Very nice to be on the penteract podcast for the third time, and for this one talking about European Poetry and my European Poetry Festival. Hosted by Anthony Etherin and Clara Daneri it was myself and Astra Papachristodoulou.
All listenable here, 90 minutes https://www.buzzsprout.com/834940/9361972
In town for the printed poetry project I decided to celebrate the opening of Paul Hawkins Eachwhat Industries cultural space, offered by Hytha Studios in an old newsagent in a shopping centre in Knowle, Bristol, by organising an ambitious poem brut event with many poets based in the area and a wee bit beyond.
Some special in the sauce this night, everyone with 5 minutes, wandering in from the nearby Iceland, b&m stores and slot machine casino. A really brilliant space with really brilliant performances, all 12 were really seriously prepared and completely idiosyncratically unique to their author.
The event was also the second launch of my Bastard Poems, selected collages, with Steel Incisors press https://www.steelincisors.com/product/bastard-poems/2?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false
Part two of the Printed Poetry Project, curated by Angie Butler, and centred around an amazing residency collaboration that took place this past May when myself and Angie visited Pat Randle of Nomad Letterpress at Whittington Press.
I documented that week here, and it was a rare chance for a deep exchange between letterpress artists and printers and poets, which led us to this symposium at the Arnolfini in Bristol, where Angie extended the dictum out to many in the field who are exploring the possibilities of poetry and letterpress.
A day of talks, a pop up bookfair and for Angie, Pat and I the release of our new publication 25 poems. I had the chance to participate in a roundtable, talking of our project and my experience in general, and got to meet some extraordinary artists and poets. There was also the ‘publication’ of a poem of mine, written for the occasion, on goodie bags given out to everyone, or released, in a limited edition of 80. You think you bag now, a poem for the ages, one of the great bag poems of our time.
I’m so happy to be welcoming old friends and new from across Europe to come to London for my festival. It’s been a labour of love, a solid chunk of work for one person, but the results will be worth it.
The EPF bursts back into live life with 7 events in 10 days in venues across London. Over 25 poets from across the continent come to the UK to collaborate and perform with British and Britain-based writers. Celebrating poetry across styles and languages, and pushing innovation, this is a welcome chance to see poets from beyond the UK presenting new works, made for the festival. All events are free to attend. Click the links below for more on each event.
November Saturday 20th 2021 : Swiss Poetry in Collaboration at Rich Mix, London With Clea Chopard, Rolf Hermann, Laura Accerboni, Baptiste Gaillard et al, Swiss poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
November Tuesday 23rd 2021 : Norwegian Poetry in Collaboration at Open Ealing, London With Endre Ruset, Bjørn Vatne, Silje Ree, Jon Ståle Ritland et al, Norwegian poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
November Thursday 25th 2021 : Swedish Poetry in Collaboration at Town House, Kingston University - Freke Räihä, Pernilla Bergland, Kristian Carlsson et al, Swedish poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
November Saturday 27th 2021 : Slovenian Poetry in Collaboration / Iklectik Artlab, London Muanis Sinanovic, Jana Purtle Srdic, Nika Mahnic et al, Slovenian poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
November Monday 29th 2021 : Latvian Poetry in Collaboration / Goethe Institut Krišjānis Zeļģis, Jelena Glazova et al, Latvian poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
November Tuesday 30th 2021: Austrian Poetry in Collaboration / Austrian Cultural Forum, London - Cornelia Hülmbauer, Verena Dürr, Stefan Ellmer et al, Austrian poets collaborate with British-based counterparts.
With further events to be announced, and more poets to be added, and details subject to change.
The Printed Poetry symposium is a series of events that mark the culmination of a Centre for Print Research (CFPR), UWE letterpress research project in collaboration with poet, writer and artist, SJ Fowler and letterpress printer and publisher Pat Randle (Nomad Letterpress). Fowler will discuss the project and the resulting publication in a keynote online presentation. In addition, nine poets, letterpress practitioners and publishers will present projects, publications and prints that evidence their relationship to the printed poem through their lived experience of creating words, images, performances etc. through this physical print process. https://cfpr.uwe.ac.uk/the-printed-poetry-symposium-october-2021/
“SJ Fowler's talk is on the potential of typesetting and letterpress printing as an active collaborative process for poets. Using the recent CFPR supported ‘Printed Poetry Project’ (an exchange between Fowler, Angie Butler at UWE and Pat Randle at Nomad Letterpress) as a case study, this mini lecture will explore how poetry might respond to the auspices of print, through serendipity, vernacular and process, and how it might alter and change when actively engaged in what letterpress can achieve. When often the relationship between poets and printers is one of commission, or separation, how might be we more innovatively integrate these two artforms, in order to produce original and innovative results?”
Some pictures of the text-isles group show in Rhodes Art Park this past summer, where my Asemic Animals were on display. Thanks to Astra Papachristodoulou. https://www.poematlas.com/text-isles
A brilliant night in Manchester at the Anthony Burgess Centre thanks to the support of the Manchester Poetry Library. I had the chance to ask dozens of writers in the north to come and read and we ended up with 18 poets in 9 pairs, presenting new collaborations on the night.
On a night that had been moved from the summer, and all that anticipation seemed to make it all the more appreciated, by me as much as anyone, that we were out performing again, reconnecting with people we hadn’t seen in a few years. I didn’t miss organising events necessarily, during the lockdowns, but I didn’t think anything of the events but they are great ways to spend an evening, my life even, bringing people together, making new work and this kind of happening most especially, where i get to travel, to see different parts of england, to receive people’s hospitality, is special.
This was all extra, it felt like, and the night had some really excellent works, on available to watch here https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/manchester21
Works from Patricia Farrell and Michael Egan, JT Welsch and Colin Herd, David Spittle and Stephen Sunderland, James Davies and Matt Dalby, Lydia Unsworth and Sarah Clare Conlon, Callie Michail and Scott Thurston, Ailsa Holland and David Gaffney, Robert Sheppard and Joanne Ashcroft. Big thanks to Martin Kratz, Ian Carrington and the many others who persevered to make this happen.
For my own collaboration I worked with my friend and longterm collaborator Tom Jenks. We have known each other for over a decade, written a book together and I think read together nearly 15 times. Our work was a ‘Guide to Post Pandemic Life’ with dogs, monkeys, bats, pangolins and sneezing.
Brilliant to have these two forays into mosaic poetry published in Mercurius magazine. They are the result of a course at the London School of Mosaics in Gospel Oak. https://www.mercurius.one/home/mosaic-poems
Cool to have a new poem, written for this book in fact, in a new anthology, entitled Slovakia in Poems, edited by Eleni Cay and available here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slovakia-Poems-Eleni-Cay/dp/1737405415/
My poems is about my last trip to Bratislava, going the dinosaur park there and other adventures, it has an epigraph by my collaborator zuzana husarova and has also been translated into Slovakian for the book, with an excerpt below.
https://theimportanceofbeingaloof.tumblr.com/post/661526716783722496/close-reading-sj-fowler-wolves-in-chernobyl Nice of Charlie Baylis to include my poem Wolves in Chernobyl as part of his Close Reading series on his Importance of being aloof blog.
“What is it?
‘Wolves in Chernobyl’ is a mysterious, unrhymed poem in nine parts. There are no wolves in the poem, except for the title, yet there is a palpable sense of their presence, or the presence of something dangerous, lurking in the woods. This could be wolves ‘living in the goodness of our wood’, it could be a nefarious woodland spirit, it could be impending nuclear disaster, it could be something else entirely. The poem is dated April 26th 1986, the date of the calamitous safety test at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant, but again the poem makes no direct reference to the disaster, only leaving sparse clues, for example ‘more firemen came up / complaining of vomiting and acute headaches’ and ‘I spit black spit’. The poem is preceded by an epigraph from the Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus: ‘today is nothing. the future won’t come’, which ties together various hints that the events of the poem mostly take place before the effects of the nuclear accident, a peaceful moment where ‘life in the town goes on as normal’, before imminent destruction wreaks havoc……….
Begins October 3rd 2021, running for 6 weeks. £200. All info here https://www.poembrut.com/courses
Sound Poetry, dance-poetry, video-poetry, theatre-poetry. Reading, recitation, installation, improvisation. Live collaboration and performance literature - Every live poem is a new work and poetry began in sound. Comprehensively reflecting upon an artform borne of liveness, this course will explore readings, recitation, installations, dramaturgy, sound poetry, dance, music, collaboration and performance - delving into what is possible when the poet mindfully explores the body, the voice, time, space, presence and absence, technology and the immutable idea of the audience.
Not a course aimed at extraverts, this course will be a practical, as well as conceptual, journey through what is often erroneously second in the poet's arsenal. What is the meaning of a poem spoken and heard, over written and the read? What are the possibilities of recorded or installed poems? Why has the 21st century seen a grand resurgence in performance literature, which takes live art as inspiration? We will examine the art of public reading, improvisation, talking performances, scripts and scores, as well as orchestration and planning.
This course will emphasise method. Participants will be sent a succinct document of resources once a week – ideas, examples, concepts, history, accompanied by exercises or prompts. Then, on a private blog-forum, responses - including written poems, video and audio recordings, images, scores, notations and performance plans - can be posted, with comments and feedback from all involved. When the course finishes, an event will consolidate that which everyone has produced.
Backed up with case studies on a swathe of brilliant poet performers or those who wrote with liveness in mind - from Samuel Beckett to Peter Handke, Marina Abramovic to Elaine Mitchener, Bob Cobbing to bp nichol, Maja Jantar to Jonathan Burrows and many many others- this course with expand the knowledge of those familiar with live events and offer strategies to those looking to tread boards.
A beautifully made anthology alongside a group show in Greece, the Text Isles exhibition takes place 17-24 Sep 2021 in the Art Park Gallery / Archipoli, 85106 in Rhodes. Another remarkable, and actually pioneering, project from Poem Atlas and Astra Papachristodoulou. I certainly have not been involved in a bigger happening exploring textiles and poetry. https://www.poematlas.com/text-isles
My works for the show and the book are asemic animals. Creatures taking upon their bodies and the abstract poetry so important to my practise.
UK-based visual poets come together for a unique show at the first international exhibition of Poem Atlas
Poem Atlas presents its first international exhibition TEXT-ISLES, an exhibition of visual poetry featuring a range of innovative poets that examines materiality through the lens of text and textiles. Although wide-ranging in approach, the work produced as part of this show could be broadly characterised as a collection of material or sculptural poems, in which materiality, texture and movement are harnessed to retell, reimagine, and reorient our relationship to the environment and materials that stratify us.
You can purchase the anthology here. https://www.poematlas.com/text-isles-catalogue
as part of the gifting to those attending the symposium, this gift bag has been printed with a poem i wrote specifically for the occasion and the bag! i love this kind of stuff. a minimalist masterpiece on my part, if i may say soo
I’m so happy to be involved in this and have had such a pleasure working with Angie Butler and Sarah Bodman at UWE. Amazing artists and human beings. My event on October 14th can be booked here, please do so https://store.uwe.ac.uk/conferences-and-events/centre-for-fine-print-research/conferences/printed-poetry-symposium-dropin-round-table-event
THE PRINTED POETRY SYMPOSIUM (OCTOBER 2021)
The Printed Poetry symposium is a series of events that mark the culmination of a Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR), UWE letterpress research project in collaboration with poet, writer and artist, SJ Fowler and letterpress printer and publisher Pat Randle (Nomad Letterpress). Fowler will discuss the project and the resulting publication in a keynote online presentation.
In addition, nine poets, letterpress practitioners and publishers will present projects, publications and prints that evidence their relationship to the printed poem through their lived experience of creating words, images, performances etc. through this physical print process.
We will also hold a ‘live’ letterpress printing event at the Letterpress Collective, pop-up exhibitions at UWE library and an in-person meeting and pop-up exhibition at Arnolfini Bristol with some of the symposium presenters: to convene these communities and examine relationships between creative practitioners and the haptic production of the printed word within contemporary letterpress publishing activities.
https://cfpr.uwe.ac.uk/the-printed-poetry-symposium-october-2021/
THURSDAY 14 OCTOBER: ticketed events, booking via UWE Online Shop – Drop-In Event & Roundtable Discussion
10.00a.m.–12 noon: Drop-in at The Letterpress Collective, Bristol: ‘live’ printing of Printed Poetry symposium keepsake
2.00p.m.–4.30p.m. Arnolfini auditorium event: Roundtable discussion between symposium presenters and audience and pop-up exhibition of letterpress printed poetry works with Q&A, plus launch of publication by SJ Fowler from the Printed Poetry Project
SJ Fowler: Letterpress and Poetry – the Printed Poetry Project
A talk on the potential of typesetting and letterpress printing as an active collaborative process for poets. Using the recent CFPR supported ‘Printed Poetry Project’ (an exchange between Fowler, Angie Butler at UWE and Pat Randle at Nomad Letterpress) as a case study, this mini lecture will explore how poetry might respond to the auspices of print, through serendipity, vernacular and process, and how it might alter and change when actively engaged in what letterpress can achieve. When often the relationship between poets and printers is one of commission, or separation, how might be we more innovatively integrate these two artforms, in order to produce original and innovative results?
The Korean Literature Night (KLN) is a monthly discussion group that explores various themes and topics relating to that month’s chosen book. We will read the book ‘Hysteria' by Kim Yideum in September.
The Poet Kim Yideum and the moderator Steven J. Fowler will join us for a live virtual talk about her poem ‘Hysteria' . Following the talk, Kim Yideum will respond to questions from the audience.
Event Date: Wednesday 29th September 12:00PM-1:30PM (UK time)
Venue: ZOOM Webinar
Apply to info@kccuk.org.uk with your name and contact details by 15th September 2021
I am really so fortunate to have a collaborator like Rebecca Kamen. She has been an inspiration for many years, since we met at the salzburg global, both as a friend, correspondent, artist and human being. She has a wonderful new exhibition and as part of the catalogue I have a poem, responding to her work and the exhibition - specifically her silent spread installation. All details are here https://www.american.edu/cas/museum/2021/reveal-scientific-discovery-kamen.cfm
Inspired by an unexpected brain tumor and the pandemic, the artwork in this exhibition investigates curiosity and the creative process in art and science. The work has also been informed by research and collaborations with scientists at the American University and the University of Pennsylvania where I am currently an artist in residence. The exhibition culminates in the meditative Silent Spread, a graphite on mylar, wall-mounted installation where 28 diaphanous sculptures inspired by the coronavirus reflect and trace the migratory pattern of COVID-19.
An opening excerpt from my poem here, and a small glimpse of Rebecca’s silent spread too.
A remarkably fun night at Open Ealing, and a second exceptional poem brut event in the month of august, 2021/ https://www.poembrut.com/thepast
Lots of friends and folk I’ve not met before, many of whom had done my online courses, and all of us, coming out of lockdown realities, were joyed to be communal, and take the chance to perform to a warm, and surprisingly full, audience. Chris Kerr, Beverley Frydman, Vicki Kaye, Mikael Buck, Lynette Willoughby, Bob Bright, Richard Marshall, Kayleigh Cassidy, Simon Tyrrell, Paul Hawkins and Susie Campbell. Everyone brought their A game.
This was the London launch of my Bastard Poems book, my selected collage https://www.steelincisors.com/product/bastard-poems/2?cp=true&sa=true&sbp=false&q=false as well as a sneek preview of a new anthology Ive edited called Seen as Read, with many visual poets within… coming in october.
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.
Very pleased to be returning to the Burgess Centre in Manchester, thanks to the support of the Manchester Poetry Library, for a standalone Camarade event as part of the European Poetry Festival.
20 poets in 10 pairs sharing new works for the night will mark this welcome return to curating events in Manchester for me. The five or six similar events I’ve done there in the past have all been brilliant, and I’m especially chuffed to work with Tom Jenks once again. https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/manchester21
There has also been a really excellent and generous article written about the event for the Creative Tourist by Sarah Clare Conlon https://www.creativetourist.com/event/european-poetry-festival-european-camarade/
Quite the way to release my latest book, my selected collages, Bastard Poems from Steel Incisors, into the world. In the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific society, surrounded by dinosaur fossils, a dozen friends and co-readers, and a surprisingly full audience, who were game, and generous, and receptive. The other readers were uniformly on, everyone was really great, and enthusiastic. Got to see some old friends and collaborators - Max Porter, Lucy English, Carrie Etter, Angie Butler, Dave Spittle - and travelled to Bath for this. It was also satisfying to have this night as a chance to say thanks to James Knight, who has worked so so hard on Bastard Poems and done such a great job. The book can be bought here https://www.steelincisors.com/product/bastard-poems-by-sj-fowler/2
All the videos from the launch, performances and readings, are available here https://www.poembrut.com/thepast
And below some great pictures of my performance, a live collective collage, and more, by Madeleine Rose Elliott.
To celebrate the release of my selected collages, Bastard Poems, the editor of the brilliant steel incisors press, James Knight, and I, had an online chat. About the book, about many things. To celebrate the thing. It is here in its entirety https://www.steelincisors.com/s/stories/bastard-poems
& on, please have a read…
