I don’t intend the below as an offensive
against other possibilities but a possible widening of them.
(i)
Pasolini as a starting
point (especially cf. Keston Sutherland’s outline) but also Nanni Balestrini
& others. ‘Bifo’ Berardi’s essay ‘Pasolini In Tottenham’ & recent book
‘The Uprising : On Poetry & Finance’ of texts written during & after
2011. Ok, far more complex than this & only a ‘starting point’ &
needing criticism : but vital presence.
(ii)
Cecilia Vicuña : ‘Split Temple : Selected Performances Of Cecilia Vicuña’ & Kirill Med-vedev ‘It’s No Good : Poems/Essays/Actions’
(both Ugly Duckling Presse NY & other books from same press) as examples
of direction specifically
involving performance & action. Many other practices of poets worldwide
that could be ‘woven in’.
(iii)
Poetry of David Kessel : his
work as radical poet & in mental health survival as crucial, yet little
known to more academic radical poetries. Howard Mingham also (see review online
of latter by Richard Owens). John Rety & Torriano as long-term activisms
(strong links to Parliament Square protest) also uninvolved by more academic
poetries. Poems of Sharon Morris (‘Gospel Oak’ 2013) & especially
‘Parliament Hill’ in that book.
(iv)
Webs & strata of radical
(leftist) experimental European poetry, both throughout C20th & also
contemporary into C21st : also please to weave more into practice here. Also
the range of radical non-English language poets living (in exile/otherwise) in
London & UK. This argument I didn’t have time enough to elaborate during
conference.
(v)
Essential that
actions/writings/theory are open & expansive, peace-energised rather than
violence-dictated (at least for me). This is complex & needs elaborating,
but I’d have to encapsulate that ‘tenderness’ is a vital part/definition of
revolution. That we need to be open to those we don’t agree with beyond our
arguments. Concern that ‘militant’ poetry/actions may preclude such vital
inclusions & warmths.
(vi)
Co-translation as a vigorous
& exemplary example of the practice of ‘collective author-ship’ that was
much discussed during the day. Again I didn’t have time to mention this.
(vii)
Example of Jack Hirschman. I
recognise some negative/doubting reaction to parts of his contribution to 2012
conference : but remind that he was the person last year who did propose a
‘militant poets cell’ (even if people may not have agreed with his premises or
taken him up on his suggestion). Jack also as astonishing exemplar of
poet-translator-activist. Between 1971 & 2006 he published 62 book
translations of radical & worker poets from Russian, Italian, French,
Greek, Albanian, Spanish, Haitian Creole & many more books since. For some
reason he didn’t himself elaborate on this last year (& I didn’t have time to even mention him this year) though we’d asked
him to.
Msr. Grim Weaper
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