Maintenant

Maintenant #63: Colin Herd

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Inarguably symbolic of the dexterity and erudition of a new generation of Scottish poets, Colin Herd is an instantly memorable presence in the contemporary poetry scene north of the border. Deft, at times demure, urbane and insightful, his poetry is effusive in its grace and ease of motion. Yet Herd is a markedly energetic presence leading a resurgence of poetry in and around the city of Edinburgh. A critic of some note and already demanding a considerable following in both the UK and the United States (lauded by Dennis Cooper, amongst others) we are pleased he is our first Scots Maintenant inductee and another valuable addition to the growing record of contemporary European poetry.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-63-colin-herd/

Accompanying the interview are six of Colin’s poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/six-poems-colin-herd/

It should also be mentioned Colin is going to be reading at the next Maintenant event in just under 3 weeks time.

Maintenant #61: Marcus Slease

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Though the Maintenant series tries not to overstate the importance of the poet’s origin, practicality alone demands an attempt to show the range of European poetries with a representative range of nations. However in actually seeking out those poets creating exciting, original, genuinely evolutionary work, we find many cannot be tied to one single nation – they are migratory, multi-lingual – pan-European if not pan-global. Marcus Slease fits this archetype more than most. By birth he stands as the first Northern Irish poet to feature in our series. However by experience he is a poet of England, America, Poland, Italy, Turkey. Unsurprisingly he is an adroit and worldly writer, defined by his ability to remain elastic and fluid, and utterly unpretentious in his idiom, and yet fulfilling and resonant in his tone. His poetics are extremely contemporary, and yet they seem to maintain the confidence and solidity of time past. A major feature of the current London scene, we are pleased to introduce Marcus Slease as the 61st edition of Maintenant.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-61-marcus-slease/

Accompanying the interview are six of Marcus’ poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/six-poems-marcus-slease/

Maintenant #59: Gabriele Labanauskaite

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It appears self-evident that poetry is remarkably pliant, elastic and apt for innovation. As a sonic artform, poetry, in it‘s truest sense, grows as each individual practitioner allows themselves to explore their own culture, and so from certain artists there arrives unique and memorable experiments within the medium. For the Lithuanian poetry scene, it is Gabriele Labanauskaite who leads the way. Assured, intelligent and engaging, her sonic art is poetry, song & performance. Though a versatile poet, playwright & singer, she is renowned for her fusion of spoken poetry, music and sound, often as part of the collective AVaspo. Her work is explosive as well as satirical, wise as well as energetic and she embraces technological innovation while absorbing a myriad of aesthetics. She is the final poet representing the Maintenant Lithuania events held in London during April 2011 and we are delighted to welcome her as our 59th interviewee and poet.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-59-gabriele-labanauskaite/<

Accompanying the interview are ten of Gabriele’s poems, translated Translated by Ada Valaitis and Kenneth Smallwood.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/ten-poems-gabriele-labanauskaite/


{Maintenant Slovakia in association with Literature across Frontiers & Arc Publications}June Saturday 18th 2011 – 7pm – Entrance Free – The Rich Mix arts centre. LondonSlovak poets Ivan ��trpka and Mila Haugova will be joined by a half dozen London-based poets to celebrate the sixth event in the Maintenant series held at the Rich Mix arts centre in London’s Brick Lane. As ever, the Maintenant series will advocate a diverse selection of poetic methodologies, ages & nationalities – collecting together some of the most interesting poets Europe has to offer. Further details to follow…

Maintenant #58: Nikola Madzirov

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The birth of a major European poet is often heralded long after the fact by his or her emergence into the American poetic consciousness. The rapturous reception that has awaited Nikola Madzirov as he has travelled the US has only served to confirm what many already knew – Macedonia has produced a poet whose significance is undeniable, and whose gift is indelible. Nikola Madzirov is a poet who can look eye to eye with the great figures of the 20th century, he is one of our generations luminaries. His poetry is deft, sure and canny, he wields a wry and wise and often elusive aesthetic and while Peter Boyle has rightly traced his line back to Vasko Popa, Milosz, Herbert & Zagajewski, his voice is absolutely his own, absolutely of this generation. It is apt to leave the final words on Madzirov to Adam Zagajewski himself – “Madzirov’s poems are like Expressionist paintings: filled with thick, energetic streaks they seem to emerge from the imagination and to return to it right away, like night animals caught in the headlights of a car. “We are the remnants of another age” — Nikola Madzirov succeeds in convincing us.” For the 58th edition of Maintenant, we are very pleased to welcome our first Macedonian poet.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-58-nikola-madzirov/

Accompanying the interview are five of Nikola’s poems, translated translated by Peggy and Graham W. Reid, Magdalena Horvat and Adam Reed taken from the book

Remnants of Another Age published by BOA Editions

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-nikola-madzirov/

Some more of Nikola’s poems have recently appeared in the latest issues of “American Poetry Review” and “The Wolf” poetry magazine, and the poem “After Us” was just announced as a poem of a day in US by the Academy of American Poets – poets.org:


http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/22185?utm_source=poemaday_041811&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=content&utm_term=poemaday_smith_related

Maintenant #57: Tomas S. Butkus

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The impression left on the audience attending the Maintenant Lithuania events held over the weekend of April 8th only served to confirm Tomas S. Butkus’ reputation as one of the most complex and creative poets currently at work in the unusually healthy Lithuanian poetry scene. Sometimes seen as an irreverent and idiosyncratic poet, due perhaps his use of many mediums (text, video, sonic art, collage), his membership in an experimental art performance collective or his distinctive use of surrealist imagery – his work in fact continues the revolutionary underground spirit of creativity that underpinned some of the greatest poetry Europe produced while Lithuania was under Soviet occupation. Perhaps rather Butkus’ work stands out from a certain contemporary style (reformed, controlled and meditative) by virtue of its energy and individuality. And without doubt, as the people attending Europe House and the Rich Mix arts centre discovered, the man is equal to his work. Celebrating the Maintenant Lithuania project and our 57th edition, we welcome Tomas S. Butkus,
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-57-%e2%80%93-tomas-s-butkus/

Accompanying the interview are five of Tomas’ poems, translated by Kerry Shawn Keys, Edgaras Platelis, Becka Mara Mckay, Gerrie Fellows & Jake MB Levine

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-tomas-s-butkus/

Huge thanks to everyone who attended and performed at Europe House in Westminster and the Rich mix arts centre in Brick Lane for the Maintenant Lithuania events last weekend. Both nights were fantastic, memorable for the quality of the work on display and the atmosphere generated by those who were kind enough to attend. Pictures and sound recordings of both events will be online soon, and the Rich mix event was filmed by the BBC for an upcoming cultural arts feature program. Special thanks to Gabriele Labanauskaite, Tomas Butkus, Donatas Petrosius and Daiva Parulskiene. Our next event looks to be in June, most likely Maintenant Slovakia.

Maintenant #55: Scott Thurston

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Just as the radical continental poetic methodologies of the 20th century have left an indelible impact on contemporary British poetry, so, it seems, has the model of the poet as a thinker and teacher. Scott Thurston is a central facet in the recent resurgent brilliance of North Western British poetry in and around Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester. His is an innovative poetic defined by its care, intricacy and sophistication, and his reputation as a seminal and urbane poet over the last few decades has established him as a vital part of the UK’s poetry scene. In a comprehensive and generous interview he discusses his role as a poet, a teacher, his experience of European poetics and his beginnings in innovative poetry.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-55-scott-thurston

Accompanying the interview are four of Scott’s poems from the work, Sustainability.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/four-poems-scott-thurston

Maintenant #52: Cia Rinne

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A poet whose work is as multifaceted and wide-ranging as her own European character, Cia Rinne is an unforgettable poet, artist and thinker. Born in Sweden, raised in Germany, before living for over a decade in Finland and then Denmark, her aptitude for languages includes writing in French and English, as well as speaking Greek, Romanian, Spanish, Italian… and on the list goes. Her unique and cultivated ability to utilise such a multitude of languages creates an idiosyncratic poetic idiom, one that is truly refined and multifarious at its root. She matches this sensitivity with a remarkably immediate visual poetic style. If we had to choose a representative for the Maintenant series and it’s aims, perhaps the true intricacy of Cia Rinne’s work would make her one of the most viable candidates.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-52-cia-rinne/<

Accompanying the interview are five of Cia's poems.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-cia-rinne/

Here too is the sixth of the bi-monthly article series with Nthposition.com focused on unjustly overlooked European poets, this edition, the Sicilian symbolist Lucio Piccolo. http://www.nthposition.com/reilluminations6lucio.php

We have finalised the next Maintenant reading program, as part of the Lithuanian Declassified Arts project. http://www.lithuanianembassy.co.uk/index.php?-157739503

3am magazine & the Maintenant series presents in conjunction with Europe house presents

Nauja Poezija: Young Lithuanian & British poets in collaboration

April Friday 8th – 7pm – Entrance free to all (32 Smith Square, London SW1P)

We welcome three of Lithuania’s finest young poets to London with a reception at Europe House and an exchange of poetry from some of the finest native poets the city has to offer. Alongside Donatas Petrošius, Gabriele Labanauskaite and Tomas S. Butkus, a half dozen resident poets, featuring Agnes Lehoczky, Jeff Hilson, Jon Shaw, Tim Atkins, Kate Kililea and more will read short excerpts from their work.

3am magazine & the Maintenant series presents in conjunction with the Rich Mix presents

Declassified: Lithuanian & British poets in collaboration

April Saturday 9th – 7pm – Entrance free to all

(35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA www.richmix.org.uk)

Tim Atkins & Tomas S. Butkus
Donatas Petrošius & Chris McCabe
Jeremy Reed & Gabriele Labanauskaite

A unique evening of exchange and collaboration between six of the finest poets in Europe communicating the rare command of their poetry, highlighting their shared engagement along with their own distinctive understanding of what is poetic.

http://www.maintenant.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/maintenantpoetry
http://soundcloud.com/maintenant

Maintenant #51: Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson

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An iconic poet in Scandinavia, Ulf Karl Olov Nilsson, or UKON, as he is often known, has established a remarkable reputation in the literary culture of Sweden at large, despite being a challenging and innovative poetic practitioner. A resident of Gothenburg, and a winner of the prestigious Göteborgs-Posten literary prize, he is a practising psychologist and psychoanalyst as well as a poet, and his prolific poetic output advocates the level of intellectual engagement and complexity that his chosen profession would suggest. It is hardly surprising that he also a deft satirist, lacing his writing with a black humour worthy of the great European tradition he maintains. For the 51st edition of Maintenant, Sweden’s UKON.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-51-ulf-karl-olov-nilsson/

Accompanying the interview are five of Ulf Karl’s poems, translated by Fredrik Hertzberg, Karri Kokko, and Leevi Lehto.
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-ulf-karl-olov-nilsson/

Maintenant #50: Frédéric Forte

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It is rather apt, or rather remiss, that for the fiftieth edition of Maintenant we present our first French poet. The first of many no doubt. It is all the more appropriate, given our dictum, that our first French subject is the youngest, and 35th, member of Oulipo. As the most contemporary representative of that legendary group of writers and poets, it goes without saying Frédéric Forte is an adroit, inventive and certain presence in the ever-lively and rich French poetry scene. We are extremely pleased to mark our half-century featuring a poet who epitomises our commitment to urbane, intelligent and important poetry which is still evolving into its own distinguished completion.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-50-frederic-forte/

Accompanying the interview are eight of Frédéric’s poems, translated by JJ Poucel and Michelle Noteboom.

Maintenant #49

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The notion and standing of the “poet” as a figure of cultural significance varies enormously from European nation to European nation. It almost goes without saying that by and large there has been a reduction in the audience and therefore cache afforded the poet as an artist, and many poets eschew the self-analysis and regard traditionally afforded to those recognised as somehow significant in their field. However there are poetic cultures that remain indelibly “literary”, where the poet is a voice representing far more than just their own concerns. Emilian Galaicu-Păun is inarguably one of these poets – eloquent, assured, politically engaged, his work has left a firm mark on European poetry, and is uniquely bound to the idiosyncratic circumstance of his home nation, Moldova. For the 49th edition of Maintenant, Emilian Galaicu-Păun.

(this interview was translated, conceived and written in collaboration with Livia Dragomir.)

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-49-emilian-galaicu-paun/

Accompanying the interview are two of Emilian’s poems, translated by Adam J. Sorkin and Cristina Cîrstea

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/two-poems-emilian-galaicu-paun/

Maintenant #48: Morten Søndergaard

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Representative of a golden generation of Danish poets, Morten Søndergaard is as versatile a poet as there is currently writing in the synthesised Northern European style of the 21st century. Having gained a wide reputation across Europe and the US for his organic adaptation of poetic form, his output over the last few decades has been varied and remarkable. A true blueprint for the future of European letters, he is as comfortable with verse as with sound poetry and his highly humourous, ethical and sensory poetry is a major contribution to Northern European poetics. In a typically generous interview, we present the 48th of the Maintenant series


Accompanying the interview are four of Morten’s poems, translated into English by Barbara Haveland

Maintenant #47: Anatol Knotek

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Following in the footsteps of some of Europe’s greatest poetic innovators in the 20th century, the work of Anatol Knotek is the latest chapter in the visual / concrete / conceptual poetry legacy that has emerged from Austria, and most specifically, the city of Vienna. It is often suggested that concrete and visual poetry reached it’s apex in the 1950’s to 1970’s and since then has declined somehow. It is probably true that the vitality and power of the original movement, (led, outside of Austria, by the likes of Bob Cobbing, the de Campos brothers, Henri Chopin, Edwin Morgan, Andras Petocz, Shimpei Kusano…) could not be sustained and attention from a wider readership waned. However, it is clear when poets as young as Knotek produce work of this superlative quality the medium is not lacking, it is in resurgence and rather some of the very best poetry in Europe is part of this tradition. At it’s forefront sits Knotek and we are pleased to present a poetic artist whose work will no doubt become a focal part of the European poetic landscape for years to come.

Accompanying the interview are eight of Anatol’s poems

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/eight-poems-anatol-knotek/

Maintenant #46 – Holly Pester

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Perhaps other than the rarefied skill of performance, originality might be the hardest attribute to find in contemporary poetry. The ability to engender an audience to one’s work without appearing reluctant or melodramatic or trite is a trait often located in the poet’s personal dedication and consideration. Originality is perhaps harder to explicate, given the nature of its newness. These characteristics are what define the work of Holly Pester, and the experience of seeing or hearing her perform leaves an indelible impression on the viewer that they are witnessing a deeply gifted poet, one who it would seem will lead the way in the UK in the near future and beyond. Her work is incisive and wise, unpretentious yet sophisticated. She is without posture or affectation and still her urbane performances entrap and captivate audiences, their exploration of tonality, voice, volume and sound forcing a profound concentration on the potentialities of everyday language, whether that is a potential for oppression or amusement. Truly representative of what we hope to advocate in the Maintenant series, the 46th edition of the series – Holly Pester.

Accompanying the interview are soundfiles of two of her poems and Holly’s reading for Maintenant at the Icelandic embassy.

Maintenant #43 – Christodoulos Makris

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A scrupulous and gifted writer, Christodoulos Makris is a poet of language over territory, a poet of semblance over culture. Twenty years removed from his home nation of Cyprus, he has developed a reputation in both the UK and Ireland, his current place of residence, as a vital and astute poet. In a generous interview he discusses his knowledge of the poetry scene in Cyprus given its political constitution, how his own work is conceived, and how it has grown in the country he has chosen to live. In the very first Maintenant interview of 2011, we present Christodoulos Makris.


Accompanying the interview are five of his poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-christodoulos-makris/

http://soundcloud.com/maintenant

Maintenant #42 – Aase Berg

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One of the most deft and iconoclastic poets in Northern Europe, over the course of the last 25 years Aase Berg has developed, remarkably, a reputation to match her talent. One of the founding members of the Stockholm Surrealist Group in 1986, it was during the 90’s that she came to the fore as one of the most prominent poets, theorists and critics in Sweden. In the 42nd edition of the Maintenant series she discusses the several collections of poetry she has published, some of which with the Bonnier publishing house, the largest and most prestigious in Sweden, and her thoughts in general on poetic innovation and the state of poetry in contemporary Sweden.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-42-aase-berg/

Accompanying the interview are eight of her poems, spanning four collections. Translations are published with thanks to Johannes Goransson

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/eight-poems-aase-berg/

» Maintenant #40 – Sergej Timofejev

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One of the most adventurous and groundbreaking poets in the Baltic, Latvia’s Sergej Timofejev is a fundamental part of the radical reconfiguration of his nation’s poetic culture and landscape in the last few decades. A urbane, grounded, naturalistic stylist, the power of his poetry has allowed him to implement numerous innovations in a region associated with formalism. Experiments with poetry and music / art installations / performance / video & even computer games, have seen his popularity soar in Latvia, though he remains a poet writing in the Russian language. In the 40th edition of Maintenant, Sergej Timofejev discusses the influence of Western culture, the healthy state of Latvian poetry and the reward of poetic collaborative innovation.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-40-sergej-timofejev/

Accompanying the interview are five of his poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-sergej-timofejev/

Maintenant #38 – Volya Hapeyeva

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A figure of youthful prominence in Belarus, Volya Hapeyeva is at the very forefront of emergent poets reaching their notoriety in Eastern Europe. A lauded playwright, critic and linguistic philosopher, as well as a poet, her depth and zest have marked her out as one of the most agile stylists writing in Europe at large. Her work is marked by a sensitivity and care that many would find incongruous with her rigour and methodological pragmatism. She makes the conflagration of lyrical poetry & collaborations with Belarussian techno DJ’s seem effortless. We are happy once again to introduce another fantastic young poet as the 38th edition of the Maintenant series.

Accompanying the interview are seven of her poems. It is the first time her work has appeared in the English language.
We are indebted to Chris Michalski for his translations.

Maintenant catch up and Iceland reading

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Maintenant 32

An interview with the Slovenian poet, Primož Čučnik, the 32nd subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. The interview is also accompanied by two poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-32-primoz-cucnik/

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/two-poems-primoz-cucnik/

 

Maintenant 31

An interview with the Norwegian poet, Paal Bjelke Andersen, the 31st subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets and the fourth and final Norwegian poet featured as part of the series to celebrate the Maintenant: Ny Poesi readings held in London recently at the Poetry Cafe & the Rich mix arts centre. The interview is also accompanied by five pieces of poetry translated into English specifically for the readings & interview.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-31-paal-bjelke-andersen/

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-paal-bjelke-andersen/

 

Maintenant 30

An interview with the Danish poet, Martin Glaz Serup, the 30th subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. An extraordinary poet, children’s author and critic, included with the interview are seven excerpts from his remarkable work The Traffic Is Unreal translated by Thomas E. Kennedy.

 

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-30-martin-glaz-serup/

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/seven-poems-martin-glaz-serup/

 

Maintenant 29

An interview with the Russian-born British poet, Annie Katchinska, the 29th subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets. An extraordinary talent, she is one of the very brightest stars emerging in the UK. Included with the interview are three of her poems.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-29-annie-katchinska/

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/three-poems-annie-katchinska/

 

Icelandic & British Poetry in collaboration

3am magazine’s Maintenant interview series presents Icelandic & British Poetry in collaboration at the Rich mix

(35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London. E1 6LA)

Saturday November 27th – 7pm – Entrance free

Iain Sinclair & Ragnhildur Jóhanns / Eirkur Örn Norðdahl & Stewart Home

Scott Thurston & Bryndís Björgvinsdóttir / Jón Örn Loðmfjörð & Tom Jenks

 

Maintenant #20 – Adam Zdrodowski

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From Steven Fowler:

An interview with the Polish poet, Adam Zdrodowski, the 20th subject of the 3am magazine interview series centred on contemporary European poets.
Three of his poems are also included.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-20-adam-zdrodowski/
http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/three-poems-adam-zdrodowski/

The entire Maintenant series can be viewed here.

We have now confirmed the date of the next Maintenant reading for Saturday September 25th at the Rich Mix arts centre near Brick Lane in London. The event will feature Norwegian poets. More details to follow. http://www.richmix.org.uk/