National Gallery Lates II - March 24th, 7.30pm in Gallery 45

The second of my commissions for the National Gallery this year. The first was remarkable. This should be the same. New paintings, new poets, new art educator to talk with. A walking tour of ekphrastic poems and performance. Please come along

https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/friday-lates-tour-and-poetry-readings-sj-fowler-24-03-2023

For centuries, the artforms of painting and poetry have been in dialogue, with each informing the other, or attempting to translate what makes them unique as their own media into another. In this second event for our Friday Lates programme, poet and performer SJ Fowler returns to the gallery to read new ekphrastic poems about chosen paintings in our collection, offering alternative interpretations of their meaning, history and standing.

Fowler is joined by Gallery Educator Fiona Alderton alongside invited guests from Writers’ Kingston, students and staff from Kingston University, as well as further afield, for a tour and poetry performances around the Gallery. Readings will be performed by Stanimir Dimitrov, Matt Sokulsky and Rushika Wick

A note on : MUEUM launch at Brick Lane Bookshop : October 5th

October 5th, 7pm, at Brick Lane Bookshop, my debut novella - mueum - will be launched alongside readings from Iain Sinclair, Chris McCabe and Chloe Aridjis. More on the event bricklanebookshop.org/events/#mueum and tickets at £5

The novella is available here tenementpress.com/M-U-E-U-M

As part of the book's launch, here is a long-form interview with Gareth Evans, shot at Resonance Extra studios in London, discussing the origins of MUEUM.

Published : a tool to express bafflement, an interview for Shuddhashar

An interview with the brilliant Tutul, otherwise known as Ahmedur Rashid Chowdhury, whose work I got to know running the English PEN festival, hearing of how he had to flee Bangladesh. I was obviously really happy then to be asked to provide a selection of my poems, that I considered political, alongside an interview, with questions standardised for the many excellent poets featuring in this special edition of Tutul’s online magazine - Shuddhashar. The entire issue can be seen here, https://shuddhashar.com/magazine/issue-25-political-poetry/, with some great poets involved.

My interview specifically is here, and below, https://shuddhashar.com/a-tool-to-express-bafflement/

As mentioned, it includes 7 poems, taken from the collections A Guide to Being Bear Aware, The Rottweiler’s Guide to the Dog Owner, The Wrestlers, {Enthusiasm} and Minimum Security Prison Dentistry. It’s a mini selected poems, drawing from those five books.

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A note on : Poem Brut in the City

the first live www.poembrut.com event in a long time, over 18 months, and the launch of my new book, sticker poems https://www.stevenjfowler.com/#/stickers/

I took people on a merry dance. I’ve spent a lot of time in the city of london, i explore it often, im interested in its history and so when i wanted to do a poem brut event, outdoors as we emerge out of lockdown, i thought it suited as a locale. 11 poets were given 11 locations but no one but they knew where the readings would be or in what order. so there was a sense of surprise, i hope, amidst the hot weather, hidden corners and general friendly ambiance. we began at bank and ended up at the thames, two hours later, a good few dozen of us. all the videos of the excellent performances are online here www.poembrut.com/city

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Published : reading list massage (If A Leaf Falls press)

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Very happy to have a new pamphlet released with If a leaf falls press, in an edition of 60, entitled reading list massage.

It has sold out on the publisher’s site, Sam Riviere, but do go buy other titles https://www.samriviere.com/index.php?/together/if-a-leaf-falls-press/

I have a few copies spare, signed, and welcome enquiries if anyone wants one http://www.stevenjfowler.com/contact.

A few words on the book = “A succinct suite of minimal misspelled poems written for, and published by, Sam Riviere's If a leaf falls micropress. Fragments of speech, mis or unlabelled quotations and comforting typopoetry reference self-referentiality as a kind of brief, grim spectre descending upon writers and academics, in rare moments of lucidity, too clever by half.”

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The booklette was written a few years ago, and is constructed, in parts, of quotations, with my poetry written through. The tone was meant to be different than most of my literary work, ironising a personal subjective involvement in the poems a little bit, following people like Paul Blackburn, Ed Dorn. and Tom Raworth, who weren’t ironic, but acknowledged themselves in their poems with a raised eyebrow.

❧ If a Leaf Falls Press publishes limited edition titles with an emphasis on appropriative and procedural writing processes.

A note on : Opening night at A History of Unnecessary Developments

In one day Tereza Stehlikova and I managed to get up a rather ambitious exhibition in the Willesden Gallery, in Willesden Green Library, just in time to welcome in a non-public opening night. A future post shall be dedicated to the works in the exhibition, which balances huge asemics and art poems with Tereza’s brilliant frottage, photos and our film screened on a loop. For now, the opening night, where we could have 7 people in the gallery, masked and socially distanced, with each of the 7 being a poet / artist, who presented readings and performances, including 3 books from If a Leaf Falls press. A kind of poetry lock-in, and the first event for many in 13 months or so. With Lavinia Singer, Dan Power, Emma Filtness, David Spittle, Tereza Stehlikova, myself and Chris Kerr, it was a really lovely evening. Visit http://www.stevenjfowler.com/developments for all the videos of the performances. My own performance included a rubber elephant balloon, poems and the writing on the wall. Tereza’s included a group frottage. It was intimate.

A note on: launching Come and See the Songs of Strange Days...

Needs must and to launch a book in the times of the lockdown one must digital. The monthly broken sleep online readings, hosted by press editor aaron kent, was a fine place to share some of my poems on films in order to launch my new collection which can be snaffled up here https://www.brokensleepbooks.com/product-page/sj-fowler-come-and-see-the-songs-of-strange-days

I like to perform but i think what is entertaining in person can be smug down the camera hole lens. Not that smugness is often avoided with me goings on, but it seemed fairy lights did the right trick and people seemed to enjoy. Judge for yourself

Published : A small folio of Engerland poets on Periodicity

Rob Mclennan asked me to put together a small bevy of 8 poets working in and of engerland and I did and he published their work, glimpses of it. The 8 poets are listed below, with links, so you can click on their names and see the work, and here is my intro too, and the link to while feature https://periodicityjournal.blogspot.com/2020/11/sj-fowler-small-folio-of-poets-engerland.html

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Published : The Selected Scribbling and Scrawling of SJ Fowler

Years in the making, The Selected Scribbling and Scrawling of SJ Fowler (me) is now available from Zimzalla. zimzalla.co.uk/051-sj-fowler-scribbling-and-scrawling-2nd-edition/

From the publisher - The Selected Scribbling and Scrawling of SJ Fowler is an assembly of hand-drawn, instinctive visual poems from beyond the ragged edge of language. Arguably the most comprehensive book of asemic poetry ever published in the UK, this sizeable revamped new edition includes images of live asemic performances alongside over 100 visual poems divided, and introduced, in chapters. Asemic neurons butt up against poetic constellations, portraits and diagrams. The volume is bookended with new articles on the asemic endeavours of SJ Fowler from David MacLagan, Tim Gaze, Michael Jacobsen and David Spittle, plus a written interview between Fowler and Zimzalla editor Tom Jenks. Click here for a sample.

Click here to buy for £11.99 in the UK.

I'm happy to announce the release of my latest visual poetry book, collecting the vast majority of my asemic writing in one beautifully produced volume. I had the best time working on this, developing the first edition, working with Tom Jenks. It means the world to me too that the volume is full of brilliant reflections on my scribbles by such luminaries in the asemic world - David Maclagan, Tim Gaze, Michael Jacobsen, they all influenced me a lot, and the long critical piece by David Spittle is brilliant. I spent all summer tinkering, theorising around these abstract writings, really working hard on my intros to each section, and this book is the result, a true consolidation of my travails into asemia

A note on : Beijing October Literary Festival online

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I had such a lovely time being part of The Beijing October Literary Festival online recently. I had the pleasure to visit and read in Beijing in 2016 and made friends there who remain correspondees to this day and so this was, for me, a reconnection. The online festival has two themes - the city and tradition with modernity. I gave a talk on London, on its relationship to my writing, reflecting on how physical space, proximity, alters the reality of the writer, and how the modern city demands a modern literature, that looks forward, future facing, rather than looks to history for writing. History is for history. It seems to go down well, which was gratifying, but for me, the other speakers were exceptional and this was arguably the best online event I’ve done. It was especially cool to watch the Chinese poets and writers talk about Beijing and the modern Chinese megacity. It was a frank and playful conversation at times.

A note on : Robert Sheppard's writing on Poetry and Collaboration

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Robert on the right

I hope this becomes a book. Robert Sheppard’s writing over the summer of 2020 on collaboration and poetry, in the UK, is timely, necessary and long overdue. I am biased as I’m featured and I obviously care about collaboration. But it is strange that so little has been written on the subject. Considering Robert’s standing as a poet and critic, and educator, it’s all the better he has done this work, eloquently, and with wit, and insight.

Robert has been a key influence upon the writing of multiple generations of poets in the UK. For my own part, he specifically influenced my sense of what place, space, biography could be within a complex poetry, he made me reconsider what poetics was and he allowed some light to be shone in the dark spaces where poets don’t make much and are proud of that - he has been prolific, for decades, and worked across the proper ways and means of poetry. I am one of very many who would say this kind of thing.

Finishing off his 14 part series on collaboration, he has concluded and provided a useful contents rundown. Posts include writings on my poetics of collaboration, the most comprehensive review of Nemeses, the second volume of my collaborations. In depth looks at my work on the page with Prue Chamberlain Bussey, and my work with Camilla Nelson, live and in print, with an appreciated nod to wrestling. I repatriate Robert’s concluding post here and enthuse that you should click through and read it all

Conclusion is here “This probably concludes my ‘Thoughts on Collaboration’. I think it is best that my remaining work on the theme is composed offline, for eventual publication as a critical article…. Only one final text to acknowledge, the extraordinary 500 page Poetic Interviews, edited and conducted by Aaron Kent, from Broken Sleep Books, 2019, in which Kent uses poems much as an interviewer uses questions - and various writers (I note SJ Fowler amongst them) reply with poems…. On a personal note, I am pleased to report that there are plans for Veer to republish both my collaborations with Bob Cobbing (which I talk about  here ). That’s a good way to end this rambling strand….

A note on : 10 years of sound poetry - HIPOGLOTE podcast

This is something I’m really happy with - a podcast in the remarkable HIPOGLOTE series, thanks entirely to the amazing Tiago Swabl - which recounts my ten years in sound poetry this year, 2010 to 2020. A unique audio document, I was invited to provide performances and commentary explaining my path though the noise poems as part of their Carte Blanche series.

It traces my first steps as part of the post Bob Cobbing Writers Forum, my early improvised vocalisation work with Ben Morris and Dylan Nyoukis and at the British Museum, then my travels around Europe working with Zuzana Husarova and Maja Jantar amongst others, then my Soundings project with Wellcome Library, my participation in the Palais de Tokyo sound poetry retrospective and works with British artists I admire like Nathan Walker and the legendary Phil Minton. All this with brand new works made for the show, loads of solo works I’ve dug out of my archive and cover versions of Cobbing and bp nichol, also new for this ambitious hour.

It’s pleasing to not only have had the invitation, but to have Tiago’s editorial assistance (he did it all!) in making this document. It succinctly looks back on so much work I’ve found myself doing in a field which has always intimidated / excited me and it’s made me realise things, in making this summation, that had escaped me. More than anything, it’s made me realise I want to do more sound poetry. https://www.mixcloud.com/Hipoglote/183o-hipoglote_2020-08-17_-carte-blanche_-steven-j-fowler/

Published : 3 new Crayon Poems in Sober magazine

A grand burst of publications around my latest Poem Brut book - CRAYON POEMS with penteract press (buy it here https://penteractpress.com/store/crayon-poems-sj-fowler ) that features works not found in the book. Three more have been published by Sober magazine here https://www.sober-magazine.com/#/new-page-35/

I added this note “There is a part of me that wants to be messy, dumb, clumsy, childish, ape-ish and impatient because I am quite naturally these things and these things are preferable to pretense. I never wish to be a child again, and will be granted this wish, but I’d rather be one than a fraught, bourgeois adult, and so robbing the techniques of infants seem a valuable, if petulant, path to safety. What better reason than childishness, amidst the recreations of mortality, animalisms, literacy and colourfulness, could there be for me to author and labour a book of poems made exclusively from the wax crayon?”

A note on : Poet's Poem Podcast on Edward Lear

click the image or link below to listen

click the image or link below to listen

A really good experience appearing on Mischa Foster Poole’s great new podcast series - Poet’s Poem - where he asks the guest to choose a poem which is then explored over an hour. Well I chose a poem not because I have expertise in it, but because I wanted to explore its context, knowing how clever Mischa is, and how much more skill he has at certain kinds of analysis than I.

I explain in the talk how I have recently realised that nonsense poetry in Victorian England may be another link in a tradition I find myself in, that is so obviously known to be unknown to me. In a sense this chat was a chance for me to proof that idea, a bit. The poem resonates with my interests a lot too - a kind of muted surrealism, a pessimism and the use of animal imagery (in my case to ironise the anthropocence - with Lear, Mischa and I happily disagree on why he throws in Walrus after Crab…)

Moreover I think we had fun doing this, having a laugh, and going, not by design, 90 minutes, rather than 60. Please do give it a listen and support Mischa’s podcast in the future too. https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-n23ni-e669e1

this amazing term list from the cast that mischa made says it alll

A note on: Timelapse in the Northern Echo

One of the highlights of this and last year is my collaboration with the brilliant David Rickard for an installation in Kielder Forest. The Northern Echo recently wrote a story on the work to be found here https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/18640831.new-art-installation-kielder-water-forest-beauty-spot

Timelapse, created by sculptor David Rickard for the Kielder Art and Architecture programme, is a new feature on the Lakeside Way, on the south side of the Bull Crag peninsula. Visitors can sit among the locally harvested timber that the structure is comprised of and take in the area’s timeless beauty.

The artist said: “The sculpture derives from the underlying materials that define Kielder Water & Forest Park: timber and time. With trees typically growing in Kielder Forest for several decades before harvest, the forest itself reflects various timespans through the scale of the trees in different plantations. This passage of time is also marked within the timber of individual trees.”

Texts from poet SJ Fowler are embedded in the floor and ceiling of the sculpture, subtly referencing the way gravity slows time, as first defined by Albert Einstein in 1907….

A note on : The Selected Scribbling and Scrawling...coming soon

I’ve put my heart in this one. So much of my lockdown summer has been thinking through asemic writing / poetry, what I’m doing, what it is, who has come before me. I’ve found so much work that was new to me and shared some things too, for example doing this online lecture for Arnolfini UWE for example.

This is a 2nd edition of a book published in 2018 with Tom Jenk’s longstanding and brilliant Zimzalla avant objects press. It’s become twice the size, multiple chapters of asemic poetry with introductions, over 100 works, plus appendices including essays by David Spittle, David MacLagan (who is an incredible figure in promoting outsider art ideas and scribbling - the pioneer, critically, of the field) and others, and a long interview.

This will be the 3rd in the poem brut series, but now the 5th.

It’s a great time to be sharing this book, which should be out late September, early October, and in the meantime, I’m encourage any purchases of the Zimzalla backcatalogue, which is extraordinary https://zimzalla.co.uk/

A note on: my Asemic Poetry talk online for CFPR and Arnolfini

Part of a brilliant online summer festival organised by UWE’s Centre for Fine Print Research and Arnolfini, I was asked to talk about Asemic Poetry for a bit https://cfpr.uwe.ac.uk/book-and-print-summer-festival-2020/

Never easy to do it from the top of your head but that’s how I prefer to teach, obviously leaping from idea to idea but hopefully being more immediate / engaged for that leaping. Asemic work is important to me and the feedback I’ve had suggests this has bled through.

A note on : asemic poem in Mellom Press exhibition "Home"

Happy to have a new work in the second Mellom Press online exhibition, curated by Silje Ree. Some excellent visual works in there, worth a look, on the theme of home. https://mellompress.com/home/ My work is about where I grew up, Exeter.

The work is taken from my upcoming book - The Selected Scribbling and Scrawling of SJ Fowler : Asemic Poems - to be published by ZimZalla. The work is a 2nd edition of a 2018 book but will be greatly expanded with over 100 works in a dozen asemic chapters plus lots of appendices like interviews and articles.