Who reads poetry? Accessibility and social functions of poetry
October 18, 2023, 19.30
Katholische Akademie, Herrengraben 4, 20459 Hamburg
Poetry is often seen as an elitist art form; its texts are often characterized as hermetic, enigmatic, and hard to understand. At the same time, poetry plays an important role in society, there are countless poetry festivals, poetry readings take place on a daily basis, and poets are awarded literary prizes. Contemporary poetry is thus not only being read but also being heard and seen in the form of live events and audio recordings, i.e., experienced in a multi-sensory way. Is this making contemporary poetry more accessible? Who even has access to poetry in the first place – for example, in light of people with disabilities? What mechanisms of social exclusion need to be overcome? And, finally, what are the social functions of a genre that is so often described as difficult to access?
With
Steffen Popp (Poet and author; Berlin)
Clara Cosima Wolff, M.S. (Psychologist and literary scholar, PoetryDA)
Moderation: Dr. Henrik Wehmeier (Media scholar, PoetryDA)
Free entry. Registration information will be available on the website of the Katholische Akademie.