1 March 2017

“etc is poetry” *
Positions, Paradoxes, Poems
Poets’ Talk and Poetry Night with 20 poets
9 – 10 March, Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz

Over the last years, poetry has attracted increasing attention, with some even talking of the rediscovery of a genre. Even though poetry in Germany continues to be regarded as the poor relation of a profit-orientated book market, the poetry scene has a striking vitality and love of experimentation with new poetry festivals being launched and poetry publishers founded. Above all, though, the poets themselves are engaged in critiquing poetic theory. On Thursday 9 March and Friday 10 March, very diverse positions in contemporary German poetry are brought together in discussions and readings in the Akademie der Künste at Pariser Platz. The questions to be debated include: When is a text a poem? How does the poet create verse? Is there a perfect poem? What is the relationship between inspiration and working on a text? What role is played by performance, insight or even the incomprehensible? 

Peter von Matt opens the event with a lecture on the paradoxes of poetry. Discussions and readings with Durs Grünbein, Monika Rinck, Thomas Rosenlöcher, Nora Gomringer, Jan Wagner, Kerstin Hensel, Michael Lentz, Ulf Stolterfoht, Ursula Krechel, Michael Krüger, Marcel Beyer, Volker Braun, Friedrich Christian Delius, Nico Bleutge, Harald Hartung, Angela Krauß, Steffen Popp, Kathrin Schmidt, Lutz Seiler and Elke Erb. The Poetry Night is accompanied by the Swiss jazz duo Aliéksey Vianna (guitar) and Bodo Maier (trumpet/flugelhorn).

* Ernst Jandl, easy grammar poem


Programme

Thursday 9 March 2017
Lecture 6 pm
Welcome: Kerstin Hensel
Peter von Matt: “DER STEHENDE BLITZ. Die Paradoxien des Gedichts”

6.45 pm Poets Talk I
With Durs Grünbein, Monika Rinck, Thomas Rosenlöcher
Presenter: Gregor Dotzauer

8.30 pm Poets Talk II
With Nora Gomringer, Michael Lentz, Jan Wagner, Kerstin Hensel
Presenter: Michael Opitz

Friday 10 March 2017
6 pm Poets Talk III
With Ursula Krechel, Ulf Stolterfoht, Marcel Beyer, Michael Krüger
Presenter: Tobias Lehmkuhl

8 pm Poetry Night
With Marcel Beyer, Nico Bleutge, Volker Braun, Friedrich Christian Delius, Elke Erb, Nora Gomringer, Durs Grünbein, Harald Hartung, Kerstin Hensel, Angela Krauß, Ursula Krechel, Michael Krüger, Michael Lentz, Steffen Popp, Thomas Rosenlöcher, Kathrin Schmidt, Lutz Seiler, Ulf Stolterfoht, and Jan Wagner

Music: Aliéksey Vianna (guitar) and Bodo Maier (trumpet/flugelhorn), jazz duo from Basel

On both days, Kerstin Hensel and Thomas Rosenlöcher are holding writing workshops for school pupils.

Interview enquiries:
Kerstin Gnielka and Maren Baier, Tel. (030) 200 57-1542
Gnielka@adk.de, Baier@adk.de

Event details:
“etc is poetry”. Positions, Paradoxes, Poems
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 4, 10117 Berlin-Mitte
Tel. (030) 200 57-1000
Admission for each day €7/5
Press Tickets Tel.: (030) 20057-1514, presse@adk.de
Ticket reservations: Tel.: (030) 200 57-1000, ticket@adk.de, www.adk.de/tickets