Teaching alongside Bard Torgersen for a week at Oslo’s Hoyskolen Kristiania, for the third time, following programs in 2022 and 2020. Both times before, as with this week, the experience changes my approach to teaching in general. The nature of the course is unique and dynamic, thanks to Bard, who is a remarkable lecturer with a roving, wide ranging and complex vision for what information to share and how to share it. The course synthesises so much about what it is to be a poet and writer, and stretches the perceptions of the students. It’s really brilliantly intense. In addition, the sessions last all day, they are vocational in a sense. We worked with the students 10am to 4pm, and beyond. So it’s very different, as an approach, as an experience, tiring and inspiring.
This group of students were exceptional. Mature, funny, down to earth and serious about pushing themselves to create proper pieces of innovative live literature and accompanying visual poetry scores. We ran a Camarade event where they all performed new works in groups. Really high pressure stuff as they had one day to hear about the live traditions we were exploring, then one day to create, and then one day to rehearse and then it was the event, a full room, with friends and family, and other poets performance who were much older, professionals, and some really experimental stuff. Really remarkable what they achieved, in such time, and a real bond was formed. Huge respect to Bard and all his students I met.
