Warning: This story contains brief descriptions of alleged rape and sexual assault.
Roger Bonair-Agard was one of the most well-known slam poets of his generation, known for his work addressing race, colonialism, and sexuality. But, as grantee Taylor Moore uncovered in her investigation for the Chicago Reader, Bonair-Agard was accused of rape in 2013 and continued to work in the Chicago arts scene with the help of powerful friends.
Drawing upon interviews with more than 40 people, Moore’s investigation addresses a culture of silence in the city’s spoken-word community, particularly around Young Chicago Authors and poet Kevin Coval, and examines what accountability means in instances of sexual harm.