[Matt Q]

Originally Posted by Mark McDonnell

These figures are not great, but not bad enough, I don't think, to constitute evidence of systematic exclusion or silencing. I suppose a true picture would have to also take into account the relative percentage of actual submissions by the groups quoted.

I take it you're saying the figures aren't bad enough because they may not give a true picture. Because if they are a "true" picture -- in the sense that BAME and white poets submit poetry to major "establishment" magazines in proportion to population demographics -- they would indicate that on average a white person is something like 43% more likely to get their poem accepted than a BAME poet -- or my maths is badly off, which is also possible -- which would seem to show systematic exclusion.

But, yes, perhaps proportionally fewer BAME poets submit than white. Or perhaps more do. Perhaps fewer submit to venues that already publish fewer BAME poets, or have no BAME staff. Perhaps, if Julie is right, men are submitting more, ignoring rules, trying to wildly spread their poetic seed as widely as possibly and so, by volume of submissions, perhaps women are actually being more successful with their submissions. I don't know if any magazines keep this info on their submissions, which would require everyone submitting to fill in some sort of diversity questionnaire. Maybe the situation is better, or worse, than the stats indicate. It's hard to know. I'd be interested to know if anyone has any other data that might shed some light on the question.

By the way, when you wrote "This survey of writers and artists on the topic of cultural appropriation reveals varied and nuanced opinions which can't be easily summarised as 'On the Left we often have writers saying they own their experience and no one else has the right to imagine experiences like theirs", were you intending to link to an article. If so, I'd be interested to see it.

-Matt