11 Comments
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Jean McGarry's avatar

Horrifying account, and yours was the only place where I read such vivid enumeration and naming. Good advice, too, in the last paragraph.

Rebecca Chace's avatar

💔💔💔 no words

Ted's avatar

For me this was the money quote: “ I wish the battling academic camps could put the effort they put into rampart construction into more effective sanctuaries for listening and sympathy; that the sought-after places of “safety” could be shared, at least from time to time, rather than barricaded; that the habits and skills of understanding could be cultivated alongside the finessing of mutual scorn.”

Ann Kjellberg's avatar

Thanks! I don’t mean to be too starry-eyed. I mean it in a practical way.

John Oakes's avatar

Timely and courageous, Ann. Thank you for writing this.

Ann Kjellberg's avatar

Thank you so much!

Ted's avatar

I didn’t take it that way. In fact, like most people I thought it as an indication of your intelligence since were in agreement!

michael robbins's avatar

Thanks for this, Ann. I forbear to link, but Tablet has published a disgusting desecration of Refaat Alareer's memory by a writer who poses for photos in an IDF hoodie. It is possibly the most evil thing I have ever read in a mainstream journal. Free Palestine.

Ann Kjellberg's avatar

I did see that actually. I thought it was notable that he didn't actually talk about the poems of any of the writers he held up as superior models.