Mark Andersen has been D.C.'s leading grassroots political activist/organizer for the past 20 years. Here, he offers guidance for young activists and also shatters the illusions that underpin much "radical" political activity.

Mark Andersen is the co-author ofDance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital (Akashic, 2003). He is outreach coordinator for Emmaus Services for the Aging, an advocacy group that assists inner-city seniors in Washington, D.C. He remains active with Positive Force D.C., Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive, Women's Advocates to Terminate Sexism (WATTS), as well as with the parish council and justice & service committee of St. Aloysius Catholic Church. He lives in Washington, D.C.