Join us for the 3rd and final program of the 2026 Midwest Video Poetry Fest at 8 PM on Saturday, April 4, 2026. Eight films from Australia; Brazil; China; Ireland; the Netherlands; St. Augustine, FL; and Olympia, WA centering around the more-than-human world.
Save your seat for one or more of the evening's programs by clicking the button below:
Program 1 begins at 6 PM and Program 2 begins at 7 PM
1) I found some old footage of a tree (04m54s)
Directed by Krista Leigh Steinke
Written by
Texas, United States
Krista Leigh Steinke Website
In "I found some old footage of a tree," the materiality of film becomes a metaphor for time, impermanence, and the ephemeral nature of the physical world.
2) Invisible Rivers Triptych (04m34s)
Directed by Marilyn McCabe
Written by Marilyn McCabe
United States
A three-part videopoem reflecting on the changing world, the changing self, the changing river.
3) Red Bucket (03m51s)
Directed by Patrick Moser
Written by Patrick Moser
Florida, United States
Patrick Moser Website
Featured in 15 festivals, "Red Buckets" is an experimental animated reflection on a failed attempt to clean fish as a privileged child on the southern coast.
4) Mitosis (04m02s)
Directed by Desi Mensah
Written by Louise Glück
Netherlands
Louise Glück's poem uses the concept of mitosis--the process by which a cell replicates and segragates its chromosomes--to explore the divergent paths of the mind and the body.
5) Flowing Soil And Other Forms (05m28s)
Directed by Yujie Xu
Written by Yujie Xu
China
XU Yujie Website
Mesmerizing animated film tracing the shape of an old place.
6) Late on the Planet (05m00s)
Directed by Julia Tonon
Written by Leonardo Piana, Julia Tonon
Brazil
Hombres Videopoetry Award article
Guided by poetry, "Late on the Planet" is a meditation on the weight we give to the idea of finitude and on our precarious relationship with the more-than-human world.
7) Blame (04m51s)
Directed by Emily Munro
Written by Emily Munro
United Kingdom
Emily Munro Website
A love poem at the end of the world, navigating an ecological break-up.
8) Are We There Yet? (04m13s)
Directed by Ian Gibbins
Written by Ian Gibbins
Australia
The Anthropocene has been defined as the geologic period where the environmental effects of humans can be found preserved in the sediments of the earth. However there is considerable debate around the nominal starting point of this period. So the big question is: are we there yet?
9) A Vernacular of the Numinous (05m55s)
Directed by M Freeman
Written by M Freeman
Washington, United States
M Freeman's website
Juxtaposing spacious moving images of the everyday with a voiced reflection on the busy life and everyday mystical moments, A Vernacular of the Numinous is a poetic meditation on the extraordinary ordinary.
Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.
Our galleries are normally open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.