The Best of Video Poetry 2024 | Arts + Literature Laboratory | Madison Contemporary Arts Center

The Best of Video Poetry 2024

Arts + Literature Laboratory is proud to present some of our favorite video poems featured in the first four years of the Midwest Video Poetry Fest. The festival, which invites audiences to discover (or rediscover) poetry, is the first of its kind in Wisconsin. These films, selected specifically for Hawthorne Public Library, include short video poems from around the world, as well as work from regional and local artists. These works are funny, inspiring, heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and timely. The creators of the festival will be on hand to talk about what video poetry is, provide tips on how to make your own, talk about the films themselves, and answer questions.

The screening takes place at Hawthorne Public Library, 2707 E Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53704.

Seating is limited, so please register in advance.

This program was made possible by a grant from the Woodrow Hall Jumpstart Awards.

About Our Lead Curators:

Genia Daniels is a long-time Madison resident involved in multiple art forms. She is a founding board member of Arts + Literature Laboratory (ALL).

Rita Mae Reese is a Co-director of ALL. An animated video from the title poem of her first book, The Alphabet Conspiracy, was showcased at the Association of Independent Commercial Producers Midwest Trade Show.

photo of man in suit sitting on stage, arm reaching out. man playing piano in background.

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.

Douglas Kearney multiplied on Zoom

2) I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always (4m06s)
Directed by Laura Iancu
Written by Douglas Kearney
Virginia, United States

A poem extracted from a Douglas Kearney public zoom reading with a visual treatment by Laura Iancu.

drawing of a full moon with a man's head in front of it

3) The Moon Appears (3m37s)
Directed by Jelle Meys
Written by Federico García Lorca
Belgium

An animated interpretation of the mysterious poem "La luna asoma (The moon appears)" by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.

At the rise of the moon 

bells fade out 

and impassable paths 

appear….

Black woman with a dark head wrap on and black dress with silver necklaces hands cupped in front of her standing in a parking lot with industrial buildings in the background

4) The Beckoning (3m18s)
Directed by DeMar Walker
Written by Destinny Fletcher
Wisconsin, United States

“The Beckoning” is a dance short film that addresses the historical & political violence of displacement/dispossession inflicted on the Black body in hopes of signifying the inherent virtue of Black life within American society. The film features choreography by DeMar Walker, original poetry by Destinny Fletcher, and original music by Kellen “KLASSIK” Abston. 

phone beside plums on table This Is Just to Say Midwest Video Poetry Fest

5) This Is Just to Say (30s)
Directed by Joseph Puglisi
Written by Joseph Puglisi
Colorado, United States
Joseph Puglisi's Website

A contemporary take on William Carlos Williams’s modern classic.

blurry photo of subject's neck and chest, wearing a black scarf and a patterned, green cardigan

6) Crane Waltz (2m27s)
Directed by Kelly Smith-Campbell
Written by Michelle Seaman
United States
Author's Website

Interdisciplinary Artists, Kelly Smith-Campbell, Michelle Seaman, and Benjamin Dauer collaborate as Half Wild blending spoken and sung poetry with electro-acoustic music. For Crane Waltz, they explore what it means to move, migrate, connect, and keep a steady pace in an ever-changing world. 

Cornelius Eady wearing glasses

7) 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.

protestors with signs reading I Am a Man, still Emmett til de remix Midwest Video Poetry Fest

8) Emmett (til de remix) (6m09s)
Directed by Masahiro Sugano
Written by Avery R. Young, Masahiro Sugano
Washington, United States
Studio Revolt Website

This powerful spoken word film, a collaboration between filmmaker Masahiro Sugano and poet Avery R. Young, pays homage to the Civil Rights Movement in honor of Emmett Till.

Black and white simple drawing of two figures with big eyes, one frowning and one smiling

9) One Night (0m55s)
Directed by Amara Rumi Doughtery
Written by Michael Bazzett
Pennsylvania, United States

"One Night" is a commissioned poem collaboration by award-winning poet Michael Bazzett of Chicago and thirteen-year-old autistic animator Amara Rumi Dougherty of Erie, PA.

Hide Your Name Buddha destroyed by extremists Midwest Video Poetry Fest

10) Hide Your Name (3m33s)
Directed by Aninda Rahman
Written by Nazia Afrin
Bangladesh

Based on "Genocide", a poem by Nazia Afrin, this is an unusually progressing collage film presenting  typographic animation, erasure poetry,  and the exploration of assimilation and “otherness.”

man in blue coat and purple hat walks across a field of snow in front of tall wheat

11) Frozen Out (5m00s)
Directed by Hao Zhou
Written by Hao Zhou
China

An émigré retreats to frozen prairies and swamps, hoping to find a meaningful story and escape the anxieties of dislocation. Delivered as a film-letter to the protagonist’s sister in rural China, the film considers his queer self-exile and the vulnerable nature of his home, relationships, and self.

drawing/painting of green couch

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.

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.

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