About ProtestPoems.org
Here is my little spiel (at least what I intended to say) from a radio interview next to no one heard:
When I read about Saw Wei (Wai) in a PEN RAN alert, I remembered that it wasn't that long ago that a blog group of amateur writers were talking about acrostic poems. I thought it might be an idea to ask people to write acrostic poems for a good cause and that I could mail them to the authorities – in the same way that PEN and Amnesty protest.
I thought all this for about 5 seconds and then requested poems through the Babel Fruit facebook group and some poetry listservs. Then I panicked. I figured I would be swamped with a hundred poems over the weekend.
I was certain people would do this again and again, so I set up the protestpoems.org site. I thought that posting the poems online might also motivate unpublished poets to take part. I wanted to keep the collections of amateur and professional writing on individual topics separate from the human rights journal.
I imagined a year's work of protest poems collected in chapbooks and distributed free at festivals and conferences.
What happened with Saw Wei was that I received lots of notes from people telling me what a great idea it was. And then I received fourteen poems. Most of them by established poets I know. I was very disappointed.
Amateur writers on the net have communities that do regular writing prompts and I want to engage them in writing projects that may make a difference. Even if the collections that are mailed make no difference at all, it may open people’s eyes to what we take for granted, and that makes a difference.
In many countries PEN is a organization that is, in part, about prestige: who is good enough to actively be involved with protests. I think it’s easy to write your name on a petition. I also think it is easy to forget the next day what you signed. Just sitting down to think, “Tibetan songwriter imprisoned: what is there to write about?” takes effort and engagement. You don’t forget the next day.
It should be about the grassroots. When freedom of speech is taken away, it’s felt at the grassroots. Just look at the importance bloggers make in the world today. And how many of them have become targets of oppressive governments.
I’ve gotten some emails from people who say they are uncomfortable meddling with the politics of other countries. I tell them that this is only a matter of free speech, not endorsing anyone’s political views. It is basically a reminder: “Let them talk”. Even if you’re only letting them talk so you can laugh at them later, or giving fools a megaphone so they can prove what fools they are.
What saddened me was that I found out a month ago that another literary journal asked for acrostic poems, inspired by Saw Wei, to make an online chapbook (not as a protest, but as a tribute). Of course, I think that is wonderful. But I was surprised that they had many more submissions than protestpoems.org had contributions, although we’d placed calls for poems in the same venues.
I’ve withheld public presentation of the work at the request of the writer, if it is to be used elsewhere or if it is just downright embarrassing. Protestpoems.org isn’t about prestige at all.
It is just a more engaging way to sign a petition.
A more annoying way to clutter a mailbox!
I can’t help but wonder why people really write political poetry. Who they write it for. I have actually had amateur poets email me with urls, telling me I can look around to see if I can find anything useful for "my project". I am not promoting writers. I actually get very upset when this happens. Not really by the arrogance, but by the naivety, the irresponsibility and lack of awareness. I hope no one would ever give anyone carte blanche with their words for a political cause.
Having said that, I do have friends, professional writers, who have sent me a previously published poem they thought was right for the protest.
There are over 90 people on protestpoems.org’s mailing list. And I think that nearly all of them must believe that someone else is taking care of it this time around. I think they're sure that if they “sit this one out” someone else will have taken part.
The truth is - no one is there to pick up the slack.
protestpoems.org
Remember, there's no requirement for online publication. Your words can be a secret between you, me and the diplomats and presidents we are out to piss-off.
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And soon back to my self-deprecating self. Yeah, right.
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Be nice to the mad lady; she's not a fragile as you think: ren powell
Sign up for calls for poems:Protest Poems. Do you really have an reason not to?


