On April 10 at Revolution Books in Harlem, eight poets came together for a special program, “Poets Against Fascism.” This was the second of Revolution Books' “Cultural Evenings of Defiance: Artists Say NO, We Must Stop Trump Fascism.” 

This was a mix of young and older poets; voices who had been active in past progressive and radical art movements as well as artists of the new generation. Some of the poets have had distinguished careers as teachers of writing. On this night, they came together to sound their outrage at Trump/MAGA fascism, and to call on others to say “NO!”

Some of the performers wrote poems especially for this occasion; others read from older work that resonated in new ways in these dangerous times. The readings were infused with urgency to stop this fascism... and with the beauty of crafted words and images. Some 40 people came out—including fellow writers, people from the arts and poetry scenes, friends and neighbors of Revolution Books, and others newly connecting with RefuseFascism.org. 

The program was organized and co-curated by Pam Laskin, who for years had directed the Poetry Outreach Center at City College of NY and is the author of five books of poetry and young adult novels; and Nikki Kramer, a writer, visual artist and art event coordinator. In welcoming the audience, Pam declared that the “writing is on the wall... this is the way the Nazis operated.” She spoke of ICE arresting people off the streets, of the attacks on the universities and on scientific research, the xenophobia being fanned, and how we can't rely on Congress or the elections but have to be “marching” and “protesting.” She and Nikki Kramer spoke of the need to stand up to this fascism, and not be afraid.

The other performing poets were Chanel Burns, Albert Depas, Rashidah Ismaili, Marz Longma, and Barry Wallenstein. A number of them wrote statements in advance about what this gathering of “Poets Against Fascism” meant to them:

*From Barry Wallenstein: “I look forward to joining with others in protest against the administration's ultra-nationalistic agenda and the nation's drift into fascism.”

*From Albert Depas: “I participate to preserve free speech and the freedom of the human's spirit in the creative process.”

*From Rashidah Ismaili: “I wish to be engaged in the discussion of how to be a concerned citizen of this world. I hope the arts will humanize us all and encourage our empathy and intelligence in making this a better world for all to enjoy.”

Poetry for This Moment

Each poet read two or three poems. There was richness of approach, of metaphor, combined with a shared conviction that we are facing an unparalleled situation of danger.¹

Rashidah Ismaili read a poem from her collection Missing In Action and Presumed Dead. It was written years back when the U.S. was carrying out its death squad terror in Central America. She parsed “disappear” as an active verb, how people were (and are today) being “disappeared.” In it, she summons the “disappeared”... to “whisper your secrets to the wind” to be received by others. “Our hands,” she intones, “can be used for so much more than toiling for others.” She ended with a statement from writer Toni Cade Bambara: “the role of the artist is to make revolution irresistible.”

Barry Wallenstein, author of 13 collections of poetry, let the audience know that what motivated him was a Senegalese proverb: “I am because we are.” He read a poem written at the time of Trump's 2024 election victory—puzzling out, is this “a faker, a phantom, a specter seeking spectacle...or a construction of a deranged imagination in need of a catalyst?” And he went to an earlier poem that  identified a “terrible rhythm bearing down” and a “mask on  a wall that won't go away.” 

Chanel Burns, a young artist and writer based in the East Village, had performed at the first Cultural Evening of Defiance, as a vocalist in William Parker's jazz ensemble. At this program, she delivered a poem that was a meditation on empire, how it penetrates our pores of being and spirit. The room was brought into a shared, hushed silence.

Pam Laskin performed poetic messages in the Middle Eastern ghazal form. Nikki Kramer did a kind of poetic rant. On what he described as the “antidote” to fascism, Albert Depas read his poem “Oneness.” Marz Longma, in militant regalia, offered up rap-like poems with biting humor.

***

Travis Morales spoke to the audience about the Call to Conscience and Call to Act issued by Refuse Fascism. He challenged the audience with a series of questions about what we are facing. Will we accept this or be part of a movement to drive out the Trump fascist regime? He spoke of the Call as a powerful tool for mobilizing the thousands and millions to be in the streets to create a governing crisis in society that can stop this fascism—and for people to be signing and spreading it, and donating funds.

Andy Zee, national spokesperson for Revolution Books, co-host of The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show, and member of the editorial board of Refuse Fascism, was in the audience. Pam asked him to offer his thoughts on the moment. Andy talked of how art, through the power of imagination, captures the experiences and hopes of people in different parts of the world—and how art also plays a special role in imagining a different world. He spoke of “a world in which people are no longer thwarted by the workings of capitalism-imperialism” and how Bob Avakian, in the new communism, has developed the framework and morality to make the revolution to achieve a world without exploitation and oppression, where there are no more “firsts” and “lasts...”

And right now, Andy emphasized, we “face this obstacle... spawned by this system of capitalism-imperialism”: Trump/MAGA fascism. He brought people back to the Call to Conscience and Call to Act and challenged all in the room: To have a conscience now...then you need to act! 

Going Forward

There was great camaraderie in the room, with the poets and others sharing more about their work, people learning about Refuse Fascism and Revolution Books, and getting copies of Bob Avakian's new pamphlet TRUMP/MAGA FASCISM: What We're Really Facing, Why and What Must Be Done to Defeat It Before It’s Too Late. 

This kind of programming at Revolution Books is contributing to the much-needed “culture of resistance” in this time of rampaging fascism. Fittingly, the co-curators of the program announced that they would be organizing monthly “writers against fascism” events at Revolution Books.