to broad policies of criminalization and incarceration, while the current narrative infrastructure — the traditional media landscape and digital media platforms — affords fewer opportunities for narratives promoting belonging, justice, and interdependence.
Authoritarian periods challenge communities to find new ways to build narrative power and, ultimately, new narrative infrastructure. Telling stories across different media, creating spaces for in-person conversations, and mobilizing communities towards collective action are all steps towards building the narrative power needed to challenge the current climate of repression and censorship. We are committed to the long-term work of building a narrative infrastructure that invites and engages the broadest swathe of constituencies. To that end, we embark on a number of experiments – testing narrative frameworks, researching the current landscape, and running studios with organizers to think deeply and creatively about big narrative interventions.
Adapting lessons and tactics from documentary impact production, we produced an impact strategy for Silky Shah’s Unbuild Walls, a book that argues for the abolition of the immigrant detention system with a lens on the larger prison industrial complex. We began the impact campaign in 2024 as anti-immigrant rhetoric in the lead up to the presidential election reached a fever pitch. For that reason, the campaign’s successes – and ongoing impact – seem all the more significant. The case study provides an introduction to impact production, an overview of our strategy and activities, and recommendations for organizers, cultural workers, and funders interested in furthering book impact within the field.