Third Poetry Debates event series begins

10 October 2023

Photo: Richard Sekerak

The third edition of our Poetry Debates will address the question “Who owns poetry?”. Over the course of four evening events, scholars and poets will discuss in lectures, readings, and panel discussions about new poetry formats such as poetry slam and instapoetry, which are often accused of commercialization and popularization at the expense of literary quality. The events will also address the digitalization of the book market and the economic pressure that poets are exposed to. Moreover, there will be a focus on the issue of the (intersectional) accessibility of poetry, which has frequently been described as challenging to read and has even been pronounced dead. So, who decides what counts as poetry?

The first event, “Who Reads Poetry Anyway? Accessibility and Social Functions,” with Steffen Popp and Clara Cosima Wolff, will take place on October 18 at the Catholic Academy.

Event series program

Event poster (PDF)

Curated and hosted by Henrik Wehmeier in collaboration with Claudia Benthien