In 2025, a poem nominated for a Best of the Net award set the indie literary world ablaze—not because it was good, but because it was deliberately bad. The author, known under the pen name b.h. fein, had fooled yet another publication into printing what he describes as “buffoonery”—nonsensical, politically charged poetry supposedly written by a marginalized voice. But the truth behind the poem unraveled a much deeper—and more controversial—literary hoax.
Behind the name b.h. fein is Aaron Barry, a straight, white, 29-year-old poet from Vancouver. For the last two years, Barry created dozens of fake minority personas—each carefully constructed with their own identities, backgrounds, and social media profiles—and published intentionally bad poetry under these names. His stated goal: to test whether diversity-driven literary journals would publish subpar work if it came from what he calls a “desirably marginalized” identity.
Barry’s pseudonyms included names like Dirt Hogg Sauvage Respectfully and Adele Nwankwo, a self-described “gender-fluid member of the Nigerian diaspora.” As Adele, he published dozens of poems in literary outlets, including one about a lesbian WWE-style wrestler—written, he admits, in comically bad verse. Another poem—filled with gibberish meant to mock Creole-inflected language—was published in a journal focused on “marginalized voices.”
When Barry revealed the hoax earlier this year in a self-penned Substack post, he claimed to have successfully published 47 intentionally bad poems across a range of indie literary magazines under multiple fictitious identities. The reaction was swift, divisive, and revealing.
A Hoax Born from Frustration
Barry’s motivation wasn’t just mischief—it was frustration. After struggling to break into the poetry world under his real name, he said he noticed that journals increasingly emphasized identity over quality. Many had submission guidelines prioritizing “marginalized” voices. Some even explicitly excluded straight, white men from payment or consideration.
“I just was not in the demographic they would even consider,” Barry said in an interview. “I figured it would be easier to get in if I had some kind of minority identity.”
Barry isn’t the first to attempt such a hoax. In 2015, poet Michael Derrick Hudson famously used the Chinese pen name Yi-Fen Chou to get a previously rejected poem published. And in academia, the “Grievance Studies Affair” exposed how jargon-laden but intellectually bankrupt papers could slip through peer-reviewed journals if their politics aligned with progressive orthodoxy.
Barry’s project, however, took the idea further: not one persona, but many; not one poem, but nearly 50. Each identity he crafted was designed to fit the mold of what he saw as desirable to editors prioritizing race, gender, and “queerness” over literary merit.
The Fallout: Praise, Condemnation, and Censorship
The backlash began when Barry, under yet another alias, tipped off one of the editors he’d duped. The publication—B’K Magazine, which reserves its token $10 payment exclusively for “racially and ethnically marginalized” creatives—denounced Barry after learning the poem they had accepted and paid for was written by a white man.
Soon, the story gained traction on social media and spread to podcasts and publications outside the literary fringe. Barry’s Substack gained attention, along with his self-published anthology of hoax poems, Echolalia Review.
To some, Barry’s project was a scathing indictment of modern publishing’s obsession with identity. Australian writer Matthew Sini called it evidence of “a growing rot at the heart of publishing,” where skill and literary prowess take a backseat to demographic box-checking.
To others, Barry’s actions were unethical at best, bigoted at worst. Derek White, editor of the indie press that published Barry’s debut novel Femoid (under the pseudonym “S.A.B. Marcie”), pulled the book from circulation upon learning Barry’s true identity.
“This is absolutely wrong,” White said. “If you look at the context of the book, for a white man to write it is unethical.” He claimed Barry had lied about being a biracial woman and that the content—including racial slurs—was only acceptable under that assumption.
Barry admits he allowed people to believe the lie but maintains that the work was fictional and that the real-life woman who inspired Femoid—his ex-girlfriend, a black woman from Vancouver—gave him permission.
The Indie Literary World at a Crossroads
Barry’s hoax has reignited debate over the role of identity in literature. Critics argue that the prioritization of marginalized identities can lead to a lowering of standards, where the author’s background outweighs the merit of their work. Others counter that Barry’s stunt only serves to discredit real barriers marginalized authors face.
Writer and editor Alex Perez captured the ambivalence: “From the magazines publishing anything if it’s written by the ‘correct’ writers to Jasper’s experiment—it’s all just sad. It seems like the literary world will forever be stuck in this performative identity loop.”
Novelist Percival Everett, whose 2001 book Erasure satirizes the commodification of black suffering in publishing, responded to Barry’s hoax with dry disdain: “Pranks are funny sometimes, but that’s all they are.”
What Comes Next?
Barry’s second novel, £, flesh, is due later this year from a small indie publisher. But whether his hoax ends his literary future or defines it remains to be seen.
“I think every writer who uses pen names gets at least one great chance to reconcile your personas and re-emerge as yourself,” Barry said. “I choose to have the web unravel. I’d like to be myself again.”
Yet the question lingers: Was Barry’s elaborate deception a brave cultural critique or a cynical grab for attention? Is he a whistleblower of a broken industry—or a provocateur exploiting the very systems he claims to protest?
In either case, his stunt has forced the literary world to confront a question that many have tiptoed around: Are we evaluating writers by the content of their work—or by the identities they claim?
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After reading this, I am now inspired to resurrect one of my aging aliases and bring back my “Nantucket” series of poetry. I could use the 10 bucks!