“Threats” and “blackmail”? Never. CripCanLit & I categorically deny both. This slur is both a well-timed red-herring & classic ableist fragility. It stoops to blame the messengers rather than hear the message. #CanLit
— Dorothy Ellen Palmer (@depalm) April 27, 2018
I’m going to tweet this in about an hour
Threat. Blackmail. (“head’s up”)
I would ask that this communication remain private between us
Cyberbully. Abuser. (Between us. Don’t tell anyone.)
And now, liar. (“Never.”)
There’s more. That’s how Dorothy introduces herself to poets, anyone who wishes to support, attend anything at our small, but mighty, poetry-only bookshop. Backdoor threats of twitter bombs.
Of course we’re kept “in the loop.”
Accessibility is a right. These tactics however are deplorable. It’s really easy and cowardly to sit at a laptop and threaten others.
This is your cause. I applaud activism. I’m an old gay queen women’s libber, AIDS activist, with an extensive background working with and for people and artists with disabilities.
The above threat was never posted because the organizers moved their event (two days prior) to a partially accessible bookstore without a wheelchair accessible washroom, therefore, not accessible. There are no fully accessible independent bookstores in Toronto according to Dorothy, and she may indeed be right.
That needs to change.
Continue to support KFB. We will arrive at the destination we have set a course for. Full accessibility. But, we have to be here in order to get there.
We’ll get there. Or we’ll close. Not being accessible is not okay with me either.
Let me echo someone I greatly admire, “WE’RE A POETRY-ONLY BOOKSHOP PEOPLE! IN OUR SECOND YEAR OF BUSINESS. WE’RE NOT A BAR. WE’RE NOT FUNDED. THIS IS ALL WE CAN AFFORD. GIVE US A CHANCE TO FUCKING BE HERE / GET THERE!”
Our cause is poetry.
Purchase local disabled poet ROXANNA BENNETT’s brilliant new chapbook UNSEEN GARDEN out now from knife | fork | book.
Come celebrate Canadian Independent Bookstore Day TODAY at your local Independents.
knife | fork | book 