Diversity Statement

I believe that those of us who are white middle-class Americans have long benefited and, despite growing awareness and movement by society towards more equality, still benefit from the oppression of non-whites and those in poverty. I also recognize the suffering and exclusion of practitioners of non-dominant religions, of those in the LGBTQ community, and of those who are differently-abled or neuroatypical. Therefore, I believe that I have a responsibility to identify ways in which I can help people in these groups.

In the context of this website, this means making sure my class offerings, writing, and thinking are taking into account poets who belong to these groups, so that I can both help bring attention to their work (especially in situations where a poet will be otherwise ignored), and to make sure I am making my best attempt to see poetry in its totality. It also means welcoming people in those groups to this online space, making sure that they can participate as fully as everyone else, and making attempts to remedy the situation when they’re absent.

In these efforts, I strive to avoid tokenism in favor of elevating challenging perspectives and identifying poets whose work powerfully benefits our understanding of poetry.

My personal contribution to creating a more inclusive world is a lifelong work in progress. My efforts may sometimes be compromised by limited resources, but I commit to steadily asking myself if I can progressively give a little more. I expect to make mistakes, and I pledge to seek out resources that will help me live up to the statement above. If you have feedback on my efforts that you’re willing to share, please contact me and I promise to consider it graciously and with acknowledgement of the effort and risk involved.