WITH Manchester Literature Festival behind us for another year, lovers of the spoken word may be left feeling a little bereft, but fear not, newcomers Poet in the City are in town with a brand new programme featuring two Sunday afternoons of wordsmithery, music and intellectual meandering to gladden the heart and mind this November.
This listening event (like a film screening, but without the pictures) will draw on audio, radio and sound art from around the world
Taking to the stage at the Royal Exchange Theatre on Sunday 6 November, in collaboration with Aurora Orchestra, the first event is a special evening of poetry, music and art in celebration of the mid-century New York poet Frank O’Hara, 50 years since his death. His iconic legacy transformed film, art literature and music, and this event will bring together live performances of music by John Cage and Billie Holiday to accompany his poetry and reflections on his extraordinary life.
Frank O'Hara was a dynamic leader of the 'New York School' of poets
On Sunday 27 November, Poet in the City unites with HOME and Hubbub at Wellcome Trust for an entirely different affair. Interrogating the relationship between poetry, the city and daydreaming through film, performance and discussion, this mini-festival seeks to connect mind wandering with the experience of the city and the poetics of space, featuring a wealth of creative talent including Lauren Elkin, Inua Ellams and Helen Mort, plus a special sound installation from radio collective In The Dark.
This listening event (like a film screening, but without the pictures) will draw on audio, radio and sound art from around the world, past and present, to examine the way that our inner worlds have been portrayed through sound, and be followed by a screening of legendary director Jean Cocteau’s 1950 film Orphée.
Frank O Hara: In the Heart of Noise Tickets £12/£10. Box Office 0161 833 9833 / royalexchange.co.uk/bookonline
Daydreaming in the City, HOME, ON SALE NOW
