Event overview
Goldsmiths Writers' Centre and the Centre for Comparative Literature host a creative & critical soirée
A creative & critical soirée, jointly organised by the Centre for Comparative Literature and the Goldsmiths Writers’ Centre, including a talk on ‘Olympoesis: Revisiting Public Poetry at the 2012 London Games’ by Dr Michael Simpson, Distinguished Visiting Research Fellow at the CCL, followed by readings and performances of creative writing, in poetry or prose.
The Olympic and Paralympic Games may have a claim to be the greatest show on earth.
Geographically global and historically ancient and modern, they move from city to city and divide time into determinate intervals. As theatre, they are amphitheatrical, encompassing track and field, gymnastics and team sports, and much more; and they figure powerfully in international and national media. But there is also an imposing cultural dimension, beyond the sports and excitable commentary on them: the ancient Olympics included orations and readings, while the modern Games involve a Cultural Olympiad, or festival, which the host nation of the next summer Games initiates and promotes for four years before those Games themselves. Each Cultural Olympiad duly takes some of its characteristic tone and theme from the cultural life of the host nation.
Diverse and highly intermittent as this ‘tradition’ may be, it is a significant part of the cultural dimension of the Games. Yet such proximity does not mean that this poetry only idealises the Games and related official values, such as peace through sport; rather, this poetry can also articulate economic and political realities underlying ideals like competition and level playing fields. So, where will the next poetic, creative instalments originate?
This is a free, in person event and there is no need to register.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Feb 2025 | 5:00pm - 6:00pm |
Accessibility
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