Midwest Video Poetry Fest 2023 Day 1

Join us for the 4th annual Midwest Video Poetry Fest on Saturday, October 14, 2023 and Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 7 PM for live reading and video collaborations followed by a screening of the best new poetry videos from around the world. These films include original poems, experimental works, animation, translations, and more. Filmmakers, poets, and festival organizers will be on hand for a short Q&A after the screening.

This event will be held live at ALL in Madison. Seating is limited; admission is $5.

Live Video Poetry Performances

Dana Maya and Aaron Granat
Cynthia Marie Hoffman and Natalie Hinckley

Videos will also be screened at Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee.

1) Learn to Swim Pt 2 (5m6s)
Directed by Carlos Zaya
Written by Ehimwenma Joshua Idehen
United Kingdom

Joshua Idehen recites a poem—a collection of dozens of aphorisms about living a more fulfilling life, including the benefits of learning how to swim.

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2) you _ me (1m14s)
Directed by Yolanda Moreno Torrado
Written by
Spain
Creator's Website

Metaphor and connotation establish dialogues that generate different angles of reflection in each one. "you _ me" is a self-discursive construction, which invites others to build their own discourses.

3) Because You Speak of Fur (3m13s)
Directed by Patricia Delso Lucas, Johanna Wagner
Written by Georg Leß
Belgium

Adaptated from "Anderkatt" (The Haircut) by Berlin-based author Georg Leß, "Because You Speaker of Fur" is an exchange of imagery and soundscapes as a result of an interrupted conversation between two women: one who is out on an expedition, the other one at home following the expedition from afar.

4) "reverence" (3m30s)
Directed by M Freeman
Written by M Freeman
United States
Author Website

A meditation on the irrepressible awe of being, "reverence" is a selection from Cinema Divina, M's ongoing series of genre-fluid films (short, autobiographic, poetic, psalm-like, essayistic) created through contemplative practice.

5) Hypnic Jerk (2m55s)
Directed by Pamela Falkenberg, Jack Cochran
Written by Alan Peat
United States
Outlier Moving Pictures

A wholly imaginary world cut from the cloth of Rousseau’s fantastical paintings and the dream illogic of Alan Peat’s fragmented poem "Hypnic Jerk."

6) For the Skeptical (3m14s)
Directed by Dawn Westlake
Written by Dawn Westlake
United States
Ron De Cana Prods

Interrogates what constitutes truth in our media-saturated and politically autocratic societies.

7) Gaps (6m16s)
Directed by Gabriella Cisneros
Written by Oliver Burkeman
United States

Inspired by and containing quotes from Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, "Gaps" deliberates the ways that we fill a day and our relationship to imperfections and the future.

8) According to Sun Ra, None of Us Are Real (04m38s)
Directed by Naima Lowe
Written by Naima Lowe
United States

Naima Lowe disrupts conventional notions of the biopic in this genre-nonconforming piece centering the mundane queerness of legendary Sun Ra—the prototype Afrofuturist and hugely influential jazz musician. A genre-fluid classic, According to Sun Ra, None of Us Are Real is a liberating tonic honoring the ordinary queerness of a Black legend.

9) Chinatown Diptych (2m43s)
Directed by Jean Coleman
Written by Jenny Xie
United States
The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation

American poet Jenny Xie performs her poem "Chinatown Diptych" while roaming the scenes and textures of New York City's Chinatown.

10) The Racist Bone (3m01s)
Directed by Matthew Thompson
Written by Cornelius Eady
New York, United States
Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation

Poet, educator, and Cave Canem co-founder Cornelius Eady performs his poem "The Racist Bone" in a film shot in Poets House in New York City.

11) Burial Rites (1m43s)
Directed by Marius Grose
Written by Marius Grose
United Kingdom

Through layered images of the natural world, "Burial Rites" explores themes of transformation, dislocation, growth, and decay to create a new state of being. The mirroring of language phrases in the poem build a rhythm and shape to both poem and film.

12) Davenport (1m30s)
Directed by Michelle Marie Kelley
Written by Michelle Marie Kelley
United States

A Short animated poem with original score. Made with pressure prints hand stenciled and printed on a Vandercook letterpress. Over 300 prints were made to complete each frame of this film.

13) Dunes (7m15s)
Directed by Eta Dahlia
Written by Eta Dahlia
United States

A durational videopoem that explores the communal fluidity and interdependence through minimalist poetry. The single words deconstruct, intermingle, and empower each other to form enriching connections.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

Our galleries are 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.

CALENDAR

Midwest Video Poetry Fest 2023 Day 1

1) Learn to Swim Pt 2 (5m6s) Directed by Carlos Zaya Written by Ehimwenma Joshua Idehen United Kingdom Joshua Idehen recites a poem—a collection of dozens of aphorisms about living a more fulfilling life, including the benefits of learning how to swim.

2) you _ me (1m14s) Directed by Yolanda Moreno Torrado Written by Spain Creator's Website Metaphor and connotation establish dialogues that generate different angles of reflection in each one. "you _ me" is a self-discursive construction, which invites others to build their own discourses.

5) Hypnic Jerk (2m55s) Directed by Pamela Falkenberg, Jack Cochran Written by Alan Peat United States Outlier Moving Pictures A wholly imaginary world cut from the cloth of Rousseau’s fantastical paintings and the dream illogic of Alan Peat’s fragmented poem "Hypnic Jerk."

6) For the Skeptical (3m14s) Directed by Dawn Westlake Written by Dawn Westlake United States Ron De Cana Prods Interrogates what constitutes truth in our media-saturated and politically autocratic societies.

7) Gaps (6m16s) Directed by Gabriella Cisneros Written by Oliver Burkeman United States Inspired by and containing quotes from Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman, "Gaps" deliberates the ways that we fill a day and our relationship to imperfections and the future.

9) Chinatown Diptych (2m43s) Directed by Jean Coleman Written by Jenny Xie United States The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation American poet Jenny Xie performs her poem "Chinatown Diptych" while roaming the scenes and textures of New York City's Chinatown.

10) The Racist Bone (3m01s) Directed by Matthew Thompson Written by Cornelius Eady New York, United States Adrian Brinkerhoff Poetry Foundation Poet, educator, and Cave Canem co-founder Cornelius Eady performs his poem "The Racist Bone" in a film shot in Poets House in New York City.

12) Davenport (1m30s) Directed by Michelle Marie Kelley Written by Michelle Marie Kelley United States A Short animated poem with original score. Made with pressure prints hand stenciled and printed on a Vandercook letterpress. Over 300 prints were made to complete each frame of this film.

13) Dunes (7m15s) Directed by Eta Dahlia Written by Eta Dahlia United States A durational videopoem that explores the communal fluidity and interdependence through minimalist poetry. The single words deconstruct, intermingle, and empower each other to form enriching connections.