Art and the play of exchange

“I listened for the silences in his work, he listened for the silences in mine.”

Dear friends, 

This week, I was due to do a slot of poetry as part of the evening entertainment for a conference. The evening had a few artists: another poet (Melissa Lozada-Oliva) and also a jazz quartet (the Marcus Shelby Quartet). When we were doing a sound check and figuring out the order of things for the evening, Marcus asked both Melissa and myself if we wanted some backing for some poems. 

God I love improvisatory musicians. 

What to do in the face of such an opportunity? The only answer is yes. “Give me the first five words of the poem,” Marcus said, and I did… he closed his eyes, felt the words for half a minute, then said “I’ve got it.” That was it. Later that evening, I recited the poem and he played. Him on a gorgeous upright double bass, me on words, and the poem — a lament and celebration for a friend — unfolded as we discovered what was being created as it was being created. I listened for the silences in his work, he listened for the silences in mine. 

In the string of an instrument, in a line of poetry, there’s tension, restraint, and particularity. There was the delicious energy of risk, too: Marcus and I had never met until that day. But there was the play of exchange, too. Each of us confident in our art, and curious about what would happen in the space beyond our control. 

It was a delicious collaboration. Something new was made — something in between poetry and music, something in between feeling and experience. Something in between sadness and joy. 

Photo by Annisa Hale

For me, one of the things art can do is to hold a fragile moment and propose that that fragile moment is worthy of attention. Alexander Posey’s poem this week in Poetry Unbound looks at a drop of dew and compares it to vast powers of kings. And Rowan Ricardo Phillips considers a solitary moment one early morning in a city, a moment he’s always remembered, a moment that is a distillation of music, memory, place, love, lament, and defiance. 

I’m always cautious about implying that art has purpose — in a sense, art is its own thing; and while it makes all kinds of things happen, I don’t want to limit art. However, time and time again, we see the creative potentials of art: what it can ignite in a roomful of people, what can happen when one practice of art is brought into conversation with other disciplines (I wrote about this for the Times Educational Supplement this week).

So my curiosity is about a time when art made something happen for you: perhaps it was bringing a poem into conversation with your work; or a piece of music that moved a group of people closer to each other. 

It’s a broad question, I know, but I’m curious about what art has made happen. 

I’m looking forward to the read! And, if you’re in Kanuga, or London or Brighton, I’m looking forward to meeting you there. Thanks to the folks who came to the reading in San Francisco this week, it was lovely to meet you. 

Pádraig

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The latest from Poetry Unbound

Episodes 03 & 04

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Poetry in the World

U.S.A.

Returning and Becoming Conference | Asheville, NC

In a few weeks, I’ll be in North Carolina for a retreat at Kanuga (near Asheville). June 13 (morning and evening) and June 14 (morning). Hosted at an Episcopal Retreat Centre, this conference is open to all. My sessions will examine poetry, language, challenge, and change. Details and registration here.

England

The “You” of Prayer; the “You” of Poetry | London

Londoners, join me on June 29 at the Meditatio Centre for an exploration of prayers and poems through the lens of the lyric address — the “you” at the heart of this most intimate of conversations. If you’re unable to join in person, there’s an online option (and a recording will be sent to all who register). 6:30-9pm, details and registration here.

Poetry Unbound at St. Luke’s | Brighton

I’ll next be in Brighton at St. Luke’s Prestonville, for a reading and chat around the Poetry Unbound book. Would love to see you there: June 30, 7pm. Details and registration here.

Poetry Unbound Live at Southbank | London

On July 23, I’ll be at the Southbank Centre in London as part of the Poetry International Festival. In celebration of the recent Poetry Unbound book, there’ll be an opportunity for non-professional writers and poets to submit their poems, to be featured as part of the event (deadline to apply is Friday 9th July, 11:59pm). And, the wonderful Patience Agbabi and Zaffar Kunial will join me on stage for a chat, 5pm. Find out more and apply to take part here.