Aaron Barry, a white poet pretended to be black and had poems published which had previously been rejected when submitted under his own name. This story has not surprisingly provoked a good deal of controversy and I’ll leave it to you my readers to make up your own minds on the rightness or otherwise of the situation described in this article How white man became famous as a queer Nigerian poet – Businessday NG, and Elsewhere online.
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K Morris - Poet 
I think what Barry did and the results are a very sad commentary on the state of contemporary literature. Just another piece of evidence that literary publishing is past due for a paradigm change.
Thank you for commenting, Liz. I agree with your view of the matter.
You’re welcome, Kevin.
Sad state of things
Indeed it is, Beth.
An interesting article. I’ve noticed that many awards are only for people of black, LGBTQ, or young people still at school. If you happen to be a black gender-fluid girl who is under 18, you have it made! 😛
I agree there should be a level playing field, but sadly, in the past it has been white males who have been over-represented by the publishing industry. Now, it seems, things have gone to the opposite extreme, and if you are a normal, white person, you are now at a disadvantage.
Thank you for your thoughtful response, Vivienne.
I am certainly a white male in my mid fifties, so I suspect I may be at a disadvantage in that respect. However, being registered blind (which counts as a disability), I guess I might benefit from being disabled! I do think that poetry (or any other writing) should be judged on its own merits, not treated more (or less favourably) due to the characteristics of the creator in question. When I think of balance, I see an old-fashioned clock with it’s pendulum measuring time in a balanced way.