Dear Fellow Poets,
Unfortunately, the reading was hacked this afternoon.
There were nearly seventy people attending, some of whom were high school students and their English Lit. teacher who are studying my (and other American poets') work this semester.
Right as we were about to begin, the Zoom Chat started filling up with racist, homophobic, misogynistic, and totally horrible messages from the hacker who had taken over our identities.
There were many Spherians in the audience, from all over the world, and I was going to dedicate my reading to Alex Pepple who, ten years ago, published my first book, Lines of Flight, (not the contest, this was before that) from which I was going to read several poems.
What kind of world is this, where a poetry reading, which is supposed to be a space for beauty and community, becomes a cesspool?
I will definitely think twice before again agreeing to read at a Zoom reading. I am hoping and praying that Tim's launch will go well. I think it will, because we had to register, and were given individual passcodes.
Cathy
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