07th Oct 2002
N.J.’s Poet Laureate to Be Fired Over Anti-Semitic Sept. 11 Poem?
This is just a bizarre piece of news. The AP’s lead sums it up: “Gov. James E. McGreevey is seeking the power to fire the state’s poet laureate, who has refused repeated calls to resign after writing a Sept. 11 memorial poem criticized as anti-Semitic.” On the face of it, it’s bizarre. Firing a poet laureate? Writing an anti-semetic poem about Sept. 11th (referencing the rumor that Jews and Israelis were warned to avoid the WTC that day). Here are stories in the NYT and the AP (via Salon). The stories neglect to point out that the poet, Amiri Baraka (aka LeRoi Jones), is an old-school radical black activist. The most bizarre thing, however, unless I’m misreading them, is the AP piece says Baraka was named NJ poet laureate in July (which I’m assuming means this year), yet he wrote the offending poem back in Oct., 2001, so why did they appoint him in the first place? He just published it? I’m confused.
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