Poetry for Future: Poetry as Activist Practice

December 4, 2024, 7:30 pm

Nachtasyl, Thalia-Theater, Alstertor 1-5, 20095 Hamburg

While traditional book poets tend to be more intellectually engaged or to see their poetic works as critical interventions, the German-language spoken-word and poetry-slam scene is revealing poets’ new, more activist self-image – especially when it comes to dealing with the climate catastrophe. In activist texts and performances, they are accusing themselves and others of inaction in the face of impending disaster. In doing so, they are drawing on very different styles and forms of writing that can tie in with protest poetry traditions. Their practices of self-staging, for example on social media, also illustrate the ambivalent relationship between art and activism.

This Poetry Debate will explore the opportunities and distortions that are emerging from such poetic practices: Does poetry need to become more comprehensible and direct again in order to meet the catastrophic challenges of the twenty-first century? Is it legitimate to see one’s own poetic practice as kind of activism? Or does that run the risk of (false) appropriation? Does getting too close to activist positions and groups actually mean losing poetry’s artistic character? Or does artistry prove itself precisely through effective engagement? We would also like to discuss whether it is poetry’s responsibility to illustrate scientific findings on the climate crisis and whether poetry should arouse fear or provide comfort – or even both?

With
Samuel Kramer (poet, spoken word artist and philosopher, Offenbach/Frankfurt a.M.)
Prof. Dr. Frieder von Ammon (literary studies scholar, Munich)

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Claudia Benthien (literary studies scholar, PoetryDA Principal Investigator)

Tickets for the event can be bought at the Thalia Theater.