Berlin Poetry Hearings, Nov. 2009

This is no longer news; instead, it's history. That's Alistair Noon, who did the first reading at the Berlin Poetry Hearings 2009, back on November 20.
Then came Mary Noonan.
And Maurice Scully.
And to close the first night, Matthew Sweeney.
Tom Chivers opened the readings on Saturday, November 21.
Donna Stonecipher was up next.

Then I read (and I have no photos of myself). My setlist:

Happening
Ars Conjectandi
Certain Restrictions Apply
Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear
Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Reception
Puppets
Aftermath
September Rain
Then Hannah Silva.
And Tim Turnbull closed out the evening—well, then there was a Johnny Cash cover band, but that was not part of the Poetry Hearings. Tim was gettin' down with Johnny!

Matthew Sweeney, Tim Turnbull, and Jan Wagner in Basel, November 4, 2009

[Click on the image to get a larger version.]

Edinburgh Reading, Feb. 8, 2009

Here's Rob Mackenzie introducing the poets at the "Poetry at the Great Grog" reading on February 8, 2009, in Edinburgh.
If the venue does not look like a bar (which is what the Great Grog is), that's because it not: it's a beautiful room at St. Cuthbert's Church. The reading was relocated after Rob realized that the Great Grog would probably be full of rugby fans in the evening after a Scotland-Wales match in Edinburgh!

The first reader was Alan Gay.

Then came me.
My set list:

The Day after Writing a Poem
Doggerel
Expat
The Seven-Year-Old Atheist
Edge
Pipe Smoke
Origin (by Dieter M. Gräf, tr. AS; note that the poem is incorrectly titled at the link)
In the breaks between the trees (by Ilma Rakusa, tr. AS)
The Letter Scale (by Jacques Réda, tr. AS)
Thomas Hardy Listens to Louis Armstrong
Aftermath
City
September Rain

After me came Jane McKie.


And then Tim Turnbull.


When I'm a participant, I find it hard to comment on the other readers, but I did enjoy them all, each in their own way! One thing's for sure: I'm glad I did not follow Tim, who is a wonderful performer!

Two Readings

I'll be reading in Edinburgh on February 8 as part of the Poetry at the Great Grog series organized by Rob Mackenzie. Rob has posted a poem of mine on the Poetry at the Great Grog blog. He's also put together a Facebook event page for the reading if you want to tell us in advance that you can come! Also reading that night are Tim Turnbull, Jane McKie, and Alan Gay (see the Poetry at the Great Grog blog page for links to their work).

I'll also be reading at the Literaturzoll in Basel on February 22. My reading will be in English (mostly); the other readers will be reading in German. The event is hosted by Guy Krneta, Katrin Eckert, Martin Zingg, and Andreas Mauz; the other readers are Daniel Berner, Martin Gelzer, and Regula Schröter.