Audio Obscura stand in St. Pancras Station, London

I’ve seen some great poetry events in the past year. Amongst my favourites from the usual suspects (London Review of Books, The Shuffle, Broadcast, The White Review) was Lavinia Greenlaw’s Audio Obscura at St. Pancras Station, London. Those unfamiliar with the premise can read more here, but it stood out as a significant break from traditional poetry events.

Greenlaw’s piece divided opinion (not least amongst myself and other listeners on the day) but I think it shows poetry needs to be pushed outside its comfort zone every so often, as do readers. There have been a few culprits who, over 2011, have helped push and challenge poetry, making it relevant and exciting.

The events by SJ Fowler at 3AM Magazine have been a breath of fresh air – especially the collaboration project at the RichMix in Bethnal Green (above with Sam Riviere and Jack Underwood). Penned in the Margins have been doing some excellent work in giving a voice to more experimental work (introducing me to Iain Sinclair’s poetry, for one, which is a revelation).

But, over all, the South London art collective Clinic have been getting it spot on every time. They organised, hands down, the best poetry event of 2011 for me – their Internet Poetry night at Beach Gallery. You can read a more detailed review of what I thought of the night here but I think that their mixed media nights, the shifting venues (including a dilapidated house in Peckham) and their consistent high standard makes them poetic trendsetters.

What I want to draw your attention to is this:

This is on Friday and, although we’ve already had the T.S. Eliot Awards (and I’m delighted that John Burnside won) I think that this is the real start of the Poetry Year.

You can find out more information here. I will be seeing you there.

Over the next five days, as a Christmas gift, the vast majority* of this audio archive will be uploaded on to the blog through Soundcloud sets. I cannot tell you how much of a joy and a privilege it has been working with the poets, and my good friend James, on this project.

Enjoy!

30th June 2011: readers from Clinic II

28th July 2011: readers from Stop Sharpening Your Knives 4

29th September 2011: readers from Days of Roses

27th October 2011: readers from Silkworms Ink

24th November 2011: readers from Like Starlings

* – these recordings were made on the night of each reading in an adjacent room to the bar, therefore, due to the inherent frivolity of being in a bar, some of the recordings had too much background noise to be uploaded. Both Selected Poems and the V&A are taking steps to prevent this in the future.

UCL in the snow, tres Christmas

A few weeks ago, I was on UCL campus co-leading a poetry workshop with the poet and blogger Declan ‘Days of Roses‘ Ryan. I gave a short talk about writing a poetry blog, publishing new poets and running poetry events. But the real exciting bit (well, for me at least) was work-shopping some of the poet’s work.

What struck me early on was the huge pool of talent that was in the room, both through the writing that was discussed, but also the editorial commentaries and reasoning of the writers (for example, our most recent Selected Poet – Harry Burke – was involved in the group). I approached those whose work we discussed to send me some poems for the site.

I am really pleased to have these excellent new voices on the blog. Watch out for their names popping up.

Hugh Foley – Poem beginning “Today…”

Angharad Toms – Rhondda Fawr (Part I)

Anna Kirk – Nyirmachabelli got a panga in her skull on Boxing Day

Alexander Zhang – The Arizona Sun Corridor

Harry Burke

A few months ago, I wrote about the Clinic internet poetry event, which was easily in top 3 poetry events of 2011. One of the performers that night was a young writer named Harry Burke who was showing one of his video collages of borrowed internet images and films with him reading. I’m delighted to be able to feature some new by Harry on Selected Poems.

What I like about Harry’s work is that, like the New York School he aims to deface (read below, it’s a good’un), he successfully address the ‘everything’ of individual experience. Unlike other writers, Harry doesn’t shirk from talking about aspects of the modern world like the internet, off licences and fish and chip shops – all is relevant and, subsequently, contemporary.

By looking on his website (link below) you can see the extent that Harry embraces modern forms of communication (blogging, youtube, tweeting, facebook) to inspire his own work. On looking at this, people could mistake his work as being far more concerned with style than substance. But what the below pieces show clearly is that his poetic skill and critical eye for verse is at the heart of his excellent work.

If you can’t read his work on this page, you can click on the files to increase the quality and size of the work.

What it is

Poem

Only model shots

Simulating sex

Useful links for Harry Burke

Junkspace – Harry’s website features extensive coverage of his previous work, including the video he premiered at the Clinic ‘Internet Poetry’ event.
CMD – This is Harry’s blog, which is regularly updated with new and interesting work.
Days of Roses – a blog post about the new internet poetry on the excellent Days of Roses site, includes work by Sam Riviere and Rachael Allen

Poster designed by Shaz Madani - http://www.smadani.com

It brings a tear to my eye to announce the final Selected Poems night…of the year at least.

On Thursday 24th November at 7:30PM Selected Poems at the V&A Reading Rooms will be celebrating the work of the Like Starlings, and will be co-hosted by the editors Caleb Klaces and David Hawkins.

For those who don’t know, Like Starlings curate poetic conversations between poets in the UK and the US, one sends a poem to the other, then the other responds in a poem. This exchange happens three times and the results are published on the site.

It will feature UK readers from the Like Starlings website including screenings of their American counterpoints reading their responses.

The full line-up is as follows:

Readers
Frances Presley, Aidan Semmens, Alasdair Paterson (being read by the editor)

Screenings
Julia Cohen, Valerie Witte, Stephen Burt

***How to attend***

Due to the limited capacity of the V&A Reading Rooms – RSVP’s need to be logged by emailing info.selectedpoems@gmail.com

1 place per RSVP – A reply will confirm that your name will be on the guest list upon arrival.

Here is a map to the venue (click here).

Interior of the Reading Rooms on the night

As the nights start to draw in, Selected Poems at the V&A Reading Rooms starts to draw to a close (for this year, anyway). But our penultimate event still drew in the poetry lovers.

This month we were focusing on the excellent work of Silkworms Ink, an online publication house who specialise in publishing poetry and short fiction chapbooks, from the well-established names to new talents.

Me reading new work

Before the gig went underway, as we were missing a person, I decided to do a poetic turn and fill in a spot. I largely just read new work, which has made up the bulk of my submission to the Eric Gregory Awards this year.

Ro Rutter reading works from Silkworms Ink's anthology 'L'

Opening up the Silkworms Ink section of the evening was Ro Rutter. She read a mix of work from Silkwroms Ink writers, including the lovely Chrissy Williams and Declan Ryan.

Despite her not reading her own work, Ro was a great reader of other people’s work, and her introduction gave a great perspective of the range of work that is available on Silkworms Ink,

Max Hildebrand

Following on from her was Max Hildebrand, whose work had been lauded by Days of Roses (our previous co-hosts) and it was a delight to be able to have him read on the night.

Max’s work was urbane, witty; he reminded me of Will Self, if he had put all of his energy in to contemplative verse imagining the fall to earth of an aeroplane on Sloane Square instead of going on psycho-geography tours. I hope to see more of Max in the future (watch this space).

Ahren Warner

After the break, and the slight Autumn rain, the second set began with a rising talent in the poetry scene. Ahren Warner, whose new book Confer has been nominated for a Forward Prize for Best First Collection and was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation, was the penultimate reader of the night.

When I first heard Ahren read, I didn’t know what to make of his work – it was an intelligent voice, both humorous and forlorn in tone, but coming across his work in Poetry Review and several anthologies, I have come to admire it greatly. Seeing him read for Selected Poems was a real watershed moment for me. Needless to say, I immediately bought Confer the day after the reading.

Abigail Parry

Abigail Parry, a veteran to Selected Poems, finished off the night. I saw Abigail the first time that I saw Ahren read (at the Eric Gregory Awards 2010) and every time I see her, I think her work is just getting better and better – more comprehensive in subject matter, elegant and also tragic.

She largely read new work, including a new piece about the bearded tit, a bird that humoured her (and the audience) greatly. Her work reaffirms the pastoral and gothic tradition of English literature, but in a very modern way – with wit and sensitivity. She is working towards her new collection as we speak, which I cannot wait for.

And with her last poem, the evening drew to a close, the rain encircled the little building and people darted for the last of the wine and the last tube. The night’s readers were amongst the strongest in the Selected Poems series, and I implore you to investigate Silkworms Ink to find out more about these wonderful writers.

A brooding genius and Lord Byron - Tim Cockburn

I’m delighted to be able to offer up some new poetry from one of my new favourite voices in UK poetry. I first read Tim’s work in the excellent anthology series Stop Sharpening Your Knives where he has featured in every issue. In the 4th, the most recent, his poetry is masterful – witty, emotionally concise and with a very dry irony running throughout it.

He’s one of the many excellent poets coming out of the University of East Anglia’s Creative Writing masters which, incidentally, one of my other favourite young poets (Sophie Collins) has just started. And, recently, Tim has recently been given the green light on a Salt Modern Poets pamphlet (the cover of which is below). Hopefully this will be the start of a much wider recognition for a young poet that already has such a distinct voice. Below are two new poems, both of which feature in his pamphlet.

Poem

Panthers

Useful links for Tim Cockburn

Eyewear – There are a few of Tim’s poems online on Todd Swift’s blog. These poems are among those of Tim’s that feature in SSYK 4
George Szirtes’ blog – One of my favourites of Tim’s is up on George Szirtes blog, and it is absolutely wonderful
Zebra Blogs – this is the blog that Tim writes for.

Appearances in the Bentinck Hotel - Tim Cockburn's forthcoming pamphlet from Salt

Poster designed by Shaz Madani (http://www.smadani.com) - printed by Faye McNulty

I am currently hugely excited about this…

This Thursday 27th October, at 7:30PM Selected Poems at the V&A Reading Rooms will be celebrating the innovative work of Silkworms Ink.

It will feature readers from their 50th Anthology ‘L’ (to read it, click here) and I’m very pleased to welcome back Abigail Parry, who read for the series in its early days in June. I’m also delighted to have the rising poetic talent of Ahren Warner (whose work has been going from strength to strength – receiving accolades from the Poetry Book Society and The Forward Prize).

The line-up is as follows:

Ahren Warner
Abigail Parry
Max Hildebrand
Rowan Rutter (reading work from other Silkworms Ink writers)
and special guests

How to attend:

Due to the limited capacity of the V&A Reading Rooms – RSVP’s need to be logged by emailing info.selectedpoems@gmail.com

1 place per RSVP – A reply will confirm that your name will be on the guest list upon arrival.

So to avoid disappointment, please RSVP ASAP! If you don’t manage to get a place this time round FEAR NOT! The next Selected Poems at the V&A Reading Rooms will take place next month – 24th November with Like Starlings.

ee cummings' typewriter, on display at the New York public library

What a rare delight to see something as rare as this, purely by chance. I’m a huge fan of Cummings, where the title of this post comes from, and to see his beautifully preserved source of all of his typographic adventures was a great find.

This is really a quick note to say that I am back in the country and have quite a lot of posts to be writing up. Since I have been away, my first poetry review has been put up on the wonderful Sabotage Reviews site. You can read my review of Alasdair Paterson’s Brumaire and Later by following this link.

We were celebrating the launch of Days of Roses’ first poetry anthology, with readers from the book and, as a headliner, the wonderful Christopher Reid, author of the Costa Book Prize winner A Scattering.

Declan Ryan

Declan Ryan, one of the editors of Days of Roses anthology, started the night off with a few of his pieces. What I love about Declan’s work, beyond his thematics and his effective, subtle forms, is his way that he writes for people. It gives the work such a personal resonance, reminiscent of the New York school. But what the work may lack in a conversational tone, it prospers in emotional dexterity, witty observations and admiration.

Lydia Macpherson and Christopher Reid

The next poet to read was Lydia Macpherson. Lydia, although admitting that she doesn’t read that often, absolutely killed it. Her work in the anthology is amongst the best in the book. Her work is incredibly luxurious – green curtains, milk drinks in the afternoon – it’s indulgent (not in the bad way).

Lydia's captive audience

What she read on the night was short and incredibly captivating. This is the first time I had heard Lydia read and I am thoroughly hoping that her reading on the night breaks the cycle of her not reading.

Malene Engelund

Starting the second half was Malene Engelund, the other editor of the Days of Roses anthology. Her work is intense, understated and concise – it reminds me of Ian Hamilton.

It’s a poetry about intimacy of love and friendship, from electric can openers to wings folding in and out of each other. She gave an excellent reading, which began an excellent second part.

Liz Berry

The penultimate reader, Liz Berry, gave one of the best readings of Selected Poems at the V&A Reading Rooms series (a bold statement, I know). Being a primary school teacher, she can deliver a story with excellent cadence and emphasis, so much so that it immediately engages the audience.

She read mainly new poems on the night – dialectic poems based based in Liz’s native Black Country, poems on a fish wife’s marriage and much more. I don’t think there was a person in the room who wasn’t totally enraptured by her reading.

Christopher Reid

We were very lucky to have as a headline reader the wonderful Christopher Reid – a poetic stalwart who’s reading consisted of one part of a long poem about a professor attending a series of lectures at a seaside town. The piece followed the professor around the lecture hall and the beaches, as he ponders on his lost love and the memories they shared with each other.

Needless to say he gave an excellent reading, and was a wonderful way to end the evening. Several delicious Australian beers later, the poets dispersed…to the four corners of London, and the pub.