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One thing we have been thinking of & we want input. We have been thinking of John Lee Clark's "Tactile Art" and Kathi Wolfe's Love and Kumquats and Constance Merritt's Blind Girl Grunt and all of our Blind and DeafBlind comrades. How do we have access to contemporary poetry?
First the links to the things we mentioned. John Lee Clark wins award for his essay "Tactile Art." He is currently shopping a poetry manuscript. https://twitter.com/poetrymagazine/status/1266177734675439616
Kathi Wolfe's Love and Kumquats came out from @BrickHousePress in 2019. Wolfe @UppityBlindGirl informs our thinking on all this as does John Lee Clark @johnleeclark https://brickhousebooks.wordpress.com/portfolio/love-and-kumquats-kathi-wolfe-2019/
Constance Merritt's Blind Girl Grunt came out from @Mistress_Tweet in 2019. Constance is over @merittherose and we would love to know if she has access to contemporary poetry? Or if she wants it? https://headmistress-press.square.site/product/blind-girl-grunt-by-constance-merritt/63
Here's what we know from those of us Blind and DeafBlind in #poetrycommunity . The National Federation of the Blind Brailles only a limited amount of poetry books each year. Very limited. Imagine if you could only read whatever poetry books the federation decided to Braille.
Oh, you're thinking: Bookshare. Bookshare bills itself as "Accessible Books Online." Little known fact: Bookshare turns every poetry book into a prose poetry book. Did you know that? https://www.bookshare.org/cms/?gclid=CjwKCAiA5IL-BRAzEiwA0lcWYoZhHOAgmvhHV9_LPbwZ_THj0Anyy1zGkdRtk0_2L_DGbxguCGnGRBoCM2AQAvD_BwE
We are going to repeat that b/c we don't think you knew that. Those line breaks you spent so much time on? We are no seeing them. We are Blind poets in the tradition of #Homer and #Milton and #Borges and we are reading your contemporary poetry books -- on the rare occasion
when you speak to your #publisher about using @Bookshare , which is at least a start -- as prose books. Your poetry books are prose to us. #CripLit #Poetry becomes #Prose when Bookshare makes it so-called #Accessible
Okay. So all the poetry books become prose. There's that. Can someone confirm that for us? Because we ourselves can hardly even believe it. Are we right about this?
So first there is the exclusion of Blind and DeafBlind poets having access to all the poetry books printed in a given year. Then there is the fake-access of Bookshare saying "oh we will make it accessible" but really it's not b/c the poems are turned into prose poems. #CripLit
We feel like if more sighted poets knew about this than sighted poets would do something about it. We witness the advocacy of writers like @zefrrrrrrr and @PBW_Poet and @rgay and @aja_monet and so many more. We need your help making books avail to Blind and DeafBlind writers.
Because what's happening right now is that Blind and DeafBlind poets have to wait for copyrights to expire. How long does that take? "As a general rule, for works created after January 1, 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years."
Yes. That is the situation. Source: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html#:~:text=The%20term%20of%20copyright%20for,plus%20an%20additional%2070%20years.
So what we are telling you is that our Blind and DeafBlind writers do not have access to your books. And we won't have access to your books until you die plus 70 years at which point we Blind and DeafBlind writers will for sure be dead also. #ZombieLit #HowTheEff
You want a solution. We want a solution too. We don't know what it is. Cld there be a consortium of publishers, @CLMPorg , who think about this? Cld you involve first & foremost Blind writers such as John Lee Clark, Kathi Wolfe, Constance Merritt, Emily K Michael @ModwynEarendel
Stephen Kuusisto, whose new book just dropped from Tiger Bark Press @StephenKuusisto and here's photo of him holding it. https://twitter.com/StephenKuusisto/status/1328406191958077443
Add'l experts for this consortium--where experts get paid for our labor btw--include Blind writers @GeorginaKleege and @DrMLGodin and tag yrself if you are Blind / DeafBlind and want to be in on this. We are brainfogged.
Is a consortium the way to go? Do we think presses like @CopperCanyonPrs and @CityLightsBooks and @wwnorton care enough to make their books completely & totally accessible to Blind and DeafBlind readers?
Because our other thought involves piracy. It is unethical for literature to actively exclude Blind and DeafBlind readers and writers. It is probably illegal. So if they are being unethical and illegal, should we meet them there? And start providing PDFs of the books covertly?
Your thoughts? @SFdirewolf @RebeccaCokley @sinsinvalid @brownroundboi @JenDeerinwater @elizejackson @cyreejarelle @CadeyLadey @mattbc @riva_lehrer @sesmith @adalimon @Imani_Barbarin @NovicSara @crippledscholar @DrSamiSchalk @autselfadvocacy @POETSorg @accommodatingly @ACLU
Adding: @authorKQ @BlondeHistorian @deafwoof @laurawritesit @Vanessid @Keah_Maria @Eloisa_Amezcua @OlimpiasDance @JessEJelsma @glapointewriter @kellydavio @hayxsmith @rosshowalter if you have thoughts or can retweet!
Might be some repeats or mis-tags we’re doing our best out here!
