Midwest Video Poetry Festival

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courtesy Arts + Literature Laboratory

A still from "Gettin' On With It" by Elizabeth Torres Hansen.

Not simply videos of poets standing in front of a podium reciting their works, these short films combine poetry and the visual for what amounts to a new art form. Last year’s inaugural fest from ALL was virtual, but this year will feature in-person screenings with limited attendance, social distancing and other safety precautions. Each night features a different slate of 17-18 films, ranging from about a minute to 6 minutes in length. The festival can also be watched on YouTube starting Oct. 11 for two weeks. Find all the details at artlitlab.org.

media release: The second year of Midwest Video Poetry Festival (MVPF) will take place in Madison, at Arts +Literature Laboratory, and also in Milwaukee, at Woodland Pattern Book Center, on October 8 and 9, 2021. Celebrating the amazing breadth of expression when one of humanity’s oldest art forms is interpreted through the lens of one of its newest, the MVPF features the best of this cutting-edge art form from around the Midwest and around the world. Presented by Madison’s Arts + Literature Laboratory, screenings will take place from 7-8:30pm each day in Madison and Milwaukee. Both locations will have limited attendance, social distancing and other safety precautions in place. The festival can also be watched on our YouTube channel on the Monday following the festival, October 11, for two weeks.

The submissions range from 51 seconds to under 7 minutes long. They have all been created within the last two years, many of them within the last few months, promising a fresh, contemporary point of view. “Poetry is not dead,” says Festival founder and executive director Rita Mae Reese. “It is one of the most enduring forms of expression, doing now what it always has, making meaning of the events and circumstances of our lives, accompanying us through turmoil, expressing our joy and holding our grief. It is now, especially, during times of upheaval and strife, that poets’ voices are most needed; these are the voices that will carry us through.”

“We’re excited for this second year,” says Genia Daniels, who has been overseeing the curation team and selection process. “where we have been able to expand access to the festival in Wisconsin by collaborating with Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee. We’re hoping that when artists, poets and filmmakers see the festival it will inspire them to craft their own unique video poems and become more involved with the genre. One of the reasons I like this form so much is that there is a lot of room for experimentation and collaboration between artists. When that happens, it can give new life to older work and build new relationships between artists and their creative practices. We are so excited to share this with people in Madison and beyond.”

The MVPF is a production of the Madison Arts and Literature Laboratory, a community-driven contemporary non-profit arts organization that supports the visual, literary, musical and performing arts, presents over 200 free or low-cost events per year, and offers year-round arts education for all ages. ALL nurtures innovation and the artistic growth of contemporary visual, literary, and performing artists; connects artists, resources and community; and fuels a passion for arts and literature.

**The Midwest Video Poetry Fest is made possible in part by a grant from Madison Arts Commission, with additional funds from The Wisconsin Arts Board. Additional sponsors are The Poetry Foundation, Film Freeway and Hinckley Productions.