01/03/2024
This past weekend at 's Linneaus, the legendary wordsmith and academic, graced us with a poetry reading of selected poems from her published books. She exuded a homeliness in the way she did the reading, that it felt like we were in a sitting room listening to our sister telling us stories, in heightened text that we could all comprehend. In her own words, it was more an "annotated reading as a way to reflect on my practice as a poet."
Those present were afforded the opportunity to ask questions, comment, or simply gush over her eloquence and groundedness intertwined.
Amidst my bag of takeaways from the reading, one of the things that has sat with me since is how once words are spoken, despite their intended meaning by the author, like organic matter, they can grow limbs and move to wherever and however they want, thus transforming or evolving to something else. For example, 1 + 1 is 2, but it's also 11, which can also communicate abruptness or lateness (I.e. 11th hour) and so on.
Unpacking the entire poetry reading would end up becoming a thesis, so I pause here... leaving you to allow the images to speak, and perhaps encourage you to attend the next reading.
Taboka TJ [snaps fingers]
'An/Other Pastoral' book cover design:
'The Careless Seamstress' book cover design:
Arts residency:
