Poetry SchoolThis weekend, to coincide with the Free Verse poetry book fair, we will be welcoming another new Digital Poet in Residence to CAMPUS. Sneaky aren’t we? We’re exceptionally delighted to have the delightfully exceptional Lavinia Singer join us as The Poetry School’s 10th official poet in residence.
As Janette Ayachi (DPIR #9) brings her investigation into literary lovers slowly to a close, Lavinia will be considering a different kind of love – the love of books.
Lavinia’s residency – ‘For The Love Of Craft: Confessions of a Bibliophile’ – springs from the etymological root of ‘digital’ relating to finger and touch. Over the next few weeks, Lavinia will be exploring and hoop-hooraying the gloriousness of books in all their dazzling designs and dressings.
From notions of craftsmanship and the aura of artist books, to the intricacies of illustration and building a library, Lavinia will be investigating the place of ‘the beautiful book’ in today’s world. Send forth your most ferocious challenges, swoon with her in decadent delight – above all look forward to enriching our awareness of book culture through your comments and feedback.
“I am deeply affected by the way a book looks and feels, and have always felt slightly uneasy about this seemingly superficial aspect of my nature. However, once fearing charges of frippery and obsolescence, I now intend to enter the spotlight and proudly proclaim my aesthetic proclivities.”
Things start THIS SATURDAY 26th SEPTEMBER. Prepare to book lust.
Lavinia Singer works at Enitharmon Press and edits Oxford Poetry. She won the Newdigate Prize at Oxford University and was runner up for the Margaret Hewson Award for new writing talent during her Masters at Royal Holloway. This autumn she will begin a creative PhD exploring the interrelations of poetry and visual art, focusing on the work of W.S. Graham and the St Ives artists.
Hi – I’m really enjoying reading (belatedly!) back over this residency. I went to a Christmas Art Fair today and met an artist who paints “Shelf Portraits” – beautiful portaits of your bookshelves. I was there with some friends and we started discussing which books we’d have on the shelf, and how many of them we’d choose for their visual impact ….. and it put me in mind of you. Thought you might like to see one of photos – I’m not sure how to post an image so here’s the link instead
http://orsomajor.com/orso-major-gallery/roo-waterhouse/poetry-and-drama-by-roo-waterhouse/
@clareshaw Hello Clare – whoops I’ve only just seen this notification now! There wasn’t an alert so I didn’t see it… Anyway, thank you so much for sharing. What a fantastic idea! I wonder whether people go for the ‘visual’ or the ‘intellectual’ in their choices… It’s lovely to think of the bookshelf as worthy of capturing and commemorating – I quite agree!