Button Poetry
{{Short description|American poetry publisher}}
{{Infobox publisher
| name = Button Poetry
| image = Button Poetry Logo.png
| image_size = 150px
| caption =
| founded = {{start date and age|2011}}
| founder = Sam Van Cook
| country = USA
| headquarters = Minneapolis, Minnesota
| distribution =SCB Distributors
| genre = Poetry
| imprints = Exploding Pinecone Press
| owner =Sam Van Cook
| numemployees =8
| website = {{URL|https://buttonpoetry.com/}}
}}
Button Poetry is a Minneapolis-based poetry company and independent publisher of performance poetry. They are known for their viral videos of slam poetry performances, including a performance of "OCD" by Neil Hilborn that the Knight Foundation called "the most-viewed slam performance in history."{{cite web|url=https://knightfoundation.org/articles/button-poetry-is-taking-poems-online-to-reach-young-audiences-and-theyre-going-viral|title=Button Poetry is taking poems online to reach young audiences – and they're going viral|publisher=Knight Foundation|first=Susannah|last=Schouweiler|date=April 21, 2014|access-date=September 7, 2018}}
History
Button Poetry was founded in 2011 by Sam Van Cook to promote performance poetry through video and social media.{{Cite news|url=https://buttonpoetry.com/history/|title=History - Button Poetry|work=Button Poetry|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.writersdigest.com/whats-new/button-poetry-spotlight|title=Button Poetry: Poetry Spotlight|date=2017-07-06|work=Writers Digest|first=Robert Lee|last=Brewer|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} As of 2018 they had over 774,000 YouTube subscribers and over 1.2M Facebook followers.{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/74638-is-poetry-the-new-adult-coloring-book.html|title=Is Poetry the New Adult Coloring Book?|work=Publishers Weekly|last=Boog|first=Jason|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} In 2013 they began publishing books.
Button Poetry has recorded performances by Brittney Black Rose Kapri,{{Cite news|url=http://srmagonline.com/2017/01/17/gun-violence-police-brutality-and-the-black-man/|title=Gun Violence, Police Brutality and the Black Man|date=2017-01-17|work=Soul Reflectionz|first=Danielle|last=Dixon|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816025553/http://srmagonline.com/2017/01/17/gun-violence-police-brutality-and-the-black-man/|archive-date=2018-08-16|url-status=dead}} Chrysanthemum Tran,{{Citation |title=Chrysanthemum Tran - On (Not) Forgiving My Mother |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-snsLLr7nQ |language=en |access-date=2023-01-30}} Elliot Darrow,{{Cite magazine|url=https://swampland.time.com/2013/10/10/the-college-student-behind-viral-god-is-gay-poem/|title=The College Student Behind Viral 'God is Gay' Poem|last=Dias|first=Elizabeth|magazine=Time|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X}} Crystal Valentine,{{Cite web |title=crystal valentine |url=https://buttonpoetry.com/tag/crystal-valentine/ |access-date=2023-01-24 |website=Button Poetry |language=en-US}} Neil Hilborn,{{cn|date=May 2024}} Denice Frohman,{{Cite web|url=https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/denice-frohman|title=Denice Frohman|date=2018-08-15|website=Poetry Foundation|language=en-us|others=Poetry Foundation|access-date=2018-08-15}} Rudy Francisco,{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/viral-videos-trending/video-stop-complaining-poet-rudy-francisco-complainers-start-living-4889864/|title=Remember, tragedy and silence have the same address: A poem for complainers|date=2017-10-14|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Danez Smith,{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/breathtaking-poem-imagines-an-alternate-heaven-for-black-boys_us_57ac8a38e4b06e52746f6a47|title=Breathtaking Poem Imagines An 'Alternate Heaven For Black Boys'|last=Blay|first=Zeba|date=2016-08-11|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Melissa Lozada-Oliva,{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/seriously-stop-telling-women-how-to-talk_us_55d5d9a5e4b0ab468d9fef28|title=One Woman's Reaction To Every 'White Man's Sentence'|last=Vagianos|first=Alanna|date=2015-08-20|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Emi Mahmoud,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bustle.com/articles/167674-emi-mahmouds-the-bride-reveals-a-disturbing-problem-thats-bigger-than-many-realize-video|title=This Poem Reveals What Child Brides Go Through|last=Weiss|first=Suzannah|work=Bustle|date=2016-06-18|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} Aja Monet,{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/poetry/poet-police-aja-monet|title=When the people meant to protect us become our enemy|website=PBS NewsHour|first=Corinne|last=Segal|date=2015-09-07|language=en-US|access-date=2018-08-15}} Imani Cezanne,{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/09/spoken-word-poet-spears-hunger-games_n_5297431.html|title=Spoken-Word Poet Spears 'Hunger Games' With Her Own Story|last=Saul|first=Isaac|date=2014-05-09|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Janae Johnson,{{Citation |title=Janae Johnson - Black Rage |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fqEz0caR5o |language=en |access-date=2023-01-25}} Javon Johnson,{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/black-poet-explains-painful-reality-of-police-violence-to-his-4-year-old-nephew_us_5644cb3fe4b06037734803cd|title=Black Poet Explains Painful Reality Of Police Violence To His 4-Year-Old Nephew|last1=Barksdale|first1=Aaron|date=2015-11-13|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-08-15|last2=Jeong|first2=Ji Sub|language=en-US}} Desireé Dallagiacomo,{{Cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/15-witty-comebacks-to-every-sleazy-pickup-line_us_56d6fb89e4b0bf0dab33f691|title=15 Witty Comebacks To Every Sleazy Pickup Line|last=Hatch|first=Jenavieve|date=2016-03-02|work=Huffington Post|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Yesika Salgado,{{Cite news|url=https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/01/how-not-to-make-love-to-a-fat-girl/|title=How Not to Make Love to a Fat Girl|date=2015-01-13|work=Everyday Feminism|first=Yesika|last=Salgado|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-US}} Andrea Gibson, Rudy Francisco, Sabrina Benaim, Porsha Olayiwola,{{Citation |title=Button Presents: Porsha Olayiwola |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBO28jAeJ2U |language=en |access-date=2023-01-23}} Tonya Ingram,{{Citation |title=Tonya Ingram - Thirteen |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbS9yNSQyAA |language=en |access-date=2023-01-23}} Muggs Fogarty,{{Citation |title=Muggs Fogarty - Nerve |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfE4EeIAK_0 |language=en |access-date=2023-01-23}} Siaara Freeman,{{Citation |title=Siaara Freeman - Hexes For My Exes (after Rachel Wiley) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S8j15NaVmc |language=en |access-date=2023-01-24}} and Hanif Abdurraqib.{{cn|date=May 2024}}
Criticism
Button Poetry has received backlash from critics who suggest that the works make "a mockery of the whole canon."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/from-instapoets-to-the-bards-of-youtube-poetry-is-going-viral-and-some-poets-hate-that/2018/05/06/ea4240fa-4329-11e8-8569-26fda6b404c7_story.html|title=From Instapoets to the bards of YouTube, poetry is going viral. And some poets hate that.|last=Ramanathan|first=Lavanya|date=2018-05-06|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2018-08-15}} Viral poets have been labeled "Instapoets" due to their specific style and creation for a more broad audience and their placement in visual/social media platforms.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/business/media/web-poets-society-new-breed-succeeds-in-taking-verse-viral.html|title=Web Poets' Society: New Breed Succeeds in Taking Verse Viral|work=The New York Times|last=Alter|first=Alexandra|date=2015-11-07|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}} Poets and linguists have criticized the effects of viral poetry on poetry writing, noting potential homogenization of writing styles among newer poets.{{Cite web|url=https://blavity.com/blavity-talks-with-dylan-garity-button-poetry|title=Blavity talks performance poetry, going viral and HBO Def Jam with Button Poetry|website=Blavity|first=Savon|last=Bartley|language=en|access-date=2018-08-15}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-is-why-you-probably-hate-slam-poetry-according-to-a-linguistic-scholar/|title=This Is Why You Probably Hate Slam Poetry, According to a Linguistic Scholar|date=2017-02-05|first=Jesse|last=Donaldson|work=Vice|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en-us}}
CUPSI 2017
In 2017, a camera crew from Button Poetry attended College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational to document the festival, as they had done for many years.{{Cite web |title=As many of you know, Button Poetry had a film crew present at the Finals of CUPSI 2017. |url=https://www.facebook.com/ButtonPoetry/posts/as-many-of-you-know-button-poetry-had-a-film-crew-present-at-the-finals-of-cupsi/1406664762724398/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Facebook |language=}}
Alleged "founder of slam poetry", Marc Smith, who was a featured performer on final stage that year, upset much of the audience with his set, which led to protests and changes in the scheduled programming of events. For an hour and a half, a discussion from finalists and organizers occurred backstage as to how to proceed.{{Cite web |date=2017-05-05 |title=College Poets Protest Marc Smith on the CUPSI Finals Stage |url=https://chicagodefender.com/college-poets-protest-marc-smith-on-the-cupsi-finals-stage/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Chicago Defender |language=en-US}}
When the finalists reconvened, they brought a list of demands on stage, one of which was, "none of the poems that touch this stage tonight will be recorded by Button Poetry. You will not capitalize off of us… we won’t have it, not tonight. We will not be demoralized, nor will our traumas be trivialized for revenue, especially not by an organization that cannot simply provide us with a safe space.” Finishing off the statement poet Justice Ameer stated, "when we say 'remember why you wrote it, it's not to help white people make money."Frost, Isaiah (April 17, 2017). "Trouble in CUPSI-dise: Founder of Slam Poetry Protested Off National Stage By Fed-Up Poets". The Junction Journal – via Brooklyn College.{{Cite web |title=Cupsi 2017 statement from the teams {{!}} By Roscoe {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/roscoeburnems/videos/cupsi-2017-statement-from-the-teams/10154492776112337/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}
On April 18, 2017, Button Poetry released the following statement, "We recognize our role in relation to the poetry community and have been listening to your concerns. We are working towards better transparency around curation of video and compensation of poets. First, we feel it is important to communicate that NO POEM goes up on Button social media without a signed release. Second, it is one of our core goals to compensate poets for their work; we do this in many fashions including paying features and top-placing poets at Button Poetry Live, paying royalties to authors, paying royalties on videos (after an earning threshold), primarily employing poets as videographers, video editors, social media managers, shipping staff, curators and so on. We are eager to improve and are working on documentation of our processes in an effort to be more transparent. We will be making those documents available in the coming weeks and months."
YCA Statement
In 2021, Button Poetry President & Founder Sam Van Cook released a statement sharing his concerns about Young Chicago Authors (YCA) and their involvement in enabling serial rapists and abusers. “I believe that Kevin Coval’s leadership at YCA is a clear and present danger to the thousands of young people served through YCA and [its slam poetry tournament] Louder Than a Bomb (LTAB),” Van Cook wrote. In his statement, Van Cook also commented on Roger Bonair-Agard and stated, "I believe [him] to be a serial predator and rapist." The next day, the YCA board of directors put out a public statement declaring Coval's employment had been ended.{{Cite web |last=Van Cook |first=Sam |title=Statement from Button Poetry President & Founder Sam Van Cook |url=https://buttonpoetry.com/ycastatement/ |website=Button Poetry|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303213325/https://buttonpoetry.com/ycastatement/ |archive-date=2021-03-03 }}{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Taylor |date=2021-07-21 |title=A silence louder than words |url=http://chicagoreader.com/news-politics/a-silence-louder-than-words/ |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Chicago Reader |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Column: Kevin Coval out at Young Chicago Authors, following controversy over handling of sex assault allegations |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/books/ct-prem-ent-poet-kevin-coval-out-at-yca-0306-20210305-ne45e5t3uvbulgvyizhxv3htpi-story.html |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Chicago Tribune}}{{Cite web |title=YCA Public Statements Archive |url=https://youngchicagoauthors.org/about/yca-public-statements-archive |access-date=2023-01-25 |website=Young Chicago Authors |language=en}}