International Conceptual Poetry: Fitterman, de la Torre, Yankelevich
INTERNATIONAL CONCEPTUAL POETRY:Appropriation, Information, Experimentation
July 4
7:30 pm International Conceptual Poetry
4:00 pm Tour around Mildred’s Lane
5:30 pm Dinner
(Seating and Chef presentations at 5:30 sharp.)
Please make reservations at mildredslane@gmail.com as seating is limited. BYOB
What is Conceptual Poetry?
For the past decade or so, many innovative poets have moved away from a poetry that privileges “voice” and “craft” in exchange for a poetry that forefronts the idea that drives a text. In the U.S., much of this poetry is driven by our new relationship to language via technology-the use of extant, recycled or found texts parallels the excessive flood of text and information that we digest daily. For many of the Conceptual poets, how we design our paths through this morass of language is our “voice” and our skill as composers. One of the exciting things about this new tendency is its global reach. As evidenced by new literary conferences and festivals abroad, Conceptual poetry has been embraced by many younger poets are often in dialogue with a long lineage of Conceptual writing-a tradition that has been less apparent here in the U.S. In this 2-day event, Matvei Yankelevich, Mónica De La Torre, Steven Zultanski and Rob Fitterman will perform their works and also offer some contextual discussion. On the second day of the event, some of the participants will conduct a hands-on workshop, where we will create a collaborative text.
Mónica de la Torre writes about art and culture for publications in Mexico and the U.S. and is the author of the poetry books Public Domain, Talk Shows, and Acúfenos. She is the senior editor at BOMB magazine.
Matvei Yankelevich’s books and chapbooks include Boris by the Sea (Octopus Books), The Present Work (Palm Press), and Writing in the Margin (Loudmouth Collective). His translations of Daniil Kharms were collected in Today I Wrote Nothing: The Selected Writings of Daniil Kharms (Ardis/Overlook) and received praise from the TLS, the Guardian, the New York Times, and elsewhere. At Ugly Duckling Presse, he designs and/or edits many and various books, is the editor of the Eastern European Poets Series, and a co-editor of 6X6.
Steven Zultanski is the author of Pad (Make Now) and Cop Kisser (BookThug). He edits President’s Choice magazine, a Lil’ Norton publication.
Robert Fitterman is the author of 13 books and chapbooks of poetry-four of those books are home to his long poem, Metropolis. Other books include Rob the Plagiarist , War, The Musical, and Notes on Conceptualisms, a collaboration with Vanessa Place (UDP 2009). His poetry often samples Internet language through the filter of Conceptual Art strategies. He has created several video presentations that accompany his writing, and he has collaborated with many visual artists, including Nayland Blake, Dirk Rowntree and Klaus Killisch.
More Thanks
Mildred’s Lane is an Artist-driven Project in the form of a new contemporary art complex(ity) and is not yet funded by any organization. Our Colleagues, Artists and Institutions are recommending student involvements. Their scholarships and tuitions fund the ongoing lectures, events and dinners. Currently the Institutions who are co-evolving with this unusual pedagogical strategy are: Delaware Valley Arts Alliance, Narrowsburg NY; Columbia University, New York; Parson’s New School of Design, New York; The School of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston; Tufts University Art Center, Boston; and University of Minnesota Department of Art. We would like to thank those Institutions and the swarm of Cultural Practitioners, who make up this remarkable program of projects and extraordinary events, for their devoted support. Thank you.
Donations Welcome.