Poet, voiceover artist and school teacher Taylor Mali is no stranger to having his work used and passed around without being given proper credit. His most well-known poem, “What Teachers Make,” has been making the rounds (in various, usually edited forms) as an email forward for the better part of a decade. It’s almost always credited to “Anonymous.”
The poem was cited (without proper attribution) by New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman during his 2003 Yale commencement address, and was transformed (without permission) into a children’s book.
Friedman eventually admitted his mistake, and the book’s author learned of Mali just in time to have a “based on the poem by…” message added. But it’s those emails—whose authors have the audacity to edit his work and strip his name from it—that bother him the most. Written in 1999, “What Teachers Make” has been wrongly credited to “Anonymous,” despite the fact that there are numerous videos of Mali performing it on YouTube.
One of those videos is taken from his 2003 appearance on the award-winning HBO special Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry, and at least one of those videos has been viewed more than one million times.
“Five minutes of searching for a phrase or two on Google would reveal I’m the author,” said Mali.
According to Mali, the plagiarism started when he published the poem on his website, TaylorMali.com, after writing it in 1999. he didn’t include his name in the text with the poem, because he assumed that readers would know the work’s author by the website’s address.
Given how frequently he’s plagiarized, Mali wasn’t surprised when I called him on Friday, seeking comment about an unattributed use of his work. He was surprised, however, when he learned that his poem had been appropriated and transformed into a song that is currently being marketed to mainstream country radio—a process that requires the involvement and oversight of numerous individuals, from musicians and engineers to publishers and record label executives.
“I Make A Difference,” which is being promoted by an Atlanta-based company called Evergreen Records, is available for streaming on the radio industry website AllAccess, and a search of the BMI song database reveals that the song is registered with the performing rights organization (which tracks royalties owed to songwriters) as having been written by Brad Wolf (the artist on the Evergreen cut) and Donald Goodman, who wrote hits such as “Angels Among Us” and “Ol’ Red.”
However, the chorus and second verse of “I Make a Difference” are lifted almost verbatim from Mali’s “What Teachers Make.”
Wolf, Goodman and Evergreen Records did not respond to requests to be interviewed for this story. However, Clearwater, Florida-based Robert “Buddy” Resnik, whose Resnik Music Group controls the publishing rights of “I Make A Difference,” said that he was unaware of any similarities between the song and poem.
“You kind of caught me off guard,” he said during a Friday phone call.
When asked what steps he would take if the song was found to be plagiarized, Resnik said that his company is “very honest and open,” and that they’re “committed to doing the right thing.”
In addition to Brad Wolf’s version of “I Make a Difference,” the audio player on Resnik Music Group’s website contains versions of the song performed by Linda Davis and Burns & Poe, meaning that the song has been recorded on at least three different occasions. Neither Davis nor representatives from Burns & Poe responded to requests to be interviewed for this story.
Resnik said that he doesn’t believe the song has been recorded by any other artists.
While Wolf’s version of “I Make a Difference” will likely make little impact at radio (due to the tiny size of Evergreen Records), the song is currently available for download in the iTunes music store. Mali may be entitled to some or all of the royalties from public performances (including radio spins) of the song, and from digital or physical sales of the single. To date, “I Make a Difference” has not appeared on an album.
Mali said that he’s surprised by the lack of research undertaken by Wolf and Goodman, and that, pending a conversation with his lawyer, he will likely issue a “cease and desist” letter to the appropriate parties.
“A part of me is honored that my poem moved someone to set it to music,” he said. “But the rest of me is disappointed that someone claimed my words as their own. I mean, the poem is a tribute to teachers. But you can’t claim to stand for that if you are also plagiarizing the words of a teacher.”
Mali said that if Wolf and Goodman had asked him first, he would have given them permission to adapt the poem—presuming they gave him appropriate credit in return.
Now, he hopes that any media attention given to this story of plagiarism will help him reattach his name to a poem that many people assume was written by no one in particular.
Oh dear.
Considering that Taylor Mali’s first poem in the National Poetry Slam actively appropriated lines from the poems of people he was onstage with at the time, all i can say is Karma is a bitch.
BTW – Neither of these people make a difference. Brad Wolf is just an other Nashville marketing scheme and Taylor Mali never taught in anything but private prep schools for the children of the advantaged and elite until his trust fund came through.
BTW – What teachers make was written in 1995 or 1996
@Alexadre- How little you actually know about the difference Mr. Mali has made makes your points simple and horribly ignorant.
This isn’t really karma. And if Karma is that stupid, than you should be expecting some uninformed moron to write a comment about something annoying that happens to you soon.
As A. Knoske’s glaringly narrow, small-minded comments prove, we are in desperate need of teachers who open us to the outside world. Do we really want to pull a discussion of the delicious irony of plagiarizing a poem on teaching into some kind of private-vs-public school rant? Really? In the words of the immortal Elvis Presley, “All this aggravation ain’t satisfactioning me.”
To Alexadre Knoske:
As a poet who has been in the company of Mr. Mali, I must say you are speaking completely out of line. He is an amazing write/poet who I have the most respect for. It is an honor for poets to hear their words by another poet in a venue such as Nationals. It also exhibits talent! You have no clue of what you are talking about, nor where he teaches or a “trust fund” is ANY of your business!! Grow up and do something constructive that changes our world for the better.
Melissa
POET
ill jump on the bandwagon here as well Knoske:
- Taylor Mali’s poem using lines from other poet’s poems is a long-standing tradition. something he’s been doing for the better part of fifteen years. when people get less uptight about themselves for five seconds theyd get the point of the idea, which is one of tribute.
- As far as who he taught, im sure those children who were actually well-off were deserving of your generalization. as they chose which womb to be born into, and chose to be wealthy, they certainly didnt deserve the care and attention Taylor gave them. For example, you chose the last name Knoske, and i chose to be a person who could later in life highlight how asinine your comments are. when you’re half as loved and respected as Taylor is by the folks who know him best, call me.
Knoske, did Taylor beat you in a slam with the poem?
I’m glad that Taylor Mali discovered, if belatedly, the plagiarization of his poem, which has indeed inspired many people, myself included. As one who has had my own work appropriated by someone without scruples, I hope he does issue a cease and desist, and I hope that the “writers” of the song learn a valuable lesson – ALWAYS give credit where credit is due!
I was pleased to see Taylor perform twice in 2005, when he performed at two colleges near Orlando, and upon meeting him found him to be a very nice, witty and humble man.
Sorry, Mr. Knoske, but as one who has actually met the man, your comments make you appear pretty small-minded.
I am a poet as well, and the daughter of a teacher, which is why I value Taylor Mali’s poetry so highly – few poets so consistently “get me” with their words.
He is among the best.
TAYLOR! You are and will always be the only author, artist, advocate and activist who can claim the impact this poem has been on the global spokenword and poetry communities let alone the world. As a social worker and poet and fan I just want to say thank you for blazing a path that is a standard for all spokenword artists today. We love you and will always support you no matter what..
Sincerely
Mike Guinn-Texas
As teacher #478 on Taylor Mali’s “Quest for a Thousand Teachers”, I nearly cried when listening to this song. No, not because it was touching or moving or powerful, but because of how strongly offended I am at Mali’s work being used in such a way. Brad Wolf, in plagiarizing Mali’s words, is diluting and destroying the meaning and power which they hold. “What Teachers Make”, and many of Mali’s other poems, have been integral to my decision to spend my life teaching, and Wolf’s uncredited and careless use of Mali’s work is disgraceful to me and the other 550 teachers Mali has inspired.
Brad Wolf, please admit your mistake and give credit where credit is due.
Why doesn’t Mali personally speak with Brad about it. I’m sure he would be fine with working out whatever is necessary. I know Brad personally, and he is a GREAT friend of my father’s and he is a phenomenal talent. This song could go FAR, and Mali would be a part of many royalties if handled in a manner that wasn’t attacking or belittling to Brad. Let’s be adults here. If it has been titled anonymous for so long, let’s give Brad the benefit of the doubt that he found it in a source and went with it. He is a musician… he didn’t look into that. He saw anonymous and he wrote. With that being said, talk to him, handle it, and quit bitching. Damn.
I can’t believe the record label did not do any prior research to whether the song was plagiarised from somewhere. When it comes to copyright lawsuits, many companies pay a hefty fine for copying someone else’s work without the proper permission. I hope they will learn their lesson before releasing their album.
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