We apologize that the cover and title of our recently released chapbook has caused pain to those we admire and respect.
We made a mistake in not considering more carefully the political and social consequences of this choice and the ways in which it perpetuates cultural appropriation. We sincerely regret our lack of judgement—we should have done better and commit to doing so.
We do believe that the work in question comes from an honest and genuine place—a man and a woman (featured on the cover) falling in love to a particular soundtrack--the cover image in combination with the title was not meant to be ironic. It was representative of the experience depicted in the book. However, a straight white male's personal experience should not have taken precedence over the social and political implications for our poetry community.
As editors and artists who are straight white males, we strive to raise our own consciousness, be more aware of our privileged positions, and counter that privilege. We appreciate being held accountable for our actions. We thank the poets who have spoken out about this. While we are aware that it is not their responsibility to educate us, we are humbled by the time and effort they've given to this issue.
We are pulling this book from our catalogue and will reissue it if/when we can envision an appropriate way to re-present the work. Again, we deeply apologize for the strife we've caused in a community we love.
Sincerely,
The Editors
