Censorship In The Arts

The subject of censhorship in the arts is a very important topic for us
artists because it affects the scope of our artistic expression as it
relates to world events. A classic example is the case of the brilliant
and always controversial poet Amiri Baraka who, in 2002, was stripped
of his Poet Laureates title in New Jersey because of his poem
"Somebody Blew Up America."

In an interview with New Letters editor Robert Stewart, Baraka
addresses the responsibility of poets in society:

"The poet has to be engaged in society. You cannot transform society
from the outside ... you have to be willing to be in the middle of it
- in it - and struggling to change it."

For those of you who have not read the poem, you may do so at
http://www.counterpunch.org/poem1003.html

After you've read it, I invite you to join our Google group and
participate in a polemic discussion regarding the consequences that
this poem had on the poet's title and how it affects the rest of us.
Should he had been stripped of his title because of it? What does this
action say about our freedom of speech and expression? Should we only
honor those artists that write or create non-controversial statements
in their work? What are the limits of our democracy when it comes to
artistic expression? How does this event affect your artistic freedom?
Should artists stay away from political and/or religious commentary?
What is the role of our art in society?