Talk:Phillip Barron

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I suppose the two clearest sources for Barron's notability are the following. For his work in poetry, it is his recent recognition by the Caribbean Philosophical Association with the 2019 Nicolás Guillén Outstanding Book Award. It is through the CPA and this award that I became aware of Mr. Barron's writing.

Caribbean Philosophical Association - http://www.caribbeanphilosophicalassociation.org/nichol-s-guill-n-award.html

After the award ceremony in June (the actual presentation of the awards), if there are more news outlets to link here, I will do that.

For his work in philosophy, he is best known for an article he wrote framing gender discrimination in the death penalty. In the rare times that a woman is scheduled for execution in the United States, news outlets often link to his article. See the Christian Science Monitor for an example, which surfaced at the time of Teresa Lewis' execution.

CS Monitor - https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0923/Teresa-Lewis-the-face-of-gender-differences-on-death-row

Tecumsehv (talk) 02:39, 13 March 2019 (UTC)


 * We're not there yet. The Caribbean Philosophical Association write up is not WP:INDEPENDENT coverage so is unlikely to be considered a reliable source. If you can argue that this is a "prestigious academic award", you may be able to meet WP:NPROF. There is only a passing mention of the subject in the CS Monitor piece. ~Kvng (talk) 12:53, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

I’m not sure what independent means if not independent of the subject. I first became aware of Barron through his work to anthologize Occupy Poetry, and I look forward to meeting him at the conference. Barron is not a member of the CPA, nor was he at the time of his nomination for this award. Likewise, the award committee solicits nominations from former award winners; the poet who nominated Barron for this award does not know him. And the write-up was done without any consultation with Barron; it was based on his book and a few scattered biographical details that could be gleaned from a google search. So, this award is independent of Barron.

Nor am I sure how to argue that it is a prestigious academic award. It sure seems prestigious to the CPA and to its recipients, as it is the only book award of its kind, recognizing contributions to Caribbean thought and philosophical literature. The CPA is a small organization that exists to bring attention to a niche area of philosophy. The worlds of poetry and philosophy are pretty small. Any book award in “philosophical literature” will draw from a circle smaller than that of the Pulitzer or the Nobel. There are so few book awards in philosophy that we were happy to receive the nomination for his book, which fit so well within the category of philosophical literature. Previous winners include Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Edwidge Danticat, and Junot Diaz (perhaps more recognizable names). Tecumsehv (talk) 15:59, 13 March 2019 (UTC)


 * The Caribbean Philosophical Association is reporting on the award given to Phillip Barron. It clearly is not WP:INDEPENDENT and cannot be a reliable source for the award but it also has a conflict of interest in reporting on Phillip Barron because it has decided to bestow the award and so promoting Phillip Barron affirms this decision and raises the profile of the award. The best sources to use on Wikipedia WP:SECONDARY sources - independent reporting organizations without conflict of interest.
 * I also don't know exactly how to identify a highly prestigious academic award. The place to ask about that would be Wikipedia talk:Notability (academics). ~Kvng (talk) 16:03, 17 March 2019 (UTC)