All posts by Andrea Brady

NEWS: POET-IN-RESIDENCE

The Archive seeks to appoint a Poet in Residence.  This residency will be virtual, within the Archive, rather than based at the University.  Its value is £3,600 for a twelve-month period starting on 1 May 2013.

This residency has the following four aims:

  • To explore the creative and critical implications of performance, recording and digital dissemination of poetry.
  • To investigate the characteristics of performance and the transition between page and voice which emerge in the Archive’s collection of recordings.
  • To produce materials which allow users to engage with the Archive in new ways.
  • To develop students’ understanding of the relations between text, performance, and digital publication.

The Poet in Residence will be asked to produce a monthly response to the Archive (twelve responses in total).  These responses, which may include (but are not limited to) new work (written, audio or video), a short commentary on one of the recordings, a set of questions or reflections on digital writing, an essay or podcast, etc., will be published on the Archive website.

In addition, the Poet in Residence will be asked to lead three workshops over the course of the residency for students in secondary schools and sixth-form colleges.  The design and planning of these workshops will be the responsibility of the Poet, but the workshops should involve students thinking about the relation between poetry and performance by creating a new text and conducting performance experiments.  Finished student contributions will be hosted on the Archive in a special ‘emerging writers’ portal.  Enrolment in the workshops will be facilitated by the Education Liaison and Widening Participation Office at QMUL, and attendance will be capped at 30 each.  The workshops will be held at QMUL.  A per diem to cover expenses, travel within the UK and accommodation in Londonwill be provided to the Poet in Residence.

The Residence will be managed by the Director of the Archive, Dr Andrea Brady.  She will liaise with the poet, monitor his or her contributions to the website, and set up the school workshops at times which are mutually convenient to the poet and the schools.

The Poet will be chosen by a panel including the Director of the Archive and its Advisory Board.

To apply for this Residency, please submit your CV including the names of two referees plus a short description (1500 words) of the proposed activities during the residency.

Applications should be sent as hard copies to: Dr Andrea Brady, Schoolof Englishand Drama, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London. E1 4NS.  Application enquiries should be directed to a.brady@qmul.ac.uk.

A confirmation email will be sent acknowledging receipt of all applications.  The deadline for receipt of applications is 1 December 2012.  Interviews will take place at the beginning of January.

 Valuing Diversity & Committed to Equality

An editorial on the Archive for the Poetry School

‘The Archive demonstrates that the prestige presses and predictable prizes don’t have a monopoly on publication or literary value. The UK has an old and venerable tradition of keeping its most startling, exciting and ground-breaking work on the down-low, in the little magazines and small presses, the reading series in dilapidated pubs and tiny galleries and schools and towers. Over time, these activities become central to what British poetry can be. In recognition of the importance of the public reading, which draws in new audiences and makes new poets, sharpens lines and breaks open complacencies, the Archive is soon to include recordings of important historic reading series from throughout the UK. In that way, the Archive testifies that there are other ways of being a public writer than achieving commercial success. It is one of many places held open by poetry, where we can still hear each other and ourselves.’

Read more about the Archive in an editorial by the Director at the Poetry School.

Funding for the Archive of the Now

The Archive has just been awarded a small grant from the Centre for Public Engagement, at Queen Mary University of London, to support and develop the site.  Over the coming months, we’ll be expanding our collection with a series of recording sessions which will be open to the public.  We’ll also shortly be announcing a new residency programme and unveiling a set of new tools for using and exploring the Archive.  Check back with us soon!

New look now

Thanks to Phil Meades for the complete overhaul of our website, and Richard Feasey at Designworks for the new design.  The Archive of the Now is now again!  The new advanced structure will make the site much easier to update, and funding from the Westfield Trust at Queen Mary has allowed us to purchase equipment and fund an editorial assistant.  So we’re embarking on a campaign of new recordings and updates to the site.  If you have a recording to donate, or updates for an existing page, please email Andrea.  Any feedback on the new site design would also be welcome.  Enjoy!