Dublin 25/9/14
If I'm honest - and why wouldn't I be - I suspected the Cork gig would turn out to be the apex of this tour. On arrival in Dublin the six of us dispersed briefly to different locations and commitments, but this only acted as a welcome breather for what's undoubtedly turning out to be an intense if joyful overall experience. We returned refreshed the following afternoon to the Irish Writers' Centre to a welcoming environment and a well-organised performance space, despite the challenges of facilitating not only a couple of pieces making use of audiovisual backing and another with props (a reprisal of Aodan McCardle & Áilbhe Hines' performance from Derry) but also a panel discussion prior to the performances. The room was packed, in fact both rooms on the Centre's first floor were occupied throughout the event. Keen & prompting questions from our moderator Susan Tomaselli ensured any early stiffness in the discussion quickly evaporated, and as we warmed up we made arguments on the avant garde poetry scene/movement's need to overcome its self-imposed status as a contained & embattled gang, talked about issues around creative translation and collaboration, fiction-writing as a collaborative process between authors and characters, curated spaces where the diversity of poetic practices can coexist, appropriation and other experimental writing techniques, print against and/or in conjunction with online publishing tools, and more. We ended on an open, non-decisive note, the stage set for what was to come as an illustration perhaps of some of what was being claimed. John Kearns and Kit Fryatt began with a multivocal rumination on the instability of translation, and the evening continued with among others a reverse poetic commentary on the rivalry between Liverpool FC and Manchester United, a Jack Kerouac-inspired piece from Dave Lordan and Rob Doyle, and Billy Ramsell and Steven Fowler addressing the historical enmity between England and Ireland with a little help from a chorus of voices scattered among the audience. The reaction to the event on the night and subsequently on social media and personal communication suggests that it delivered in backing up and extending claims made prior to the journey and during the discussion. Audiences, as has become evident throughout the tour, are thirsty for new approaches to writing and poetry in particular. The success of the Dublin gig also brought home to me that there really is no apex to this tour, just a series of different, multifarious, exciting happenings.
London 27/9/14
And sprint to a finish: after 10 days that I won't be forgetting or shaking off in a hurry, our project comes to an end. It was - and I absolutely mean this, I don't resort to platitudes - a joy and a privilege to travel, write and spend time with Ailbhe, Billy, Sam, Pat and Steve. Many new friendships and connections, both personal and poetic, have been established. I suspect we're all a little more aware and rejuvenated as writers for having had the chance to know intimately each other's modes, styles, preferences and processes. Special mention for Steven here, the originator & curator of the overall Enemies project for his vision, energy, drive and conceptual agility. I would additionally like to pay tribute to those who travelled of their own accord to take part in more than one event without being part of the core group: Sophie Collins, Robert Maclean, Sarah Hesketh, Eleanor Hooker, Anamaría Crowe Serrano, Cal Doyle, Aodán McCardle, Áilbhe Hines, Kit Fryatt. The spirit of this enterprise resides with them as much as anyone. The London show at the Rich Mix arts centre was another singular event being of course the only one taking place outside of Ireland and also Steven's regular curatorial space, but also because two of our guest poets were unable to attend and therefore prompting their collaborators, Sarah Kelly and Stephen Mooney respectively, to perform solo. And what a great job they did responding to that challenge - while Philip Terry and Martin Zet managed to reinvent Seamus Heaney as a sound poet by reversing his poem 'Anahorish' letter by letter and also translating the result into Czech. At the conclusion we are all exhausted and happy, emotional and reinvigorated. And on we go.
Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label performance. Show all posts
Friday, 10 October 2014
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
YBAWE report #2 - Galway & Cork
Galway 21/9/14
It's always invigorating to alight in Galway and encounter its Atlantic air and backpacking energy. For the whole of this weekend in particular the city was bathed in sunshine and made being here feel at times too much like a holiday... We took advantage of our first performance-free evening to get together for a long meal in a Thai restaurant, where the round table format enabled communal conversation and banter and a cementing of relationships. The Galway Arts Centre proved an intimate venue for the third date in the tour - and whether it was because or despite of this or a complete coincidence, it was the scene for the most radically diverse presentation of work and approaches to collaboration - and a vigorous interrogation of performative poetics - so far. Ranging from Anamaría Crowe Serrano's & Elaine Cosgrove's passionate and resonant exploration of domestic violence to the loss-themed interactions between Eleanor Hooker & Sarah Hesketh to Patrick Coyle's embedding of Billy Ramsell's words into the structure of the minstrel song Camptown Races and to Ailbhe Darcy and Sam Riviere's beautiful epistolary exchanges - among others - it was an event I'm sure will stay in the memory of the audience that experienced it, for various reasons I'm quite happy to acknowledge.
Cork 23/9/14
Since we got together a few hours before the first gig in Belfast five days before, the bonds between the six touring poets have been strengthening rapidly - and by the time we passed the halfway stage of the tour somewhere between Galway and Cork we felt as if we'd been in the company of each other for weeks (but in a good way!). Our growing intimacy coupled with time and space afforded to each other to individually explore our surroundings at our own pace imbued the group with a kind of familial ease. And the wow! factor at encountering a wall mural in Cork city centre featuring Billy Ramsell was tinged with something like collective pride. Beyond this, the links we establish with the locally-based poets we meet at each stage of the tour, and especially with those generous enough to travel for a second performance, are helping turn this project into the welding agent between scenes and poetic worlds that I hoped it would become when Steven & I began talking a year or so ago about bringing the Enemies project to Ireland. The event at the Triskel Arts Centre (Theatre Development Space) was extraordinary in quality, scope and audience interest. An expectant and open minded crowd packed out the space and witnessed a stunning opener from Rachel Warriner and Sarah Hayden, and as we moved through the evening to the climax provided by Patrick Coyle's conceptually astute treatment of 'home' poet Billy Ramsell's contribution (the structure of their collaboration reversed from the previous event and further tampered with) the atmosphere had built into something like reverie.
An independent review of the Cork event, by Rosie O'Regan, appeared a few days later on Sabotage Reviews.
It's always invigorating to alight in Galway and encounter its Atlantic air and backpacking energy. For the whole of this weekend in particular the city was bathed in sunshine and made being here feel at times too much like a holiday... We took advantage of our first performance-free evening to get together for a long meal in a Thai restaurant, where the round table format enabled communal conversation and banter and a cementing of relationships. The Galway Arts Centre proved an intimate venue for the third date in the tour - and whether it was because or despite of this or a complete coincidence, it was the scene for the most radically diverse presentation of work and approaches to collaboration - and a vigorous interrogation of performative poetics - so far. Ranging from Anamaría Crowe Serrano's & Elaine Cosgrove's passionate and resonant exploration of domestic violence to the loss-themed interactions between Eleanor Hooker & Sarah Hesketh to Patrick Coyle's embedding of Billy Ramsell's words into the structure of the minstrel song Camptown Races and to Ailbhe Darcy and Sam Riviere's beautiful epistolary exchanges - among others - it was an event I'm sure will stay in the memory of the audience that experienced it, for various reasons I'm quite happy to acknowledge.
Cork 23/9/14
Since we got together a few hours before the first gig in Belfast five days before, the bonds between the six touring poets have been strengthening rapidly - and by the time we passed the halfway stage of the tour somewhere between Galway and Cork we felt as if we'd been in the company of each other for weeks (but in a good way!). Our growing intimacy coupled with time and space afforded to each other to individually explore our surroundings at our own pace imbued the group with a kind of familial ease. And the wow! factor at encountering a wall mural in Cork city centre featuring Billy Ramsell was tinged with something like collective pride. Beyond this, the links we establish with the locally-based poets we meet at each stage of the tour, and especially with those generous enough to travel for a second performance, are helping turn this project into the welding agent between scenes and poetic worlds that I hoped it would become when Steven & I began talking a year or so ago about bringing the Enemies project to Ireland. The event at the Triskel Arts Centre (Theatre Development Space) was extraordinary in quality, scope and audience interest. An expectant and open minded crowd packed out the space and witnessed a stunning opener from Rachel Warriner and Sarah Hayden, and as we moved through the evening to the climax provided by Patrick Coyle's conceptually astute treatment of 'home' poet Billy Ramsell's contribution (the structure of their collaboration reversed from the previous event and further tampered with) the atmosphere had built into something like reverie.
An independent review of the Cork event, by Rosie O'Regan, appeared a few days later on Sabotage Reviews.
Sunday, 5 October 2014
YBAWE report #1 - Belfast & Derry
Belfast 18/9/14
The six touring poets arrived in Belfast separately over the 24 hour period preceding the first event, and we quickly got to acclimatising to the travelling mode that awaited us for the next 10 days. A welcoming atmosphere during the first reading and its aftermath, facilitated as much by the eagerness of our guest poets to respond to the challenges of collaboration as by Stephen Connolly & Manuela Moser's excellent work in establishing a community of open minded poets over the past couple of years through The Lifeboat series of readings, was key. The Cube space at the Crescent Arts Centre with its huge black curtains as backdrop accentuated a sense of seriousness and weight running through the majority of the work presented here. Beyond a diversity in theme, it's the range of approaches to collaboration that I'm anticipating to be a preeminent feature of this tour - and we got off to a fascinating start. Following the five Belfast-based pairs, the core partnerships of Billy Ramsell & Steven Fowler and Patrick Coyle & Ailbhe Darcy moved things into the realms of heresies and object exchanges, before Sam Riviere & I swapped mild unpleasantries, passive aggression and a (sort of) reconciliation through the medium of 'letters to the editor'.
Derry 19/9/14
A welcome return to Derry for me, where I had such a great time with the Poetry Parnassus posse a couple of years back. This has a different feel, though: whereas two years ago I was seen as part of an exotic group of poets from around the world, this time the English/Irish aspect is hanging in the air, noticed in particular by the English-accented poets among us. Our event here was part of the annual Culture Night, when numerous events take place across cities with audiences free - and encouraged - to go in and out of venues as they please, and was quite strangely part of a buzzing night of MTV concerts and historical reenactments on the city walls and craft workshops and much more. We were preceded at the Verbal Arts Centre by a British Council-sponsored discussion/reading on the theme of writing and travel with Colette Bryce, Leontia Flynn and Qatari poet Maryam Al Subaiey. Our gig was quite a different animal altogether, not only from what came before it in the same space but also from the previous night's tour date, with its own rather electric identity. Aodán McCardle and Áilbhe Hines kicked us off with an intimate piece featuring bodywriting and the use of performative props including a skipping rope, while James King and Ellen Factor upped the ante with word choreography and scrambled utterances and improvisational dialogue. Top 10 countdowns, Iris Robinson, nuclear holocaust and undermined recipes for writing poems rounded off the evening.
The six touring poets arrived in Belfast separately over the 24 hour period preceding the first event, and we quickly got to acclimatising to the travelling mode that awaited us for the next 10 days. A welcoming atmosphere during the first reading and its aftermath, facilitated as much by the eagerness of our guest poets to respond to the challenges of collaboration as by Stephen Connolly & Manuela Moser's excellent work in establishing a community of open minded poets over the past couple of years through The Lifeboat series of readings, was key. The Cube space at the Crescent Arts Centre with its huge black curtains as backdrop accentuated a sense of seriousness and weight running through the majority of the work presented here. Beyond a diversity in theme, it's the range of approaches to collaboration that I'm anticipating to be a preeminent feature of this tour - and we got off to a fascinating start. Following the five Belfast-based pairs, the core partnerships of Billy Ramsell & Steven Fowler and Patrick Coyle & Ailbhe Darcy moved things into the realms of heresies and object exchanges, before Sam Riviere & I swapped mild unpleasantries, passive aggression and a (sort of) reconciliation through the medium of 'letters to the editor'.
Derry 19/9/14
A welcome return to Derry for me, where I had such a great time with the Poetry Parnassus posse a couple of years back. This has a different feel, though: whereas two years ago I was seen as part of an exotic group of poets from around the world, this time the English/Irish aspect is hanging in the air, noticed in particular by the English-accented poets among us. Our event here was part of the annual Culture Night, when numerous events take place across cities with audiences free - and encouraged - to go in and out of venues as they please, and was quite strangely part of a buzzing night of MTV concerts and historical reenactments on the city walls and craft workshops and much more. We were preceded at the Verbal Arts Centre by a British Council-sponsored discussion/reading on the theme of writing and travel with Colette Bryce, Leontia Flynn and Qatari poet Maryam Al Subaiey. Our gig was quite a different animal altogether, not only from what came before it in the same space but also from the previous night's tour date, with its own rather electric identity. Aodán McCardle and Áilbhe Hines kicked us off with an intimate piece featuring bodywriting and the use of performative props including a skipping rope, while James King and Ellen Factor upped the ante with word choreography and scrambled utterances and improvisational dialogue. Top 10 countdowns, Iris Robinson, nuclear holocaust and undermined recipes for writing poems rounded off the evening.
Thursday, 11 September 2014
In anticipation of Yes But Are We Enemies ...
... here's Auld Enemies: a poetry documentary by Ross Sutherland. Auld Enemies was a poetry collaborations tour of Scotland undertaken under the auspices of the Enemies Project in July.
Yes But Are We Enemies kicks off at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, next Thursday 18 September. Full tour details here. And here's why my curatorial partner and overall Enemies Project curator Steven Fowler is excited by the prospect.
Yes But Are We Enemies kicks off at the Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast, next Thursday 18 September. Full tour details here. And here's why my curatorial partner and overall Enemies Project curator Steven Fowler is excited by the prospect.
Sunday, 27 July 2014
Yes But Are We Enemies
I'm delighted to announce details of Yes But Are We Enemies, a major project & tour focusing on poetry in collaboration I'm curating in partnership with Steven Fowler:
Yes But Are We Enemies
English and Irish Poets Having Words
A groundbreaking exploration of contemporary writing in which 6 poets from Ireland and England tour brand new work produced collaboratively in cross-national partnerships. The tour visits five venues across Ireland and concludes with a show in London, with each event featuring a unique combination of pairs.
This is a project about the creation of collaborative work, but also about the integration of differing poetic communities. Therefore each event will additionally feature specially-commissioned collaborations between writers from the region.
Core poets:
from Ireland: Ailbhe Darcy, Billy Ramsell, Christodoulos Makris
from England: Patrick Coyle, Sam Riviere, SJ Fowler
Admission to all events is free
Thu 18 September, 8pm: Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast
http://crescentarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/873521641/events
Christodoulos Makris & Sam Riviere
Billy Ramsell & SJ Fowler
Ailbhe Darcy & Patrick Coyle
with
Stephen Connolly & Stephen Sexton
Manuela Moser & Padraig Regan
Sophie Collins & Robert Maclean
Caitlin Newby & Andy Eaton
Tom Saunders & Lorcan Mullen
Fri 19 September, 8pm: Verbal Arts Centre, Derry
http://theverbal.co/events/yes-but-are-we-enemies-english-and-irish-poets-having-words
Christodoulos Makris & Patrick Coyle
Billy Ramsell & Sam Riviere
Ailbhe Darcy & SJ Fowler
with
Aodán McCardle & Áilbhe Hines
James King & Ellen Factor
Sophie Collins & Robert Maclean
Sun 21 September, 8pm: Galway Arts Centre, Galway
http://www.galwayartscentre.ie/events/view-event/272.html
Christodoulos Makris & SJ Fowler
Billy Ramsell & Patrick Coyle
Ailbhe Darcy & Sam Riviere
with
Elaine Cosgrove & Anamaría Crowe Serrano
Susan Millar DuMars & Kevin Higgins
Eleanor Hooker & Sarah Hesketh
Tue 23 September, 8pm: Triskel Arts Cenre, Cork
http://triskelartscentre.ie/events/2795/yes-but-are-we-enemies-english-and-irish-poets-having-words/
Christodoulos Makris & Sam Riviere
Billy Ramsell & Patrick Coyle
Ailbhe Darcy & SJ Fowler
with
Sarah Hayden & Rachel Warriner
Doireann Ní Ghríofa & Cal Doyle
Paul Casey & Afric McGlinchey
Eleanor Hooker & Sarah Hesketh
Thu 25 September, 8pm: Irish Writers' Centre, Dublin
http://www.writerscentre.ie/html/events/atthecentre.html
Christodoulos Makris & Patrick Coyle
Billy Ramsell & SJ Fowler
Ailbhe Darcy & Sam Riviere
with
Rob Doyle & Dave Lordan
Michael Naghten Shanks & Cal Doyle
John Kearns & Kit Fryatt
Anamaría Crowe Serrano & Alan Jude Moore
Aodán McCardle & Áilbhe Hines
and
a panel discussion exploring the collaborative process and other experimental writing approaches to take place before the performance (7pm).
Panelists: Rob Doyle, SJ Fowler, Kit Fryatt, Christodoulos Makris
Moderator: Susan Tomaselli, editor of gorse literary journal
Sat 27 September, 7pm: Rich Mix Arts Centre, London
http://www.richmix.org.uk/whats-on/event/the-enemies-project-irish-poetry-yes-but-are-we-enemies/
Christodoulos Makris & SJ Fowler
Billy Ramsell & Sam Riviere
Ailbhe Darcy & Patrick Coyle
with
Kimberly Campanello & Kit Fryatt
Pascal O’Loughlin & Marcus Slease
Robert Kiely & Sarah Kelly
Becky Cremin & Stephen Mooney
Philip Terry & Martin Zet
Yes But Are We Enemies is co-curated by Christodoulos Makris and SJ Fowler, as an extension of the Enemies Project into Ireland.
www.weareenemies.com
http://yesbutisitpoetry.blogspot.com
#ybawe
The project acknowledges generous funding support from The Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and The Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Bloomsday at the Olivier Cornet Gallery
To celebrate Bloomsday and the multiple language and cultural references in Ulysses, an evening of readings and music takes place tomorrow evening at JF Studios. This is a multilingual/cultural event, with English, Irish, Gallego, Cypriot, French, Korean, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Tamil and Shona some of the languages included.
Participating writers and poets: Christodoulos Makris, Fióna Bolger, John Kearns, Anamaria Crowe Serrano, Rob Doyle, Karl Parkinson, Liz McSkeane, Dessiree Ares, Phil Lynch, Antain MacLochlainn, Ola Kubiak, Vadhani, Alan Jude Moore, Yoon Kyung Chung, Lillian Ndumba and Dimitra Xidous.
Gallery artist Mark Doherty will be drawing live, responding to the words and sounds around.
This is a free event.
Monday 16 June 2014, 6pm-8pm
Olivier Cornet Gallery, 5 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1
The gallery would like to dedicate the event to the memory of artist, gallery owner and Joycean scholar Gerald Davis (1938 - 18th June 2005).
Participating writers and poets: Christodoulos Makris, Fióna Bolger, John Kearns, Anamaria Crowe Serrano, Rob Doyle, Karl Parkinson, Liz McSkeane, Dessiree Ares, Phil Lynch, Antain MacLochlainn, Ola Kubiak, Vadhani, Alan Jude Moore, Yoon Kyung Chung, Lillian Ndumba and Dimitra Xidous.
Gallery artist Mark Doherty will be drawing live, responding to the words and sounds around.
This is a free event.
Monday 16 June 2014, 6pm-8pm
Olivier Cornet Gallery, 5 Cavendish Row, Dublin 1
The gallery would like to dedicate the event to the memory of artist, gallery owner and Joycean scholar Gerald Davis (1938 - 18th June 2005).
Sunday, 2 March 2014
Speaking poetry at the Ranelagh Arts Centre
I look forward to taking part in this reading alongside two of the other poets featured in the Ash Wednesday Series: How to Speak Poetry, this coming Wednesday 5 March 2014:
Kicking off the Ranelagh Spring Salon, a reading of poets featured in the Ash Wednesday Poetry Series: How to Speak Poetry will be held on Ash Wednesday March 5, 2014 at the Ranelagh Arts Centre. The evening will start at 7pm and it will feature the following poets:
Christodoulos Makris
Billy Ramsell
Máighréad Medbh
The musical act for the evening will be the lovely and melodic Red Sail.
Admission: 5 Euro
Kicking off the Ranelagh Spring Salon, a reading of poets featured in the Ash Wednesday Poetry Series: How to Speak Poetry will be held on Ash Wednesday March 5, 2014 at the Ranelagh Arts Centre. The evening will start at 7pm and it will feature the following poets:
Christodoulos Makris
Billy Ramsell
Máighréad Medbh
The musical act for the evening will be the lovely and melodic Red Sail.
Admission: 5 Euro
Thursday, 30 January 2014
The Ash Wednesday series: How to Speak Poetry
The Ash Wednesday Poetry Series is part of the Ash Sessions initiative, a poetry and music showcase (named after a Leonard Cohen quote) curated by Dimitra Xidous and taking place at Nick's Coffee Company in Dublin's Ranelagh village. This year the series examines "the line, real or perceived, between the page and the stage, the written and the spoken, and how and where these two worlds collide (and whether or not they are best conceived as two worlds at all)." Taking its cue from Cohen’s ‘How to Speak Poetry' (from his book Death of a Lady's Man) the series will feature the work of 8 poets and their thoughts on Cohen’s positions on speaking poetry.
The series began on Wednesday 8 January. Each week it showcases the work of one featured poet on the chalkboard at Nick’s Coffee Company. In addition, the 'How to Speak Poetry' series blog includes a small interview with each poet, as well as a soundcloud link of a performance of the poem showcased in the series.
My contribution to the discussion went live yesterday, 29 January, featuring the poem '16 X 16', spoken below:
The (excellent) line up in full is as follows:
8 January – Doireann Ní Ghríofa
15 January – Stephen Murray
22 January – Elaine Feeney
29 January – Christodoulos Makris
5 February – Sarah Clancy
12 February – Billy Ramsell
19 February – Máighréad Medbh
26 February – Dave Lordan
A reading on Wednesday 5 March 2014 - Ash Wednesday, I'm reliably informed - at the Ranelagh Arts Centre will celebrate and conclude the series. Details closer to the time.
My contribution to the discussion went live yesterday, 29 January, featuring the poem '16 X 16', spoken below:
The (excellent) line up in full is as follows:
8 January – Doireann Ní Ghríofa
15 January – Stephen Murray
22 January – Elaine Feeney
29 January – Christodoulos Makris
5 February – Sarah Clancy
12 February – Billy Ramsell
19 February – Máighréad Medbh
26 February – Dave Lordan
A reading on Wednesday 5 March 2014 - Ash Wednesday, I'm reliably informed - at the Ranelagh Arts Centre will celebrate and conclude the series. Details closer to the time.
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
New Planet Cabaret
Edited by Dave Lordan and published by New Island in association with RTÉ, New Planet Cabaret is an anthology of new writing prompted by an on-air creative writing course co-ordinated by Lordan that ran on RTÉ Radio's arts programme 'Arena' between December 2012 and June 2013. The anthology includes the best of the entries out of its series of competitions along with work from a number of specially-commissioned writers, intermixed and broken down into thematic sections. New Planet Cabaret attempts, in Dave's words, to "bring to print and to radio an anthology in the explicitly cross-genre or even Trans-spirit of the generation of collaborators, hybridisers, experimenters, and mutual inspirers I’m so happy and proud to be a part of".
The list of writers featured in the anthology includes Colm Keegan, Kevin Higgins, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Billy Ramsell, Sarah Clancy, Dimitra Xidous, Jennifer Matthews, Jinx Lennon, Sarah Griffin, Raven, Paul Casey, Abby Oliveira, Kit Fryatt, Máighréad Medbh, Elaine Feeney, Temper-Mental MissElayneous and Karl Parkinson among many others.
My poem 'Daddy, Why did you Call me Bastard?', composed out of fragments overheard over a single day in 2010 around Dublin city, appears in the section with title 'Sluminosity'.
New Planet Cabaret will be launched on Friday 22 November at the Gutter Bookshop, Cow's Lane in Dublin's Temple Bar. The launch will be broadcast on RTÉ radio as a full 'Arena' programme from 7pm to 8pm.
All proceeds from the sale of New Planet Cabaret go to the Writers In Schools project which supports young writers.
The list of writers featured in the anthology includes Colm Keegan, Kevin Higgins, Nuala Ní Chonchúir, Billy Ramsell, Sarah Clancy, Dimitra Xidous, Jennifer Matthews, Jinx Lennon, Sarah Griffin, Raven, Paul Casey, Abby Oliveira, Kit Fryatt, Máighréad Medbh, Elaine Feeney, Temper-Mental MissElayneous and Karl Parkinson among many others.
My poem 'Daddy, Why did you Call me Bastard?', composed out of fragments overheard over a single day in 2010 around Dublin city, appears in the section with title 'Sluminosity'.
New Planet Cabaret will be launched on Friday 22 November at the Gutter Bookshop, Cow's Lane in Dublin's Temple Bar. The launch will be broadcast on RTÉ radio as a full 'Arena' programme from 7pm to 8pm.
All proceeds from the sale of New Planet Cabaret go to the Writers In Schools project which supports young writers.
Sunday, 10 November 2013
Camaradefest: report & videos
Last month's Camaradefest delivered what it promised: an all-day extravaganza of poetry collaborations from some of the most exciting poets currently practicing in the UK and elsewhere. From its 2pm start all the way to a finish time of 10.30pm, the main ground floor space at the Rich Mix was a hub of conversation, connection, cross-pollination, mutual-inspiration - and much fun; it unravelled organically, facilitated by the genuinely positive atmosphere cultivated over time by series curator Steven Fowler.
For the piece we premiered that evening, Kimberly Campanello and I had taken as our theme objects placed on or intended for public display. And to deliver our collaboration we decided to go retro, and slow: we constructed a conversation through letters sent via An Post and Royal Mail, ending up (for now) with five letter-poems each. Our intention is to build on this collaboration and to present it, with its extensions, to other audiences.
I can't remember there being a mediocre or even a merely good performance. Boundaries were trampled on and territories queried. It was fairly clear to me that everyone had taken their place in the lineup fully aware of the quality that was bound to surround them. Still, it would be disingenuous to say that I didn't have favourites. In the order of their presentation, then, the pieces that stood out for me were from Zoe Skoulding & Ondrej Buddeus, Sophie Collins & Rachael Allen, Holly Pester & Emma Bennett, Sam Riviere & Joe Dunthorne, James Davies & Philip Terry, and James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar.
The entire video report of the event is available on Steven's YouTube channel.
For the piece we premiered that evening, Kimberly Campanello and I had taken as our theme objects placed on or intended for public display. And to deliver our collaboration we decided to go retro, and slow: we constructed a conversation through letters sent via An Post and Royal Mail, ending up (for now) with five letter-poems each. Our intention is to build on this collaboration and to present it, with its extensions, to other audiences.
I can't remember there being a mediocre or even a merely good performance. Boundaries were trampled on and territories queried. It was fairly clear to me that everyone had taken their place in the lineup fully aware of the quality that was bound to surround them. Still, it would be disingenuous to say that I didn't have favourites. In the order of their presentation, then, the pieces that stood out for me were from Zoe Skoulding & Ondrej Buddeus, Sophie Collins & Rachael Allen, Holly Pester & Emma Bennett, Sam Riviere & Joe Dunthorne, James Davies & Philip Terry, and James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar.
The entire video report of the event is available on Steven's YouTube channel.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Camaradefest
I'm thrilled to be reading at another of Steven Fowler's Camarade events this coming Saturday 26 October. As part of this fifth and by far largest edition - indeed an all-day riot of poetry collaborations - Kimberly Campanello and I will be presenting our concoction during the final session (9pm start). Full details including lineup below:
CAMARADEFEST: 100 poets in 50 pairs reading original collaborations
Main Space, Rich Mix Arts Centre, Bethnal Green Road, London
free entry
{2pm – Session I}
David Berridge & Mary Paterson
Kirsty Irving & Jon Stone
Jeff Hilson & Fabian MacPherson
Edmund Hardy & James Wilkes
Giles Goodland & Alistair Noon
Mendoza & Nat Raha
Marek Kazmierski & Wioletta Grzegorzewska
Matt Dalby & Steven Waling
Tom Chivers & Ross Sutherland
{3.30pm – Session II}
Marcus Slease & Claire Potter
Rhy Trimble & Harry Gilonis
Bea Colley & Francine Elena
Pascal O'Laughlin & Scott Thurston
Ghazal Mosadeq & Ricardo Marques
Sarah Crewe & Jo Langdon
Andy Spragg & Joe Kennedy
Robert Sheppard & Robert Hampson
{5pm – Session III}
Ahren Warner & Mark Waldron
Julia Bird & Sarah Hesketh
Ekaterina Paronian & Sophie Mayer
Chrissy Williams & Nia Davies
Becky Cremin & Ryan Ormonde
Stephen Watts & Will Rowe
Zoe Skoulding & Ondrej Buddeus
Oli Hazzard & Caleb Klaces
{7.30pm – Session IV}
Carol Watts & George Szirtes
Tim Atkins & Jessica Pujol I Duran
Ryan Van Winkle & William Letford
Jack Underwood & Alex MacDonald
Joanna Rzadkowska & Kristen Kreider
Stephen Connolly & Emily Hasler
Sophie Collins & Rachael Allen
Deborah Pearson & Tamarin Norwood
Sarah Kelly & Gabriele Lebanauskaite
{9pm – Session V}
Holly Pester & Emma Bennett
Sam Riviere & Joe Dunthorne
Ollie Evans & Robert Kiely
Nathan Jones & Sam Skinner
Christodoulos Makris & Kim Campanello
Reza Mohammedi & Ana Seferovic
James Davies & Philip Terry
James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar
Chris McCabe & Tom Jenks
CAMARADEFEST: 100 poets in 50 pairs reading original collaborations
The Camarade poetry festival is a unique one day explosion of dynamic collaboration in contemporary avant garde and literary poetics. 100 poets align in 50 pairs, each writing an original collaborative work, written specifically for the festival and premiered on the day. The 5th Camarade event, and the crescendo of the Enemies project’s first year, this ambitious exploration of the possibilities of collaboration in poetry will evidence the true width and depth of poetry that is happening now.
Saturday October 26th 2013 - 2pm to lateMain Space, Rich Mix Arts Centre, Bethnal Green Road, London
free entry
{2pm – Session I}
Kirsty Irving & Jon Stone
Jeff Hilson & Fabian MacPherson
Edmund Hardy & James Wilkes
Giles Goodland & Alistair Noon
Mendoza & Nat Raha
Marek Kazmierski & Wioletta Grzegorzewska
Matt Dalby & Steven Waling
Tom Chivers & Ross Sutherland
{3.30pm – Session II}
Marcus Slease & Claire Potter
Rhy Trimble & Harry Gilonis
Bea Colley & Francine Elena
Pascal O'Laughlin & Scott Thurston
Ghazal Mosadeq & Ricardo Marques
Sarah Crewe & Jo Langdon
Andy Spragg & Joe Kennedy
Robert Sheppard & Robert Hampson
{5pm – Session III}
Ahren Warner & Mark Waldron
Julia Bird & Sarah Hesketh
Ekaterina Paronian & Sophie Mayer
Chrissy Williams & Nia Davies
Becky Cremin & Ryan Ormonde
Stephen Watts & Will Rowe
Zoe Skoulding & Ondrej Buddeus
Oli Hazzard & Caleb Klaces
{7.30pm – Session IV}
Carol Watts & George Szirtes
Tim Atkins & Jessica Pujol I Duran
Ryan Van Winkle & William Letford
Jack Underwood & Alex MacDonald
Joanna Rzadkowska & Kristen Kreider
Stephen Connolly & Emily Hasler
Sophie Collins & Rachael Allen
Deborah Pearson & Tamarin Norwood
Sarah Kelly & Gabriele Lebanauskaite
{9pm – Session V}
Holly Pester & Emma Bennett
Sam Riviere & Joe Dunthorne
Ollie Evans & Robert Kiely
Nathan Jones & Sam Skinner
Christodoulos Makris & Kim Campanello
Reza Mohammedi & Ana Seferovic
James Davies & Philip Terry
James Byrne & Sandeep Parmar
Chris McCabe & Tom Jenks
Monday, 26 August 2013
Vice Versa at Granby Park
Granby Park is now up and running. I went along to the official launch on Thursday and found the vibe quite amazing. The space looks and feels incredible - beautiful, welcoming and edgy at the same time - while the surrounding area has been infused with new vitality & an air of possibility. I'm really happy and proud to be one of the many people helping bring it to life.
For my second contribution to the project I'm putting together a spoken word event called 'Vice Versa' in which poets will perform "covers" of each other's work in pairs.
Intended both as an experiment in re-interpretation and a celebration of the diverse strands of the poetry and spoken word scene in Dublin (and beyond) the event also chimes with the project's overall spirit of community/collaboration/exchange.
With:
Kevin Higgins & Dimitra Xidous
Kit Fryatt & Cah-44
Eileen Casey & Anne Fitzgerald
Eleanor Hooker & Christodoulos Makris
Máighréad Medbh & Patrick Chapman
Enda Coyle-Greene & Susan Connolly
Raven & Temper-Mental MissElayneous
Alan Jude Moore & Anamaría Crowe Serrano
The date is this coming Sunday 1 September. We start at 3pm. Weather permitting our venue will be the park's wonderful makeshift amphitheatre. This promises to be a fascinating event: come along if you can! Like everything at Granby Park, admission is free and everyone is welcome.
For my second contribution to the project I'm putting together a spoken word event called 'Vice Versa' in which poets will perform "covers" of each other's work in pairs.
Intended both as an experiment in re-interpretation and a celebration of the diverse strands of the poetry and spoken word scene in Dublin (and beyond) the event also chimes with the project's overall spirit of community/collaboration/exchange.
With:
Kevin Higgins & Dimitra Xidous
Kit Fryatt & Cah-44
Eileen Casey & Anne Fitzgerald
Eleanor Hooker & Christodoulos Makris
Máighréad Medbh & Patrick Chapman
Enda Coyle-Greene & Susan Connolly
Raven & Temper-Mental MissElayneous
Alan Jude Moore & Anamaría Crowe Serrano
The date is this coming Sunday 1 September. We start at 3pm. Weather permitting our venue will be the park's wonderful makeshift amphitheatre. This promises to be a fascinating event: come along if you can! Like everything at Granby Park, admission is free and everyone is welcome.
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
This Never Was My Town
This Never Was My Town is a series of expat-themed, cross-European prose and poetry readings for the 10 Days in Dublin festival, presented by Marcel Krueger in collaboration with the Irish Writers' Centre and Storymap Dublin.
Marcel has invited a group of expat writers living in Dublin and other cities in Europe to read from their work and reflect on placelore, identity, and if it's really possible to make a place "yours". Each reading will feature a curated story from Storymap Dublin with added commentary by story/film makers Tom and Andy, and readings from writers both at the Irish Writers' Centre on Parnell Square and patched in via Skype from around Europe.
Featured authors include Kit Fryatt (Aberdeen), Marcel Krueger (Dublin/Berlin), Christodoulos Makris (Dublin/Nicosia), Anna Byrne (Cork/Berlin), Nuala Ní Chonchúir (Galway/Dublin), Stu Anderson (Edinburgh) and Au Ngog Dunc (Dublin).
The dates of the readings are 5, 6, 11 and 12 July, and they start at 5pm (Ireland/UK time). Admission costs €4/€2. The detailed schedule is available on the event's Facebook page. If you're interested in my own appearances I'll be doing two: one on Friday 5th (presenting work loosely focusing on Dublin) and one on Thursday 11th (focusing on Nicosia).
Marcel has invited a group of expat writers living in Dublin and other cities in Europe to read from their work and reflect on placelore, identity, and if it's really possible to make a place "yours". Each reading will feature a curated story from Storymap Dublin with added commentary by story/film makers Tom and Andy, and readings from writers both at the Irish Writers' Centre on Parnell Square and patched in via Skype from around Europe.
Featured authors include Kit Fryatt (Aberdeen), Marcel Krueger (Dublin/Berlin), Christodoulos Makris (Dublin/Nicosia), Anna Byrne (Cork/Berlin), Nuala Ní Chonchúir (Galway/Dublin), Stu Anderson (Edinburgh) and Au Ngog Dunc (Dublin).
The dates of the readings are 5, 6, 11 and 12 July, and they start at 5pm (Ireland/UK time). Admission costs €4/€2. The detailed schedule is available on the event's Facebook page. If you're interested in my own appearances I'll be doing two: one on Friday 5th (presenting work loosely focusing on Dublin) and one on Thursday 11th (focusing on Nicosia).
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Metamorphosis at Barnaby Festival
On Sunday 23 June I'll be reading at Barnaby Festival in Macclesfield, Cheshire, as part of the last in the Speaking Volumes-produced Poetry Parnassus Postscript events.
"With views of the Peak District as a backdrop, established national poets Christodoulos Makris and Avaes Mohammad join forces with local wordsmith Mark Rawlins in the intimate open-air setting of Sparrow Park. From transforming found texts to examining cultural shifts in the age of austerity, the trio will explore the significance of metamorphosis to both our words and our society."
Sparrow Park, Churchside, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1HW
Sunday 23 June 2013, 2pm
Free admission
"With views of the Peak District as a backdrop, established national poets Christodoulos Makris and Avaes Mohammad join forces with local wordsmith Mark Rawlins in the intimate open-air setting of Sparrow Park. From transforming found texts to examining cultural shifts in the age of austerity, the trio will explore the significance of metamorphosis to both our words and our society."
Sparrow Park, Churchside, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 1HW
Sunday 23 June 2013, 2pm
Free admission
Monday, 10 June 2013
A Telmetale Bloomnibus: 18 Tales from Modern Dublin
To celebrate this year's Bloomsday, the Irish Writers’ Centre invited 18 contemporary writers to 'rewrite' Ulysses. Joyce once took inspiration from the texts of Homer, and now each of the 18 episodes or chapters from Ulysses is being transported by a different writer to modern Dublin.
From the title of an episode allocated by the centre, each writer/musician has produced an original piece of prose, dialogue, poetry or song to be performed in public next Friday 14 June. It was stipulated that the pieces could not be directly about Ulysses, The Odyssey or Joyce (though inspiration was allowed) and it had to be set in contemporary Dublin.
The lineup in order of appearance/episode is as follows: Pat Boran, Colm Keegan, Jane Clarke, Niamh Boyce, June Caldwell, Steven Clifford, Christodoulos Makris, Jude Shiels, Jack Harte, Maire T Robinson, Emer Martin, Niamh Parkinson, Deirdre Sullivan, Graham Tugwell, Alan Jude Moore, Oran Ryan, Doodle Kennelly and Nuala Ní Chonchuir.
As can be deduced from the above I was allocated the title of episode/chapter 7, Aeolus. In response I produced a prose-poem with title 'Metro Herald's Advertorial Wind Bags Let Loose, 28-31 May & 4-7 June 2013'.
Friday's performance starts at 7pm. Tickets are €8 (or €6 for IWC members) and can be booked from the event page on the centre's website. For those who cannot make it, publication of an e-book is also being planned.
From the title of an episode allocated by the centre, each writer/musician has produced an original piece of prose, dialogue, poetry or song to be performed in public next Friday 14 June. It was stipulated that the pieces could not be directly about Ulysses, The Odyssey or Joyce (though inspiration was allowed) and it had to be set in contemporary Dublin.
The lineup in order of appearance/episode is as follows: Pat Boran, Colm Keegan, Jane Clarke, Niamh Boyce, June Caldwell, Steven Clifford, Christodoulos Makris, Jude Shiels, Jack Harte, Maire T Robinson, Emer Martin, Niamh Parkinson, Deirdre Sullivan, Graham Tugwell, Alan Jude Moore, Oran Ryan, Doodle Kennelly and Nuala Ní Chonchuir.
As can be deduced from the above I was allocated the title of episode/chapter 7, Aeolus. In response I produced a prose-poem with title 'Metro Herald's Advertorial Wind Bags Let Loose, 28-31 May & 4-7 June 2013'.
Friday's performance starts at 7pm. Tickets are €8 (or €6 for IWC members) and can be booked from the event page on the centre's website. For those who cannot make it, publication of an e-book is also being planned.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
The Poetry Parnassus Postscript (Southbank Centre)
The Poetry Parnassus Postscript: It's Back! To The Future
(part of London Lit Festival 13)
Southbank Centre, Saturday 25 May 2013, 7.45pm
BOOK TICKETS HERE
After last year's phenomenal Poetry Parnassus festival at Southbank Centre - the biggest ever gathering of world poets - what is left for verse to voice?
Plenty say these poets, as they experiment with sound and form, as well as confronting some of the most vexing political questions of the age.
Whether working with music, melding language into new shapes or highlighting personal, national and international issues, these poets share the same spirit of adventure.
Come and listen to some of the most innovative international voices of today who are not afraid to shake up poetry for the twenty-first century.
With: Dean Atta, Rocío Cerón, Christodoulos Makris, Avaes Mohammad and Rafeef Ziadah.
In association with Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions.
(part of London Lit Festival 13)
Southbank Centre, Saturday 25 May 2013, 7.45pm
BOOK TICKETS HERE
After last year's phenomenal Poetry Parnassus festival at Southbank Centre - the biggest ever gathering of world poets - what is left for verse to voice?
Plenty say these poets, as they experiment with sound and form, as well as confronting some of the most vexing political questions of the age.
Whether working with music, melding language into new shapes or highlighting personal, national and international issues, these poets share the same spirit of adventure.
Come and listen to some of the most innovative international voices of today who are not afraid to shake up poetry for the twenty-first century.
With: Dean Atta, Rocío Cerón, Christodoulos Makris, Avaes Mohammad and Rafeef Ziadah.
In association with Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Reading with Rocío Cerón at the Irish Writers' Centre
Next Monday, 20 May, I'll be reading with Rocío Cerón at the Irish Writers' Centre.
Rocío Cerón is one of the major Mexican poets and multimedia artists of her generation. Her work engages multiple disciplines, incorporating language, action, video and music to create new spaces for poetry. Here's her June 2011 performance of América at the Pompidou Centre:
Over the coming weeks Rocío & I will be performing - separately - at various Poetry Parnassus postscript events around the UK produced by Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions, our paths converging for an evening at the Southbank Centre (details soon). After she expressed an interest in reading with me in Dublin too, we managed to secure the additional support of the Irish Writers' Centre and Tabasco 189 Ediciones to schedule this event at relatively short notice. Many thanks to all.
Come along if you can! Admission is free, and we start at 7.30pm.
Rocío Cerón is one of the major Mexican poets and multimedia artists of her generation. Her work engages multiple disciplines, incorporating language, action, video and music to create new spaces for poetry. Here's her June 2011 performance of América at the Pompidou Centre:
Come along if you can! Admission is free, and we start at 7.30pm.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
The Heart-in-Mouth performance poetry showcase
When: Saturday 27 April 2013, 7pm
Where: Council Chambers, Fingal County Hall, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin
Who: Shortlisted poets in the Heart in Mouth audio poetry competition, adjudicated by Colm Keegan and Dave Lordan and supported by Fingal County Council Libraries Department (winner to be announced on the night) plus guests Máighréad Medbh and Christodoulos Makris
Admission: free
Where: Council Chambers, Fingal County Hall, Main Street, Swords, Co Dublin
Who: Shortlisted poets in the Heart in Mouth audio poetry competition, adjudicated by Colm Keegan and Dave Lordan and supported by Fingal County Council Libraries Department (winner to be announced on the night) plus guests Máighréad Medbh and Christodoulos Makris
Admission: free
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
A First Book of Frags, by Dave Lordan (or, Dave Lordan is mad)
In Ireland telling the truth is a symptom of madness. Dave Lordan is mad. Vision is a seeing into the given and at the same time a seeing beyond the given into its as yet unrealised potentials. In sixteen wicked and often wildly funny fictions he takes the absurdities of life in contemporary Ireland to their logical, apocalyptic extremes. This haterage has a grotesque, mythical quality. It's a relentless and ultra-committed attempt to overturn every oppressive stone and expose to unforgiving light the grotesqueness festering underneath. And yes, hateful rage is put forward as an appropriate literary response. Every paragraph I write seems to be written by a totally different person, or by a different part of me at least. His ventriloquist forms and vulgar mouth-grenades challenge arguments for the validity of polite or officially-sanctioned language. The most resonant words in any tongue are the words for the most powerful scents of existence: Fuck, Shit and Kill.
A First Book of Frags, by Dave Lordan, is out now from Wurm Press.
It will be launched on Saturday 20 April at McGrattan's Cafe-Bar, 76 Fitzwilliam Lane, Baggot St, Dublin 2, with readings and performances from Lordan as well as guest poets and musicians. Start time is 8pm.
A First Book of Frags, by Dave Lordan, is out now from Wurm Press.
It will be launched on Saturday 20 April at McGrattan's Cafe-Bar, 76 Fitzwilliam Lane, Baggot St, Dublin 2, with readings and performances from Lordan as well as guest poets and musicians. Start time is 8pm.
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
3X Distilled
Curated by Annemarie Ni Churreáin, 3X Distilled is part of the Collaborations '13 Festival and will feature unique live performances from three pairs of poets and sound artists:
Kit Fryatt & Elizabeth Hilliard
Annemarie Ni Churreáin & Ed Devane
Christodoulos Makris & Keith Lindsay
(Keith & I will be offering a sound treatment of my poem 'From Something to Nothing', first published in can can #4.)
Join us on Sunday 3 March 2013 in the Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre, 7 Lower Exchange St, Dublin 2. Start time is 8pm and entrance is 5 Euro, with tickets available at the door.
Kit Fryatt & Elizabeth Hilliard
Annemarie Ni Churreáin & Ed Devane
Christodoulos Makris & Keith Lindsay
(Keith & I will be offering a sound treatment of my poem 'From Something to Nothing', first published in can can #4.)
Join us on Sunday 3 March 2013 in the Boys School at Smock Alley Theatre, 7 Lower Exchange St, Dublin 2. Start time is 8pm and entrance is 5 Euro, with tickets available at the door.
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