A poet named Aaron Barry, who is white and straight, pretended to be a “gender fluid” Nigerian named Adel Nwanko to release some decidedly terrible poetry. His work, described as “trash,” was meant to highlight systemic racism against white authors in the literary community.
Barry explained that despite the evident quality of his work being poor, it gained traction within pro-diversity circles after he assumed various minority identities, including “gender fluid” Nigerian, as well as others like BH Fine, Sub Mercy, and Jasper Ceylon.
At 29, Barry managed to deceive 30 literary magazines over the course of a year, managing to publish about 50 of his “meaningless” pieces. This, he argues, demonstrates that the poetry world often values the author’s identity over the merit of their work.
“I wanted to show that literary platforms—from niche magazines to major publishers—often have a bias for certain identities,” he said.
“And this raises questions about whether that power can adapt with shifting trends or be used to discriminate against other groups in the future,” he continued.
He added that such biases could place writers in a position of constant anxiety as they navigate their careers.
Barry has received a local award, been featured in haiku magazines, and even has a nomination lined up for the 2025 Best of the Net Award under his “bh fein” persona (which uses the pronouns “its/complexity”).
One piece he created, titled “Shakespeare’s cumslut,” now includes an editor’s note clarifying it was intended as a prank.
Editor’s Note: Given recent developments, the author name and biography have been updated to reflect the editing process. The editor expressed concern about archiving the original work and recognizes that there is artistic merit beyond the jokes intended by Barry. It was part of an overall satire, much of which may have derailed from what the author aimed to convey. Below is a poem that first appeared at some point. However, the editor decided to remove it from the collection to not encourage others like Barry to focus on their methods.
Another of Barry’s creations, titled “After It Comes Out: Wrestling Promotion,” features the line, “I thought the Sis Boys could unite me and put an end to the championship pursuit.” He even declared, “Ah! I own a book by Toni Morrison that hits harder than those guys.”
Barry described his creations as “trash,” adding, “The worst part? They all got published.”
Eventually, he revealed his true identity, stirring up backlash from some editors he had worked with.
Chris Talbott, an editor at “them/them” and associated with B’k Magazine—where one of Nwankwo’s poems was featured—expressed anger upon discovering Barry’s real identity.
“I published Jasper Ceylon, a white cis man. I made that clear on Instagram,” he stated.
“He seems to be trying to showcase that any publication will accept submissions as long as they come from a marginalized group,” the magazine lamented further.
Now, Barry, working as an English tutor, intends to continue writing poetry under his real name. He remarked, “Honestly, I’m not bothered by being caught up in this so-called ‘culture war.’ It all feels pretty small.”
He added, “My interest lies in this and other works.”
Barry concluded, “Ultimately, if we can ease the hostility and moral judgment, I hope people recognize there’s room for all kinds of writing and stories in the literary world today.”
