Poetry Outside the Book: Poetry Observed

Every Thursday during National Poetry Month, we’ll be blogging about examples of poets and poetry lovers transforming our communities in unique and inspiring ways. Maybe you’ve heard of the woman in Miami, Agustina Woodgate, secretly sewing poems into the tags of clothing at her local thrift store. Well, she’s not the only one: poetry lovers everywhere are finding creative ways to bring poetry outside the book and into our everyday lives.

Poetry Bombing a la Agustina Woodgate

This week, we’re featuring Poetry Observed, a group “committed to producing high quality videos of performance poetry.”  The videos feature slam poets performing their work on location, using their whole bodies and the art of cinematography to tell a story. These guys aren’t just taking poetry out of the book, they’re re-creating the traditional stage of a poetry reading. They’re bringing it to the streets and, ultimately, to your living room. The poets are all based in our home state of Minnesota and the group has plans to expand.  This is the trailer, but be sure to check out their website to experience the real thing. From a simultaneous poetry-dance performance to the striking image of a poet reciting his lines to the empty pews of a church, these videos are stirring, engaging, and extremely effective.

—Kelsey Shanesy