Imagining Afghanistan

IMAGINING AFGHANISTAN PRESENTED BY KEITH HEDLUND Events of September 11 were not merely unique phenomena, but a tragedy that has allowed Americans to share the fear and suffering that is a regular part of the lives of most of the world’s people. So many Americans experience the war against terrorism as an adventure tale and crime story that has turned our sorrow and empathy into an (impossible) desire for immediate gratification, rather than a commitment to the time, imagination and communication required to address ways in which world terrorism might be prevented. Keith Hedlund, a fiction writer, is currently working for TransFair USA, an organization that creates a market for fair trade coffee by telling the stories of the laborers that produce it.