Public Poetry Collaborates with Experimental Action 2019
By definition, Performance Art is anything but static. It’s ever-evolving and always changing, constantly challenging the institutional and aesthetic norms. The Experimental Action 2019 Festival continues that tradition by collaborating with Houston’s Public Poetry.
It’s a perfect pairing for ExA. As Public Poetry’s Fran Sanders declares, “Public Poetry is all about taking poetry public....we have put hundreds of poets in front of thousands of people at parks, libraries, museums, music venues, festivals, etc . 96-and-counting citywide monthly library readings spotlight spoken word performers, academics, youth, local and national poets plus an open mic.”
Public Poetry’s attitude of passionately and openly promoting the arts aligns with ExA’s own mission. So Fran and ExA’s Director Julia Claire Wallace met and identified a number of ways in which poets and performance artist could collaborate.
In collaboration with Public Poetry, ExA2019 will feature a creative infusion from Houston poets enhancing the Experimental Action experience with dynamic word play.
Rebecca Oxley will attend the three day festival and write ekphrastic poems based on the performance and her experiences of the festival. These poems will be published on ExA’s social media.
Malcolm McDonald and Joseph Machado will compose poems on the theme of Experimental Action 2019, Calculated Risk. They will perform these poems during the festival.
Outspoken Bean will perform as part of the Merge showcase. A former World Poetry Slam top-ten poet who has collaborated with Houston Ballet and been recognized by the Warhol foundation, he will do a performance piece, which expands on his poetry. It is inspired by the theme of the festival and uses performance art elements in the work.
To learn more about Public Poetry, visit their website. To appreciate the collaboration, come to festival and follow ExA on Social Media.
