SJ Fowler

Maintenant #84 – Maarja Kangro

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Over the last few decades it has become clear that the Baltic is one of the most prolific and energised sources of contemporary European poetry. Nor is this community of poets of a certain style or movement or form. The writers emerging from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and the surrounding nations are radically individualistic, as innovative as they are classically powerful. Amongst them Maarja Kangro is quite clearly one of the most formidable voices of her generation – effortlessly intelligent, wry, considered, incisive, her relentless output of translations, librettos, prose, poetry and children’s stories have assured her place as a leading light in North Eastern Europe, with a reputation striking deep into Germany and Italy and we hope, as her brilliance continues unabated over the coming years, further into the UK and US. For our 84th edition, we welcome Estonia’s Maarja Kangro.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-84-maarja-kangro/

To accompany the interview we present five of Maarja’s poems, translated by Richard Berengarten, Mike Horwood, Brandon Lussier, Ilmar Lehtpere and Maarja herself.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-maarja-kangro/

Maintenant #83 – Daniele Pantano

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One of the leading poets of central Europe, a Swiss poet by all rights, is somehow is also one of its leading poets of exile. Daniele Pantano, vigorous, multifaceted, considered and cerebral in his poetry, is one of the most active and highly regarded translators of modern Swiss poets and writers, and has brought to light some of the finest authors of the 20th century in Walser, Dürrenmatt and Trakl. Moreover, he has a fine reputation as a critic, poet and teacher in both America and England. His is a story of living in more than one country, writing in more than one language, pursuing poetry in more than one facet, and anyone who has read his work will not be surprised by the breadth of his background and erudition of his account. Discussing the modern history of Swiss literature, his own journey from Switzerland to America to England and the work that is marking him out as one of the most remarkable talents of his generation, Maintenant presents its 83rd edition and it’s first Swiss poet, Daniele Pantano.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-83-daniele-pantano/

Accompanying the interview are four poems from Daniele’s remarkable, and ever growing, new project, Mass Graves.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/fou-poems-daniele-pantano/

Parts XIX-XXII are available on The Knives Forks and Spoons Press.

Maintenant #82 – João Luís Barreto Guimarães

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With a precision and focus that seems to mirror the requirements of his profession, a surgeon, the poetry of João Luís Barreto Guimarães is representative of the finest work in contemporary Portuguese letters. Concise, eloquent and immediate, his work is concerned with phenomenological clarity and an engagement with a language of presence, of excavated intimation, and a wholly personal reality that hinges on a fundamental act of communication with the impersonal. For over two decades he has been a leading light in a poetry tradition often underappreciated outside of its borders, but from which giants of modern poetry like Fernando Pessoa and João Miguel Fernandes Jorge have emerged. In an extremely generous interview, we are pleased to present João Luís Barreto Guimarães as our first Portuguese edition of Maintenant.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-82-joao-luis-barreto-guimaraes/

Accompanying the interview are five translations by Ana Hudson. These poems form part of Ana’s remarkable project http://www.poemsfromtheportuguese.org/ in which she has pioneered the translation and elucidation of a vast number of contemporary poets writing in the Portuguese language.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-joao-luis-guimaraes/

Camarade 2

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The second phase of the Camarade collaboration between Chris McCabe and Tom Jenks is unfolding now. Camarade 2 is a series of collaborations between poets organised by SJ Fowler, building towards a performance at London’s Rich Mix on February 11th 2012 where an accompanying anthology will be launched. Pairings confirmed so far are:

  • Sean Bonney & Keston Sutherland
  • Maria Fusco & Andrea Brady
  • Jeff Hilson & Philip Terry
  • Colin Herd & Patrick Coyle
  • James Davies & Stephen Emmerson
  • Todd Swift & Matthew Gregory
  • Sam Riviere & Sophie Collins
  • Katerina Kashchavtseva & Lucy Harvest Clarke
  • Tom Jenks & Chris McCabe
  • Marcus Slease & Peter Jaeger

 

Maintenant #81 – Valerio Magrelli

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For over thirty years Valerio Magrelli has represented Italian poetry to the world. Inarguably the most influential poet of his generation in Italy, the oeuvre he has thus far established has ensured his place as one of the few poets able to look eye to eye with his nation’s iconoclastic predecessors. And yet, this language of grandeur does not seem apropos in describing a work built on agility of thought, deftness of expression, a modest, good-natured gesturing to the immense power of poetry which, in and of itself, locates that very power. Valerio Magrelli is a poet whose work has the authority to wake his readers, to bring their focus back to the poem itself, as a thing, not as a product of a poet first and foremost. Consistently, it is this eloquent and energetic intellect which resonates through his work and reminds us of the heights that the Italian language and the Italian poetry tradition can reach. For the 81st edition of Maintenant, Valerio Magrelli. Thanks to Jan Wagner, Federico Italiano & Jamie McKendrick.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-81-valerio-magrelli/

Accompanying the interview are four poems, taken from the book ‘Valerio Magrelli: The Embrace’ Faber & Faber 2009, translated by Jamie McKendrick.
For this remarkable undertaking, Jamie McKendrick won the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize and the John Florio Prize.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/four-poems-valerio-magrelli/

Maintenant #80 – Arnoud van Adrichem

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A poet whose inventiveness and incisiveness is architectural in its care – witty, adventurous, circuitous and at ease with its own intelligence, the work of Arnoud van Adrichem, one of the most remarkable poets and critics Holland has produced in the last decade, stands as an example of how international traditions, multiple languages and a shift in political culture, will not waylay a brilliant poet from writing brilliant poetry. If anything it will only add context to the work of a poet like van Adrichem, recognised across the Netherlands and beyond as one of the most considered and necessary agents for poetry currently at work, and with no sign of lagging. Editor of the international journal Parmentier and a specialist and translator of L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poetry, it is hard to look past Arnoud van Adrichem as a fundamental part of the future of Dutch letters. Another exceptional addition to the Maintenant series, edition #80, we are privileged to have his work translated into English for the very first time thanks to the generosity of the Nederlands Letterenfonds with thanks to Jan Pollet.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-80-arnoud-van-adrichem/

A poem in five sections, Corner, accompanies this interview. This is the first time Arnoud van Adrichem’s poetry has been translated into English and was only made possible by the generous support of the Nederlands Letterenfonds (the Dutch Foundation for Literature) and of Thomas Möhlmann. Translations by Willem Groenewegen, 2011. http://www.willem-groenewegen.nl/

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/five-poems-arnoud-van-adrichem/

Minimum Security Prison Poetry videos

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Videos of last Wednesday’s event at the Horse Hospital are now available:

 

Maintenant #79 – Emanuella Amichai

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Perhaps Emanuella Amichai represents the ethos of the Maintenant series more succinctly than any of the other 78 poets that have gone before her. The question of what is poetic is akin to the question of what is European. Both are fluid, unanswerable, and all the more essential for that unresolvability. Working in the medium of moving image, of dance, theatre and film, she has taken groundbreaking strides towards what can only be called a video poetry, a form of visual poetry. Working in tandem with some of Europe’s finest writers, including Jan Wagner, she has shown her absolute control of both mediums, both poetry and film, utilising the grammar of motion to remarkable poetic effect. If this places her outside the poetic mainstream, what might be deemed The definition of a poet, then the fact she is the daughter of one of the 20th century’s greatest poets firmly roots her back into the tradition of European letters. For the 79th edition of Maintenant, Israel’s Emanuella Amichai.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-79-emanuella-amichai/

A video poem of Emanuella’s will soon follow online, so please check http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/

SJ Fowler at Liverpool Music Week

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Friday 11th November, 7.00pm the Cinema Room at the Contemporary Urban Centre as part of Liverpool Music Week Closing Party.

Nathan Jones and Mercy are teaming up with Samizdat and La Racaille for a new music/language/art event exploring trance, mantra and the loop. The event features a new commission from Other Room reader Steven Fowler and a new setting of Dustin Wong’s Infinite Love album for guitar orchestra by Jon Davies.

Maintenant #78 – Damir Šodan

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Though his work is utterly modern and could only be of the now, Damir Šodan, as a man, recalls a different age. Cosmopolitan, engaged, political, satirically adept and poetically versatile, he is a poet who defines and embodies one of Europe’s great, surging contemporary traditions, that is Croatia since the turn of the millennium. One of the most active and veracious translators and editors on the continent, he has won international awards for his plays and finds employment at the Hague, as a translator for the United Nations War Tribunal. This is beside his reputation as a poet, which is considerable and deservingly ever growing. His work is striking for its elasticity, its precision and its ability to retain power amidst a wit rarely found in modern letters. In a typically generous and eloquent interview, discussing everything from war crimes tribunals to the Croatian poetic tradition, we present a locus of modern European poetry, Damir Šodan.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-78-damir-sodan/

I’m very pleased to say we have published ten of Damir’s poems in English alongside the interview

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/ten-poems-damir-sodan/

The Covers project

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SJ Fowler’s project in which contemporary poets read work that has inspired them, now has a new dedicated site where you can watch all the films so far. As a taster, here is Colin Herd covering Maggie O’Sullivan, recorded at the last Other Room. Film of Colin’s reading, together with films of the other two readers, Jennifer Cooke and SJ Fowler, will be published soon.

Maintenant #77 – Maarten Inghels

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It is no exaggeration to say Maarten Enghels’ impact on the Belgian poetry scene has been nothing short of sensational. At an age where poets are just beginning to find their voice, he has become one of the most recognisable and bombastic presences in the entire country and it’s considerable Flemish poetical tradition. Iconoclastic, immediate and passionate, his work has firmly put him at the forefront of a new generation of Belgian poets who will continue to emerge as major writers across central Europe by effortlessly speaking in and about his own time, in his own language. For the 77th edition of Maintenant, we are pleased to introduce Maarten Inghels. With thanks to Jan Pollet

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-77-maarten-inghels/

Accompanying the interview are three poems, translated by Willem Groenewegen. This is the first time Maarten Inghel’s poetry has been translated into English and was only made possible by the generous support of the Flemish Literature Fund and of Patrick Peeters, and Willem Groenewegen himself.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/four-poems-maarten-inghels/

Maintenant #76 – Kārlis Vērdiņš

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One of the most versatile young poets writing in the Baltic, Latvian Kārlis Vērdiņš is a renowned critic and a prize winning poet. Already included in two of the most important anthologies of young poets from Central and Eastern Europe in the English language ‘A Fine Line’ (Arc Publications, 2004) and ‘Six Latvian Poets’ (Arc Publications, 2011), Kārlis Vērdiņš has already begun to establish his legacy outside of Latvia. We are especially pleased that he is one of the five visiting poets to read at our largest event in London yet, Maintenant XI: Camarade. October 15th will see him read along side some of the finest poets in Europe, undoubtedly where he belongs.

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-76-karlis-verdins/

Accompanying the interview are two poems by Kārlis, translated by Ieva Lešinska

http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/two-poems-19/

Blue Touch Paper

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Making New Collaborations in Contemporary Culture

London Sinfonietta and the Jerwood Charitable Foundation are pleased to announce three new projects as part of the London Sinfonietta’s Blue Touch Paper programme. Working with the London Sinfonietta musicians, three composers working with collaborators from other arts disciplines will devise innovative and exciting interdisciplinary works to be presented throughout its Music Programme 2011/12.

Following an open, national call the London Sinfonietta has selected a group of composers and multidisciplinary artists to participate in the Blue Touch Paper programme. The three composer-collaborator partnerships, who have all been awarded a Jerwood Blue Touch Paper bursary, are:

  • Steve Potter (composer) & Kélina Gotman (Writer/Dramaturg)
  • Elspeth Brooke (composer), Seonaid Goody (Puppeteer) & Anna G Jones (Director)
  • Philip Venables (composer) & Steven J Fowler (Poet)