In 2008, Bloodaxe published the world's first DVD-anthology, In Person: 30 Poets, a new concept in publishing: readings by 30 poets published by Bloodaxe in its first 30 years captured on film, with all the poems included in the footage printed in the book of the films.
Its sequel, In Person: World Poets (published by Bloodaxe Books in April 2017), is another international collaboration between Bloodaxe Books and award-winning film-maker Pamela Robertson-Pearce. Her style of filming combines directness and simplicity, sensitivity and warmth – the perfect combination for these intimate readings. This new compilation on four DVDs with an accompanying anthology covers a wide range of poets from many parts of the world, including Albania, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, India, Italy, Jamaica, Korea, Kurdistan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the USA, as well as from Britain and Ireland. This website sampler video features five poets: Arundhathi Subramaniam from India (filmed in Mumbai in November 2011), former US soldier Brian Turner (filmed in Ledbury in July 2011), half Indian half Welsh dancer poet Tishani Doshi (filmed in Ledbury in July 2012), the late American poet Ruth Stone (1915-2011), filmed at her home in Vermont in September 2008 when she was 93 and almost blind (but knew enough of her poems by heart not to need a book), and Britain’s John Hegley, filmed at his home in London in January 2014.
Most of the films present informal, one-to-one readings, with the poets reading to you in person. They enhance your appreciation of the poetry. You hear how the poems sound; you see how the poets read and present their work. Poets writing in other languages read in the original with the English translations read by themselves or by their translators. Some poets are also captured in live performance. Each poet’s selection is a set of several poems. This website sampler video has one poem per poet to give a flavour of their presentations.
T.S. Eliot once described poetry as 'one person talking to another', while W.H. Auden believed it was essential to hear poetry read aloud, for ‘no poem, which when mastered, is not better heard than read is good poetry’. In Person: World Poets presents the oral art of poetry in that spirit.
There are over 14 hours of readings on four DVDs packaged with the book, and all the poems included in the films are printed in the book, with poems written in other languages alongside the translations, enabling you to follow either language as they are read on the film. Like the original In Person: 30 Poets, this new compilation gives readers a personal festival of poetry in DVD and book form for viewing at home on laptop or TV. It is also a unique educational resource for the teaching and appreciation of poetry.
In Person: World Poets includes: Robert Adamson, Moniza Alvi, Antonella Anedda, Simon Armitage, Ana Blandiana, Jean 'Binta' Breeze, Dan Chiasson, Polly Clark, Stewart Conn, Peter Didsbury, Katie Donovan, Tishani Doshi, Ruth Fainlight, Roy Fisher, Carolyn Forché, Tua Forsström, Tess Gallagher, Deborah Garrison, Jane Griffiths, Philip Gross, Choman Hardi, Robert Hass, John Hegley, Rita Ann Higgins, Tony Hoagland, Matthew Hollis, Esther Jansma, Jenny Joseph, Jaan Kaplinski, Ko Un, Luljeta Lleshanaku, Thomas Lux, Nikola Madzirov, Jennifer Maiden, Jack Mapanje, Samuel Menashe, Esther Morgan, Julie O'Callaghan, Leanne O'Sullivan, Clare Pollard, Adélia Prado, Sally Read, Lawrence Sail, Carole Satyamurti, Karen Solie, Piotr Sommer, Ruth Stone, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Matthew Sweeney, Pia Tafdrup, Tomas Tranströmer, Brian Turner, Chase Twichell, Priscila Uppal, Tomas Venclova, Mark Waldron, Susan Wicks and Robert Wrigley. None of these poets was included in In Person: 30 Poets. For more information please see bloodaxebooks.com/ecs/product/in-person-world-poets-dvd-book--1080
