WEBVTT

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And I would also have to
agree that I would really

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caution against that the
ghettoization of ethnic poets,

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and also the other
thing that I've noticed

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is that as soon as somebody
pegs you as an ethnic poet,

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they're so reductive about
what kind of poet you are.

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If you're an
Asian-American poet,

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it's like there's only one
kind of Asian-American poetry,

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and it completely flattens
out the amazing diversity

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and miraculous difference
between Asian-American poets

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themselves.

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I was actually looking at
this symposium about what's

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African-American about
African-American poetry,

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and Harryette Mullen was talking.

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And she was talking.

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First she said that,
quote, "Black poets are not

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free to choose anything
as long as our experiences

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in this country compels
us to pay tribute

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to the power of oppression," a,
"Without the constant reminder

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of our otherness we might be
as integrated into America

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as any other poet."

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But on the other
hand, she also says

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"The results of
outsiders failure

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to respect the differences
among African-American writers

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is destructive, and in
fact, it's a caricature".

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I think those are the sort of
opposite roles of [INAUDIBLE],

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but I certainly don't
see it as my mission

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as preserving Oriental
culture as we put it.