ian heames

How would you run a reading series if the writers were situated on either side of the Atlantic? With a camera and what will hopefully remain a stable Wi-Fi connection, say organisers behind unAmerican Activities – a poetry reading series currently organising their fourth transatlantic poetry reading.

The format behind unAmerican Activities is very well crafted. Each reading features two established writers, giving them plenty of space to showcase the breadth of their work. Additionally, these writers are asked to read pieces that have inspired them in their career. Their work is accompanied by critical texts discussing the work presented, commissioned by the organisers.

Audience members are treated to a specially tailored pamphlet containing excerpts from the readings as well as critical essays. As unAmerican Activities are connected with independent publishers both in New York and Cambridge, these pamphlets are often beautifully produced. In a sense, the unAmerican Activities project gives the audience the opportunity to experience all aspects of literary production, from inspiration, through publication, ending in performance and criticism.

As the readings are streamed between the Judith E. Wilson Studio in Cambridge and Page22 in New York, the audience have the opportunity to discuss the performance with the parallel audiences via Skype during the interval. unAmerican Activities attempts to feature both established and up-and-coming writers, and have previously organised readings with Wendy Mulford, Abigail Child, Peter Larkin and Lanny Jordan Jackson.

unAmerican Activities hopes to provide a space for ground breaking contemporary poetry and while I’m sure many will worry about the technological difficulties that might occur, this unusual format is sure to make an impression. Some of the readers have even taken advantage of this, and used the camera as a conscious part of the performance.

The next transatlantic reading will take place on Sunday 17th of November, with Allen Fisher reading in the Judith E. Wilson Studio alongside Steve McCaffery in New York.

McCaffery, although born in Sheffield, was part of the Canadian avant-garde scene in the 1970s and has since published a series of chapbooks and full-length collections. He has worked both with sound poetry and concrete poetry, and his work is described as “going beyond the sentence and the word.”

Fisher, who will be reading in Cambridge is a painter, publisher, poet and performer. Based in London, Fisher is often associated with the British Poetry Revival movement of the 1960s and 70s. His latest publication is Proposals, a poem-image-commentary piece of which Ken Edwards has noted the aesthetic importance of facing the unknown and starting again. Both writers are experienced performers and will be reading primarily from recent and unpublished work. 

unAmerican Activities might remind some of more sinister attention once lavished on creative texts, but the poetry reading series that shares its name merely attempts to break the bounds of geography.