City Lights celebrates the publication of
How We See It: The World Looks at America in the Age of Trump
Edited by The Dial
Published by New Press
Managing Editor of The Dial, Mara Wilson in discussion with Contributor Saumya Roy
From the celebrated magazine of international writing, twelve sharp global perspectives on a changing United States, with an introduction by The Dial’s editor in chief, Madeleine Schwartz
The 2024 U.S. presidential election reverberated internationally, a global event whose outcome has already reshaped trade, migration, security, and rising authoritarianism across the world. Inside the United States, we are swamped by the news cycle; but how does the wider world see and interpret what is happening under Trump?
In How We See It, twelve of the most talented and insightful journalists from around the world probe their home countries’ complex relationship with the United States–and how this has swerved under the new administration.
A diverse, international cast of writers examines how Turkey’s recent history helps us understand America’s slide into autocracy, how Argentina’s century-long obsession with the dollar has changed under Trump, anti-American tourism sentiment in Italy, and what right-wing Americans get wrong about South Africa. Essays in the collection also look at how Taiwan is navigating the uncertainty of Trump’s response in the event of a Chinese invasion and the newly fraught view of the U.S. from Canada.
Featuring pieces commissioned by The Dial, the award-winning magazine, How We See It shifts and expands our frame of reference, our self-awareness, and our understanding of how much our world has changed since the election of 2024.
Founded in 2023, The Dial is an online magazine of culture, politics, and ideas, with a focus on local writing from around the world. The Dial’s writing is topical and of the moment, but not pegged to the day’s news. They offer readers a window into the world beyond their borders, a travelogue through tumultuous times.
The Dial has published work from some 85 countries and are always looking to expand their geographic range. In addition to original reporting, they partner with publications around the world whose work they translate into English for the first time.
Mara Wilson is the Managing Editor of The Dial. She oversees audience development and newsroom operations. She previously worked as an editor at The Atlantic, where she specialized in audience engagement. Her reporting has been featured in The Atlantic and Vice Magazine. She lives in Chicago.
Saumya Roy is a contributor to How We See It: The World Looks At America in The Age of Trump (New Press, 2026). She is also the author of Castaway Mountain: Love and Loss Among the Waste Pickers of Mumbai (Astra House, 2021), a narrative nonfiction book about waste pickers in Mumbai’s vast landfill. It was selected among many the best books of the year by NPR, Washington Independent Week In Review, Telegraph India, print.in, and GQ India among others. She has also written for The Guardian, aljazeera.com,bbc.com, The New York Times, the examination.org, the wire.in, among others.
Made possible by support from the City Lights Foundation