BERLINER REDE ZUR POESIE 2024 – TERRANCE HAYES: Introduction to an Illustrated Timeline of Poetic Influence – The Poetics of Context, Text, and Subtext

In the organizer's words:

Dome Hall

"Reading is a mix of telepathy and time travel. [...] I consider my life evidence. My life is made possible because of my writing, but my writing is made possible because of my reading." In "Watch Your Language", it is not only the poet who speaks, but also and above all the poetry enthusiast Terrance Hayes (born 1971 in Columbia, South Carolina). In short essays, illustrations, poems, diagrams and game instructions, Hayes traces his reading biography and calls for vigilance towards language. In doing so, he presents both a possible outline of American poetry of the last century and a glowing tribute to the writers he admires - James Baldwin, Gwendolyn Brooks, Wanda Coleman and Yusef Komunyakaa, to name but a few. Hayes does not cover his role models with brittle biographical accounts, but with eclectic portraits overflowing with poetic ingenuity. The essay on Russell Atkins, for example, states: "Art should encourage expenditures of beasts buried with candelabras burning elaborately underground."

The event will be interpreted into English and German.

Deutschlandfunk Kultur will broadcast a recording of the speech.

Project management: Matthias Kniep | Nadine Tenbieg

With: Terrance Hayes

Supported by:

The poesiefestival berlin is a project of the Haus für Poesie in cooperation with the silent green Kulturquartier and the Akademie der Künste and is funded by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds.