About

I have been writing poetry for roughly 35 years. Many of my poems are influenced from my previous literary studies, social constructs, theology, societal ills, personal reflection, and a lifetime of history of musical composition. If I need to be contacted, my email is richard at fountain-pen dot ink.

I am an independent scholar of various humanities. I am often distracted from those studies by writing poetry. I have lived with disability my entire adult life. I spent the majority of my life below the poverty line. I earned a master’s as an adult to attempt to escape.

I am a big believer in community driven intra-degrowth, that is, degrowth that is more concerned with the immediate area, with each community doing the same. Degrowth that is feminist, anti-violence learning, care driven, open access anti-intellectual leader, and it is only in anti-utopianism that we can find a truer utopia.

There are more and more drifting towards an idea of holistic and mutually beneficial progress and in that there is hope. Open stewardship of open, shared education is the only way to assure if progress comes in the form of open access and anti-thought leaders so more individuals will be better able to maintain that shared progress.

I have a Master of Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University (mostly philosophy and ethics courses, but not restricted to that. Also digital humanities and history. Master’s thesis dealing with theology.). I also hold an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree from Portland State University where I focused on Women’s Studies, Conflict Resolution, and Literature. Additionally I attended an HBCU, Bowie State University, where I majored in English with a Concentration in Africana. Though I don’t hold the additional degrees I took more than enough classes for a BA in English and almost enough classes for a BA in History. It all started at community college believe it or not. From community college to grad school at Johns Hopkins. It was quite a ride. I went back to school as non-traditional student. I was a first generation graduate.

I should also add that 100% of the posts here are written by me and me alone. Nothing written here is constructed, consulted, or brain stormed by AI available systems. Here is the article I was reading that made me realize I should offer that assurance and it is natural to assume AI generated websites will be, or have already started, launching all over the place.

Someone seemed to suggest my poetry is “transgressive”. – This is a complete misunderstanding of my poetry. I am not attempting to be undercutting or impossible to understand. Every word is thought about and put in its right place. My poems are understandable, but I have spent years writing poetry that is meant to be thought about to be clarified. Even my most difficult poems can be clarified into simple summaries. Yes, I am making a statement, but good poetry is meant to teach. Some poems even require study – those have always been my favorite poems, so I am drawn to that style. Not that every poem I write is that difficult. I have also been taught the hard lesson that poetry should sing. When I first started writing, that was the direction I was taking and continued on that path for years, but every path must turn.

My books on Internet Archive

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Advisory Memo – No Thought Leaders

Also: Types of Ableist Language and What to Say Instead (not me)