OK, JC

Jefferson Carter, a poet who I have called out for his attacks on Oddball Magazine columnists and contributors (especially those who are women of color) is apparently losing outlets where he can unload his "What about white people" comments on unsuspecting people. He's actually starting to comment on my blog.

Now I know I'm not one to talk, still having a blog in 2021. But really? Trying to start a flame war in Blogger comments? Seriously, I think the last people to try that were Bill Knott and Franz Wright, both sadly departed while Carter is still kicking himself down the road while trying to shoot off his remaining foot with a musket. 

Now I'm including his words to Oddball Magazine that caused me to ban him from the journal for life.

A poet-friend wrote: “It was good to receive…the holiday Poets & Writers “Inspiration Issue,” which includes inspiring interviews with seven established poets, NONE OF WHOM LOOK ANYTHING LIKE ME (instead, I sadly look like the Powers That Be I loathe in Washington Swamp, making me feel like an Ugly Duckling….” One of my hobby horses these days is opposing the wide-spread canard that poets of color, women, and LGBT poets are still being “marginalized.” I don’t deny discrimination against such poets in the recent past; I do believe that discrimination is if not dead, then dying. This sounds perilously close to the lie told by the right wing, that prejudice against minorities is a thing of the past, but I’m talking about so-called LITERARY discrimination, not social justice. Observations like my poet-friend’s are based on evidence. Count the publications, grants, prizes, invitations to read at festivals, teaching positions, acceptance to MFA programs, and you’ll conclude the poetry “playing field” has been leveled. Please note I’m NOT complaining about “reverse-discrimination”; I’m not even being critical of this trend. I support it, feeling it’s about time po-world has become inclusive. I enjoy much of the poetry composed by formerly marginalized voices. What I’d like is for our Literary Justice Warriors (Amy King and the VIDA group among them) to admit the battle has been won. Perhaps now we can stress the quality of the poetry instead of the identity of the poet. (Carter, message to Oddball, 2020)

Also, here's a screen capture of a since deleted Carter comment where after deriding Liza Zayas' poem, he inserted his own when she couldn't even be bothered to notice or reply to him. Carter asked Oddball to publish his work (not going through Submittable), and I guess we didn't reply to his unofficial submission quickly enough. 

Finally, here are screen captures of his attacks on Yehya Barkat, a nonbinary Iraqi poet. I'm sure his choice of victims is purely coincidental.

Since he lost his playground on one particular Facebook page, he's now starting to attack me on other Facebook pages and wherever else he can, usually to zero people taking the bait (except for me, who notes how far he's fallen from the gutters). But if this is how he wants to play, then his comments will have his name attached to them, warts and more warts. I originally blacked out his name when I posted them out of anger. I posted them on a Facebook page when he attacked one more poet I knew, but they were taken down. Now I put them here for anyone else who considers tolerating and not banning this pointless troll.