Zócalo Public SquareZócalo Public Square

As U.S. global power shifts, Zócalo is taking a look at what is emerging in its stead. “What Is the New World Order?” is a series of editorial essays and a public program, presented in collaboration with JLF Los Angeles, that dra...

Dalton Day is a kindergarten teacher. He can be found at tinyghosthands.com.

This poem was selected by September poetry curator Leslie McIntosh, who writes: “In Day’s prose sonnet, the form of the text is less a ladder to scale but a mirage—...

As U.S. global power shifts, Zócalo is taking a look at what is emerging in its stead. “What Is the New World Order?” is a series of editorial essays and a public program, presented in collaboration with JLF Los Angeles, that dra...

The future of democracy is in the trash.

And that might be a very good thing.

The essence of democracy is not elections—which tend to produce oligarchs and conflict—but rather self-government to solve community problems. And refuse, in all its forms, is now inspiring some of the most significant innovations in democratic governance around the world.

Leslie McIntosh lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. McIntosh’s debut full-length volume of poetry, within-group variance, was selected by...