@article{f23cef0c23794626924f47d03b44d19e,
title = "Poems that kill",
abstract = "“Poems That Kill” examines the connection between poetry and revolution in Amiri Baraka{\textquoteright}s “Black Art” (1965) and in general. The article tracks how Baraka uses poetry to start or advance a revolution in his own life, in the lives of his contemporaries, in poetry, in our present moment, and in the future. The article also discusses poetic address (how poems address readers), sincerity, ambiguity, and hate speech.",
author = "Joshua Kotin",
note = "Funding Information: Baraka likely changed his approach to revolution before 1967. After moving to Harlem in 1965, he opened the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School (BARTS) in a brownstone at 109 West 130th Street. In June, BARTS received a grant from HARYOU-ACT, an antipoverty organization, to run a summer program.71 (HARYOU-ACT received most of its funding from the Office of Economic Opportunity [OEO], a federal agency.) BARTS organized an ambitious program of performances, exhibitions, and classes.72 In September, a scandal erupted. “Separatists Get HARYOU-ACT Jobs,” read a New York Times headline.73 Funding for BARTS was cut. The OEO denied knowledge of the program, but then defended it. “We{\textquoteright}d rather see these kids fussing on the stage . . . than on the streets,” remarked an OEO official. “Would they have preferred a Watts?” asked Sergeant Shriver, the OEO director.74 After a summer of radical programing, Baraka had to confront his complicity Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by The University of Chicago.",
year = "2021",
month = mar,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1086/713550",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "47",
pages = "456--476",
journal = "Critical Inquiry",
issn = "0093-1896",
publisher = "University of Chicago",
number = "3",
}