The Poetry School Camarade

There are still a few places left on this weekend collaborative poetry course in association with the Poetry School, led by SJ Fowler at London’s Rich Mix. In addition to two full days of collaborative poetry and poetics, all participants will have the opportunity to perform their work at the Rich Mix on Sunday evening. The course runs Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July, 1pm – 6pm, plus 7.30 pm performance on Sunday.

The Night Time Economy

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An exhibition by Kate Mercer and SJ Fowler in London at Rich Mix Cinema & Arts Centre, 35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA. The exhibition runs from July 18th to 29th. Click here for opening times and further details.

On July Tuesday 19th there will be a special view and reading from 7pm in the Gallery, which is adjacent to Rich Mix Cafe. For the evening multiple poets will present brand new work responding to the exhibition and its themes with readings & performances from SJ Fowler, Nia Davies, Marcus Slease, Vanni Bianconi, Ghazal Mosadeq & others.

The Night Time Economy is a collaborative exhibition of photography and poetry exploring the often fractious energy and environment of Newport, Wales’ nightclubs and pubs. Conceived and created in close collaboration between photographer Kate Mercer and poet & artist SJ Fowler, this exhibition will play off the complimentary possibilities for expressive abstraction in both visual and linguistic mediums, all centred around the complexity, energy and intensity of Newport on Friday and Saturday nights.

 

The Poetry School Camarade

Weekend course on collaboration.

Venue: Rich Mix, 35 – 47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
Date: Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July
Time: 1 – 6pm, plus 7.30pm performance on Sunday
Level: open to all

Camarade readings are the primary collaborative poetry events of the Enemies project, and have taken place 21 countries with over 150 events with over 500 poets and artists since 2012.

The Poetry School Camarade – Sunday July 17th
Venue 1: Rich Mix Arts Centre – 7.30pm – Free Entrance
Alex MacDonald & Mark Waldron / Tamar Yoseloff & Alison Gill / John Canfield & Joe Turrent / Rishi Dastidar & Ali Lewis / Ella Frears & Lavinia Singer / SJ Fowler and more.

Saturday’s July 16th 2016 workshop
1pm – Introduction to the possible methods of collaboration in poetry and text.
2.30pm – Facilitated group writing exercises and practise performances.
3.30pm – Facilitated breakout sessions for collaborations in pairs.
5pm – Group discussion on the process, final pairs confirmed and feedback.

Featuring a discussion of the philosophies behind collaborative writing, the diffusion of the poet’s identity in collaboration and the consequences of that for solo writing. Extended explorations of the notion of the reading versus the performance, group writing, conceptual writing, constraint writing, improvisation and more literary methods like line-to-line and stanza-to-stanza. Features both talks, discussions and exercises.

Sunday’s July 17th workshop
1pm – The history of collaboration in poetry featuring source materials provided to the participants, covering a selection of salient examples from 20th century poetry, including movements like the Surrealists, CoBrA, The Beats and assorted examples from the likes of Ian Hamilton Finlay and John Furnival, Ron King and Roy Fisher, Anne Waldman and Joe Brainard.
2.30pm – An analysis of a host of collaborative performances from The Enemies Project video archive with footage screening and discussion.
4pm – Facilitated rehearsal of group collaborations and final paired works, with feedback.

More here.

States of Mind

Three events at the Wellcome Collection organised by SJ Fowler:

The Poetry of Consciousness
Thursday 7 July, 19.00-20.30
FREE | TICKETED at Wellcome Collection

From the perspective of the neuroscientist, the poet, the translator – a discussion of the role of language in constituting our consciousness, presenting talks and newly commissioned works for performance on the night.

Featuring: Daniel Margulies, SJ Fowler, Noah Hutton & Jen Calleja.
The Sound of Consciousness
Thursday 14 July, 19.00-20.30
FREE | TICKETED at Wellcome Collection

This event asks what role sound takes in shaping our experience and understanding of consciousness and offers artist’s reflections on the pivotal role sound has in the firmament of our daily lives, drawing from the worlds of neuroscience, anthropology, film, composition and sound poetry.

Featuring: John Gruzelier, Nick Ryan, Vincent Moon & Maja Jantar.
The Narrative of Consciousness
Thursday 21 July, 19.00-20.30
FREE | TICKETED at Wellcome Collection

Within and without language, how does the notion of narrative define our experience of the world through consciousness? An event featuring some of the most dynamic contemporary artists, neuroscientists and writers, exploring how narrative interacts with consciousness and what happens when this begins to break down, whether through trauma or conditions like aphasia.

Featuring: Lotje Sodderland, Srivas Chennu, Sam Winston and Barry Smith.

‘My Century / Mój wiek’ at the Miłosz Festival 2016: Krakow

June Friday 10th 2016

An innovative poetic performance responding and retelling the extraordinary interview and memoir of Aleksandr Wat, conducted by Czesław Miłosz, for the 2016 Miłosz Festival supported and commissioned by UNESCO City of Literature: Krakow, featuring Polish and British poets and text artists in collaboration.

In My Century the great Polish poet Aleksander Wat provides a spellbinding account of life in Eastern Europe in the midst of the terrible twentieth century, an account at the end of his extraordinary life that couldn’t have found such iconoclastic form without it being led and coaxed by his friend Czesław Miłosz. A document of history, but also a profound collaboration.

For the 2016 Miłosz Festival, poet and artist SJ Fowler, founder of the Enemies Project, which pioneers collaborative poetry practise across the world, leads a group of four contemporary avant-garde poets in making a brand new work, commissioned for the occasion. Featuring Weronika Lewandowska, Tom Jenks, Fowler & others, this will be a reforming of Wat’s story and myths – a piece of experimental literature, faithful to its source in it’s experimentation.

More here.

The South West Poetry Tour: Call for Poets

The Enemies Project, in partnership with Singing Apple Press, presents a brand new collaborative poetry initiative across South West England. The proposed South West Poetry Tour will take place in the first week of August 2016. It will include 6 nights of collaborative poetic performance from poets across the region, moving through Cornwall (St Ives & Falmouth), Devon (Dartington), Dorset (Lyme Regis) and Somerset (Bruton & Bath).

Poets local to the area are asked to produce new language works, in pairs, for performance each night. This innovative and exciting model of new writing has been pioneered by The Enemies Project across the UK and the world, with over 600 poets in 21 countries participating so farwww.theenemiesproject.com Beyond producing some wonderful nights of collaborative poetry, the aim of the tour is to forge creative links between poets, artists, arts organisations and audiences locally and regionally.
This is an open call for poets, local to any of the above areas, to be involved in the project. Over 100 poets will participate in the tour. The only requirement will be that you work with an assigned collaborator to produce a poem or language-based performance (experimentation is welcome), lasting no more than 5 minutes, at the venue most local to you.

Please send two poems or pieces of language art (links or attachments – pdfs rather than word docs are preferred), your address and a short bio to info@singingapplepress.com The work you send can be in any form and experimental or avant-garde poetry is encouraged. Our aim is to be inclusive.

The provisional schedule is:

St Ives 1st August
Falmouth 2nd August
Dartington 3rd August
Lyme Regis 5th August
Bruton 7th August
Bath 8th August

NB these dates may be subject to change. Deadline for applications 31st May 2016.

The South West Poetry Tour is curated by Camilla Nelson and SJ Fowler and supported by Arts Council England, Tate St Ives, Falmouth University, Schumacher College, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, The Clearing, Trail Mix, SoundArt Radio and Francis Boutle Publishers.

More at the Enemies site.

European Poetry Night

European Poetry Night 2016 in London. May Saturday 14th: Rich Mix
7.30pm – Free Entry. 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA

http://www.richmix.org.uk/events/spoken-word/european-poetry-night

 Vanni Bianconi & Billy Ramsell
Alessandro Burbank & Alexander Filyuta
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir & SJ Fowler
Ulrike Ulrich & Jen Calleja
Nurduran Duman & Jonathan Morley
Christodoulos Makris & Martin Bakero
Niillas Holmberg & Peter Sulej
Efe Duyan & Livia Franchini
Tomica Bajsic & Colin Herd
Ghareeb Iskander & Ahsan Akbar
Ariadne Radi Cor & Iris Colomb
Ana Seferovic & Agnieszka Studzinka
Rufo Quintavalle & Ian Monk
The Enemies Project presents London’s first ever European Poetry Night as part of European Literature Festival in 2016. An opportunity to see some of the most exciting contemporary poets from all over Europe, as over 20 poets travel to London to share new collaborative poems, premiered on the night, in pairs, across languages, styles & nations. These are some of the most dynamic literary and avant-garde poets of the 21st century, from Iceland to Turkey, from Ireland to Russia, from France to Slovakia, all presenting brand new works and performances. Curated by SJ Fowler.

European Literature Night Edinburgh

13 May at 17:30–18:30, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court, Edinburgh, EH4 4TZ.

Curated by Colin Herd and Theodora Danek in association Edinburgh City of Literature, European Literature Festival and the Enemies Project’s SJ Fowler, Edinburgh’s European Literature Night is one magical night dedicated to celebrating European literature on Friday 13 May 2016..

European Literature Night Edinburgh presents the best and brightest of a new generation of avant-garde and literary poets from over a dozen countries across Europe. An extravaganza celebration of European poetry, culminating in a specially commissioned collective performance, #Europoem. This is a free event but please book a ticket.

Kakania Berlin

7.30pm at Österreichisches Kulturforum Berlin kulturforum berlin: kulturforumberlin.at
Free Entry – May Monday 9th 2016
Stauffenbergstraße 1, 10785 Berlin. T: +49 30 202 87-114 E: berlin-kf (at) bmeia.gv.at

Six new literary performance commissions from contemporary artists, each of whom will present a work that celebrates/responds to a figure from the Habsburg era:

Max Höfler on Ludwig Wittgenstein
Maja Jantar on Lou Andreas Salome
Stephen Emmerson on Rainer Maria Rilke
Tomomi Adachi on Josef Matthias Hauer
Ernesto Estrella on Gustav Mahler
Ann Cotten on Otto Neurath

More here.

The Rich Mix Anniversary Camarade

May 2nd, 6pm, at Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London, E1 6LA. Free.

To celebrate the ten year anniversary of Rich Mix a special celebratory Camarade event will bring together some of the best known pairs from the series, all of whom had their debut at Rich Mix, alongside some brand new commissioned pairs of young and established poets, invited especially for the night. Featuring:

Sandeep Parmar & James Byrne
Carol Watts & George Szirtes
Mark Waldron & Rebecca Perry
Prudence Chamberlain & Eley Williams
Giovanna Coppola & Clover Peake
Mischa Foster Poole & Chrissy Williams
Julia Lewis & Harry Man
Tasimbaradzwa Kanyangarara & Susie Campbell
Rachel Long & Elizabeth-Jane Burnett
Farhana Khatun & Francine Elena
Kathryn Maris & Amy Key
SJ Fowler & more.

English PEN Modern Literature Festival

Rich Mix Venue One: April 2nd 2016 – 2pm / 3.30pm / 7.30pm
35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
Free entry but signing up for membership appreciated.
http://www.theenemiesproject.com/englishpen

A privilege to announce a major new project – 30 contemporary writers present new works, each celebrating a writer from around the world who is currently part of the English PEN Writer’s at Risk programme.

Each of the 30 English writers will present brand new poetry, text, reportage, performance and film on the day that celebrates and evidences the struggle of fellow writers around the world, in solidarity. The full line up of authors is below.

The one day mini-festival takes place at Rich Mix Arts Centre, just off Brick Lane, London, 2pm til 9.30pm, in 3 sessions throughout the day. All are free to attend but attendees are encouraged to join English PEN or donate to the charity if they are already members.

2pm to 3.30pm
Harry Man on Maung Saung Kha
David Berridge on Dawit Isaak
Kirsten Irving on Nurmuhemmet Yasin
Jen Calleja on Gao Yu
SJ Fowler on Khadija Ismayilova
Dave Spittle on Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury
Prudence Chamberlain on Patiwat Saraiyaem and Pornthip Munkhong
Robert Hampson on Dr Abduljalil Al-Singace
Adam Baron on Can Dündar and Erdem Gül

4pm to 5.30pm
Eley Williams on Tsering Woeser
Sam Winston on Zunar
Lucy Harvest Clarke on Liu Xia
Stephen Emmerson on Dina Meza
Alex MacDonald on Alaa Abd El Fattah
Drew Milne on Omar Hazek
Oli Hazzard on Enoh Meyomesse
Sarah Kelly on Nelson Aguilera
Caleb Klaces on Jorge Olivera Castillo

7.30pm to 9.30pm
Caroline Bergvall on Sanjuana Martínez Montemayor
Emily Critchley on Mahvash Sabet
Andrew McMillan on Ashraf Fayadh
Andra Simons on Amanuel Asrat
Allen Fisher on Mamadali Makhmudov
Nathan Walker on Mohammed al-‘Ajami
Michael Zand on U Zeya
Mark Waldron on Zhu Yufu
Mark Ravenhill on Mazen Darwish and Yara Bader
Emily Berry on Raif Badawi
Tom McCarthy on Liu Xiaobo

The festival is intended as a call to membership for writers, artists and readers in a time where we face perilous challenges to our freedom of expression and fundamental rights and hard fought liberties, both internationally and here in the UK. As the world changes so remarkably, and so rapidly, and on a global scale, it is vital the political will of our time and this generation of young, dynamic writers is directed purposefully to the work of English PEN, the writer’s charity. The hope is this festival, away from creating at least 30 new members of PEN, begins involvements and connections which will have exponential resonance for decades to come.

The Essex Camarade

At the Essex Book Festival – March Sunday 20th 2016, First Site Gallery – 1pm to 3.30pm – Free Entrance

The Essex Camarade will see a series of brand new collaborations written by poets in pairs, from the Essex area or attending the festival especially, featuring:

Anna Townley & Lawrence Bradby
Simon Everett & Ben Shillito
Matthew Sheppard & James Tague
Justin Hopper & Lucy Greeves
SJ Fowler & David Berridge
Mark Waldron & Rebecca Perry
Carole Webster & Emma Kittle Pey
Vicki Weitz & Isabella Martin
Tim Atkins & Jeff Hilson
James Davies & Philip Terry

As part of the Camarade, SJ Fowler & David Berridge will also be launching their collaborative poetry collection 40 Feet, published by Knives Forks and Spoons press. More here.

Kakania

March 31st 2016: Austrian Cultural Forum, London.

The Event: 7pm – Free Entry  www.theenemiesproject.com/kakania2016
The Symposium: 2pm – Free Entry  www.theenemiesproject.com/kakaniasymposium
both take place at 28 Rutland Gate, London SW7 1PQ  www.acflondon.org

The Kakania project returns to the Austrian Cultural Forum for a night of brand new performances, each from a contemporary artist or writer responding to a figure of Habsburg Era Vienna. The great, groundbreaking personas of 100 years past are made new, without nostalgia, but with faithful invention and intensity. Visit www.kakania.co.uk for more information on the project.

Featuring Harry Man on Erwin Schrodinger  ~ Daniela Cascella on Hugo von Hofmannstahl ~ Steve Beresford on Arnold Schoenberg ~ Thomas Havlik on Walter Serner ~ SJ Fowler on Robert Musil ~ Declan Ryan on Egon Schiele


The Kakania Symposium

March 31st at ACF London: 2pm, 3pm, 4pm in 3 sessions 
Preceding the evening’s performances there will be a symposium on Habsburg Vienna, through the kaleidoscope of Kakania’s inventive approach, led and curated by Dr.Diane Silverthorne, a leading voice in Habsburg Viennese studies. The Symposium will feature informal and academic talks about the era, interspersed with poetry and text art readings from poets and writers involved in the first year of the Kakania project, who will also give context to their process. The Symposium will also see a screening of the acclaimed film Altenberg: The Little Pocket Mirror. The schedule is thus:

2pm: A talk by Dr. Diane Silverthorne on expressionist  landscapes in music and art and a talk by Dr. Leslie Topp, on madness, architecture and Vienna.

3pm: A talk by Jamie Ruers on Cabaret Fledermaus followed by readings and discussions by Eley Williams on Broncia Koller-Pinel,  Vicky Sparrow on Margarethe Wittgenstein, Stephen Emmerson on his multi-part performance art response on Rainer Maria Rilke, Marcus Slease on Max Kurzweil and a screening of Joshua Alexander’s experimental film on Paul Wittgenstein, commissioned for Kakania

4pm: A screening of ALTENBERG: The Little Pocket Mirror  A documentary by David Bickerstaff and Gemma Blackshaw  | 54 min

Available on the day will be the two publications emerging from Kakania – The Kakania Anthology and Oberwilding: on the life of Oskar Kokoschka by SJ Fowler & Colin Herd.

The University Camarade

Saturday 23rd April , 7.30pm: Venue Two, Rich Mix Arts Centre, 35-47 Bethnal Green Rd, London, E1 6LA.

In a unique collaborative poetry event, the University Camarade will present over 10 new collaborative works, premiered on the night, written by pairs of young poets, all of whom are undertaking study in Creative Writing departments at five different UK Universities.

University of Kingston, Glasgow, Edge Hill, York St John and East Anglia will come together, each represented by 4 students. With participants made up purely of the student body and not staff, the collaborations will take place across institutions. The University Camarade aims to bring together the future poets and writers in the UK and show cross institution collaboration as a valuable way of building a community of writers.

For more information, including a list of participants, see here.

Ovinir films

Performances from Ovinir: an Icelandic Enemies Project available online, including this from Andri Snær Magnason & Joanna Walsh. Full list of participants as follows:

Eiríkur Örn Nörðdahl & Hannah Silva https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igMTNSy-G40
Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir & SJ Fowler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TE162HrChrM
Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir & Jack Underwood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saNQVMJsYVE
Rose Ades, John Canfield, Susie Campbell, Joe Turrent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuILeR91wIE
Mohammed Al-Houti, Alex Brinded, Jo Longley, Karly Stilling & Raif Mansell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aDI00ySUys
Lucy Furlong & Sarah Dawson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRzpSLBKKmg

Ana Lucia Beck, Ella Frears, Claudia Juhre, Lavinia Singer, Simone Gilson, Iris Colomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX1k4FkY_-4