SpeakFirst is an event sponsored by The Swing, a group of writers, poets, and artists who have joined together to inspire political thoughtfulness through artistic expression. In response to a public hunger for a more substantive political debate than can be had with the polls, statistics, and commercial soundbites, SpeakFirst.org aims to reintroduce the written text back into popular discourse. Working with local independent booksellers to help spread the word, SpeakFirst.org is planning a collective reading to happen across the country on the same day: at a bookstore or on the steps of a school; at a park, playground, or shopping mall; in a library or from the back of a car.



On Tuesday, October 26th, seven days before the presidential election, SpeakFirst.org invites you to celebrate the Freedom of Speech with a collective reading to happen throughout the United States. You are invited to read aloud from any text: history or the daily newspaper; philosophy or the Patriot Act; literature, statistical analyses, or the Constitution. .EVERYONE is invited to read out loud: writers, teachers, students; waiters, union members, poets, cops.

Choose the reading material. Choose the group with whom you would like to read. (We suggest groups of four or five.) Choose the hour and the place. Then, let us know the hour and place of your reading. The SpeakFirst.org website will post current information on readings around the country so that you know where other voices are speaking with you on Tuesday, october 26th.