Fred D'Aguiar is an interesting case. When he started out, after an education at the University of Essex, he was writing poetry in a range of styles and forms - including what we might call 'avant garde'. The (commercial) publisher of his first book allegedly dissuaded him from following the latter route - and omitted them from the collection.
It is not necessarily a question of exclusion or neglect by the 'avant garde'.
Robert
-----Original Message-----
From: British & Irish poets [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Lace
Sent: 25 August 2015 13:04
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: "Delusions of Whiteness in the Avant-Garde" by Cathy Park Hong
Thanks for the explanation, Tim.
I suppose what I'm trying to find out (and it might be impossible to) is why there are not many black poets operating in the avant/innovative sphere, and of the ones who are, why they have remained less known (or mentioned) than white ones. This lack of acknowledgment is puzzling, and I think this is the main complaint of Hong's essay.
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Your first question below is easy to answer (and Tony and Robert have answered it) - there are black poets operating in the 'avant/innovative sphere', but not many, as pointed out.
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