Join Gboyega Odubanjo and Bad Betty Press for good, decent fun at the launch of his debut pamphlet ‘While I Yet Live’.
Guests:
Esi Yankey
Esi Yankey is a British-Ghanaian performance poet. She is the founder of Poetry Prescribed, Co-Host and Resident Poet at The Chocolate Poetry Club, and Host of Mind Over Matter. She is currently working towards releasing her book ‘Black Spider Spirit’.
Cai Draper
Cai Draper is a poet from South London. In 2018 he completed an MA in Creative Writing (Poetry) at the University of East Anglia. His work has been published by Draft London, PNYX, and Burning House Press.
Esther Kondo Heller
Esther Kondo Heller is a poet born in Berlin and raised in Mombasa. In 2018 she started an undergraduate diploma in Creative Writing at the University of Oxford. She is a member of the Barbican Young Poets 2018/19.
Iris Colomb
Iris Colomb is a poet, artist, curator, editor, and translator based in London. Her work can involve artist books, performances, experimental translation, spitting in books, red bins, metal tubes, and turning audiences into poetry machines. She is the Co-Editor of HVTN Press and a founding member of the multidisciplinary collective ‘No Such Thing’.
East Anglia Records
East Anglia Records is a producer, label, and practice of its founder, Harry Bix. East Anglia Records has shown at CGP Gallery; Tate Modern; 9B Cork Street; J:Gallery, Shanghai; CRATE, Margate; Fillet, London; ICA; Zona de Desgaste, Mexico City; Chalton Gallery; Cantina Social, Athens; blip blip blip, Leeds.
eastangliarecords.com
Thank you to all the people that came to Domicilium at Deriva on the 11.12.18 and for bearing with me through my set.
I have been experimenting a lot with video and words. I’m often misunderstood because I have been exposed to many things, yet people seek differences.
The thing that has kept me going for a long time is my genuine excitement for things. Yet, it is getting harder to remain joyful and curious. Experimenting with video, photography, sound, biology and poetry are a few things that still excite me.
However, I do not want to put my life on those things because that would be placing too much pressure on those things and I know that attention is a rare commodity so I might lose it if I give these things my life. Yet, they are my life, or are they? or is my life my breath? my dependence on the photosynthesis of others? what has priority? Sorry, I can’t help but be vague and emotional. I laugh too when I want, swimming and floating is my only way of flying.
Images shot by at Sanna Kartau
Music: https://soundcloud.com/slominu/ginivera
Abscission in plants is the shedding of leaves, flowers and fruits. The process of abscission in plants happens in three processes
1) resorption,
2) protective layer formation
3) detachment.
The detachment phase is increased by water inhibition as observed in apple, citrus, peach and nut trees. Abscission in cells is observed during cytokinesis which is the cell division process when the cytoplasm( all the contents of a cell apart from the nucleus) of one eukaryotic cell divides into two daughter cells. Abscission is the phase where two daughter cells get split up, therefore completing cytokinesis. In zoology, abscission is the shedding of a body part such as a claw or in the case of some Geckos the shedding of a tail to avoid predators.
The poet in this piece is shedding parts of themselves. Shedding of hair and of panic that releases tears and pain. Abscission is a form of vulnerability, as the fallen leaves of pain and the fruits of fear and doubt have fallen. Yet, not fully out of sight, as the fruits lie on display for all to see. The poet like a tree drops fruits of truths and nuts of fears, that hit the reader to pick up, ingest and introspect.
This is the rebirth of something great. I have come together with two amazing Berlin based poetesses Candice and Troviana to form the collective Poet and Prophetess. Poet and Prophetess is a literary collective that aims to promote and cater to unheard and marginalised voices. The collective aspires to aquire their own physical space in Berlin that will facilitate events, workshops and creative space for BAME artists. The debut performance of the collective will take place at the ‘Poetry meets Jazz ” event that is collaberating with the Stadtsprachen and Literarisches Colloquium Berlin on that day.
I will be reading my poetry at cashmere radio tune in people :O
https://cashmereradio.com/shows/cryptomnesia/
On Friday the 16th of March 2018 I performed at Mic Drop. This performance was rather spontaneous as I was going to the bar (where Mic drop was taking place) because I had been invited to a birthday. I thought that the birthday was taking place at the poetry event. Once I got there I found out that the birthday was happening in the room next door. However, I had already spoken to the lovely organiser and she asked me if I wanted to participate in the open mic session, and I said yes. I have performed at the open mic session of this event before, so this was my second time.
I didn’t realise how nervous I was till I had the mic in my hands and my hands were shaking uncontrollably. Sometimes I feel that the body feels more then the mind actually articulates. I read two pieces and had a good time as I saw a lot of people that inspire me and that make my life in Berlin warm, even when it is minus 3 degrees outside.
The event Mic Drop was born out of a podcast (with the same title) that the organiser had hosted, to highlight spokenword artists. This was the second Mic Drop event to have taken place in Berlin. I personally like that the setting of this event is very liberating, especially for black and brown bodies to speak their truth, yet it is not exclusively for black and brown bodies. Another reason why I love this event is that the vibe is not competitive, which is the case for most poetry events here in Germany. Because this is not a slam. This is a spoken-word event that is all about creating images and magic using your voice and words. I can only recommend this event for people that want to share their work and are still shy or unsure as the environment at Mic Drop is very open and encouraging.
