Creating Safe Spaces for Poets
If we’re going to build the poetry industry and uplift the poetry community, then a top priority needs to be the safety and well-being of our fellow poets. No question.
Too often, people are faced with situations that are uncomfortable or unsafe. Poets, specifically, are put in the position of traveling alone or to a new place to perform, teach, host, what have you. Even more so, there’s a chance they don’t know anyone in that new place. So we in the poetry community and industry need to do our part to protect one another.
Anita D. couldn’t agree more. She sat down with the Poet Life Podcast and shared her unfortunate assault experience while traveling as a featured poet. And from her story and her approach to the poetry community, we were able to learn about her mission to create safe spaces for poets in the community.
Ensuring your own safety with contracts
A common practice in bookings is to have some sort of written contract or agreement on the terms of your payment and services. However, if you don’t have an agent, you’re in charge of that yourself. Be sure to have someone else read through the booker’s contract as well after you’ve read through it.
Here’s what Anita recommends poets do when reviewing contracts for their own safety:
“My advice for women, especially when the world opens back up and you’re going on tour, in your contract or agreement, have a hotel as part of the payment. You want to fly me out there? Then you need to book me a hotel, and I need to be the only one that has access to that hotel. So at the very least I have someplace safe to go at the end of the night. Everybody has their own standards, but now I ask for a hotel and a rental car. I want to be able to get myself around and be able to leave when I want. I want to be able to sleep by myself with no worries or concerns. Also, recognize where you're going and research the host and venue.”
Doing your homework on where you’ll be traveling to as well as asking for compensation that will make you feel safe — that’s what poets should be doing.
However, bookings don’t always provide a contract to sign. But you’re allowed to create your own. Google search for a template, alter it to fit your needs and names, and have the booker and yourself sign the agreement. Making your own contract will help protect you in any potential legal situations, plus it gives you the opportunity to list your compensation needs.
Contracts and signed agreements will go a long way in protecting you both personally and legally.
Building a safe space infrastructure for poets
Part of building an industry means building the infrastructure around it. This includes protection for the members of the community that makes up the industry.
Look at other industries (e.g., acting, comedy, music, education, corporate America). They all have some sort of regulations, unions, committees, boards, resources, etc. in place to help protect the members of that industry’s community. That’s exactly where Anita’s thinking goes:
“There needs to be people that everybody feels safe with that don’t have a question mark over their heads and that are reliable, honest, trustworthy. That’s safe and can hold others accountable. We can’t stop people from going out and performing and hosting or whatever, but we can prevent them from being part of larger organizations where we know there will be other people and larger groups. We can do as much as we can to protect [poets].”
The poetry industry actually has a unique position right now. Because we’re new and in the process of being built, we can start those safe spaces early on and can only become more effective and stronger over time. Can you imagine what a poet safety organization would look like for the industry as a whole? It may not be perfect right away, but it’s a safe place to start.
Anita says, “If we could have that on a larger scale, I think it would help. I don’t think there’s a 100% solution to it, but I think we need to do it. I think people need to be doing everything they can to protect everybody in our community, especially women, especially black women.”
Without the poetry community, poetry wouldn’t be able to thrive. While that’s an obvious statement, it needs to be said. Because protecting the community, means continuing the art form we all love so much. And protecting the community means protecting the safety and well-being of those who are traveling or participating in any way.
Look, there’s so much more to this conversation than a single blog post could hold. Please, please go listen to or watch this full episode anywhere you stream podcasts or on YouTube. This is a critical conversation to be having, and we are grateful to Anita D. for sharing her story and providing great insight into what can be done about protecting our fellow poets.
Anita D. is a San Diego-based spoken word artist and slam poet by way of Brockton, Ma. Currently ranked as the #3 poet in the world, she is also a current member of the nationally ranked San Diego Slam Team. Through her work, both in and outside of poetry, Anita advocates heavily for women’s rights & mental health awareness. In February, she released her first self published project titled “And The Psych Ward Says”, a chapbook depicting her experience as an involuntary patient inside of a psychiatric unit. Her work can be found on All Def Poetry, Poetry Slam Inc, Slamfind & Button Poetry. Learn more about Anita D. at anitadpoetry.com.
