This got more attention than I had even the slightest inkling it would. I’m grateful for the readers and the many kind responses, and I’m very glad I was able to be useful! Given the wider-than-imagined audience, I’d like to clarify a few things—
1. “well-meaning”: I had in mind social posts & private conversations with brilliant writers of color who I thought were giving this poem too much benefit of the doubt and attention. It was not intended to refer to racists who use “I meant well” as gaslighting/mendacious excuse.
2. I seldom tweet this kind of thread because I don’t think garbage deserves more attention than brilliance. I made an exception here (more on that in a sec!), but PLEASE don’t think I mean that racism deserves amplification.
Instead, read, love, cherish, be grateful for, praise, celebrate the writers who do magnificent things on and off the page. @EduardoCCorral, @CPhillipsPoet, @RosebudBenOni, and Patricia Liu are four of many poets in this issue of Poetry who deserve that energy and THEN some.
3. I made an exception in this case is that I do think that writing & reading can be used—like any other tool—to shred and confront monstrous things, and it’s important to me to use that skill to show that we needn’t stand for hatred under the false name of “critique.”
(*because I do think)
So when I saw the poem being misread as critique, I wanted to show what principled critique could look like.
4. Principled critique also looks like choosing not to engage that which you don’t stand by. If you did that here, I see you and respect you.
So when I saw the poem being misread as critique, I wanted to show what principled critique could look like.
4. Principled critique also looks like choosing not to engage that which you don’t stand by. If you did that here, I see you and respect you.
5. Principled critique also looks like questioning where we place our energy and why, and interrogating it in others and ourselves constantly, and being receptive to your needs and the needs of the people and communities you serve.
6. Finally: every single one of these publishing disasters gets disproportionate notoriety in relation to the good, important work. Don’t forget that. Call out & criticize what is bad as fiercely as you can, & highlight & love as fiercely as you can. Don’t let it be an either/or.
(I had to repost that last one because I messed up the numbers! I blame numbers.)
PS: to folks haranguing me to post the PDF of the poem—I draw my line there at giving it wider audience. Others posted it. It will be avail free online at the top of July. I do not work for you! ✌🏽
PS: to folks haranguing me to post the PDF of the poem—I draw my line there at giving it wider audience. Others posted it. It will be avail free online at the top of July. I do not work for you! ✌🏽
