Oprah Winfrey (R) laughs with poet Maya Angelou during the taping of "Oprah's Surprise Spectacular" in Chicago in May 17, 2011 .
Poet Maya Angelou was raped when she was eight years old by her mother's boyfriend. She revealed the painful memory in her autobiography, I Know Why the Carged Bird Sings REUTERS

A Canadian poet, well-known in literary and social circles, has been banned from live poetry events in three cities, across the country. This followed allegations of sexual harassment against him, which were filed with the Ottawa's Capital Poetry Collective.

The poet, Greg Frankson, known by the stage name Ritallin, was banished from the collective which he founded with others. As long as the ban is in force, he cannot attend events organised by the group, according to an announcement posted on the collective's Web site, reported The Star. Frankson was also working as a spoken-word artist in Toronto. As a prominent figure in the local poetry community, Frankson was a regular figure at poetry competitions. He founded Cytopoetics in 2007 as a business that provides "creative services" for organisations and poetry events in the city.

The Toronto Poetry Project also banned Frankson from its forthcoming events. One more poetry group, the Victoria Poetry Project in British Columbia cancelled a slam poetry event, which it had planned in 2015. Despite the ban, the specifics of the allegations against Frankson have not been made clear by the CPC.

Facebook Post

However, a Facebook post by a user, who identified herself as the one who filed the grievance, wrote the grievance was representative of the "sexual harassment and assault" of many victims. In the posting, the FB user wrote she has knowledge of a "large number" of women who were Franksons' victims. Frankson, however, refused to discuss the charges. "There isn't really much to say. I'm in the process of retaining legal counsel," he said.

The CPC, in a statement said it is committed to the creation of a safer space even while supporting its members. It said it is apologising for any failure to do so up until this point. "We do not take this commitment lightly and we can ensure that we live up to it", it said. However, Brad Morden, director of the Ottawa organisation, refused to speak to the media, reported Metro News.

Code Violation

The notice posted by the Toronto Poetry Project said Frankson violated its "Code of Honour" which governs the behaviour of individuals who attend the slam poetry events. It said members have to "comply with local, provincial and federal laws pertaining to individual civil rights and physical or sexual harassment." So far, Frankson has not been charged criminally in Toronto, Ottawa or Victoria, according to police sources.