You may not think peddling poetry is the solution to humanity’s greatest crisis, the death of language, but I am here to tell you: it is.

Language is in mortal peril, and we need to do something about it. The current trajectory of AI, left unchecked, will globalize the strongest weapon of colonialism. The late Kenyan novelist and activist, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, knew that the destruction of language was the oppressor’s most powerful artillery. In his 1986 book, Decolonizing the Mind, he writes:

"The bullet was the means of the physical subjugation. Language was the means of the spiritual subjugation."

Tyrants fear free speakers of living language because they know a well-spoken word can cause a regime to fall. In this essay, I will explain who I am, my vision of poetry, and why I am launching a new journal and press to bring the word back to life, and bring poetry as a way of life to the world.

WHAT FOR


* The Press: $15,000 (book production, ISBNs, distribution, LLC creation and legal fees)

* The Journal: $12,000 (editing, design, printing, website hosting, contributor payments, legal fees, website hosing and maintenance)

* Podcast: $6,000 (equipment, honoraria, and promotion)

* Miscellaneous: $3,000 (marketing, legal fees, platform fees)

Disclaimer: No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or promotions are offered in exchange for any donations made to my GoFundMe.

WHO CAN INVEST?

Anyone and everyone!