Uprooted at REELpoetry Houston Jan 2020

Honoured to be part of REELpoetry, Houston (24–26 Jan) where Dave Bonta of Moving Poems will be featured this year. I will be presenting Uprooted – poetry films relating to migration and the refugee crisis – with Canadian media artist and storyteller Mary McDonald, whose powerful, thought-provoking and arresting film On the Margin of History (2019) with Serbian-born poet Natasha Boskic and Syrian poet Mohamad Kebbewar will be a highlight of this curation for the first time. Mary will also be getting us immersed in augmented reality; also Outspoken Bean and workshop by Toni Holland. Much admiration for Fran Sanders and her hard work and strong vision at Public Poetry – for tickets go to https://www.publicpoetry.net/reelpoetry/ and many thanks to Mary – who I am very pleased and proud to say is now co-managing screenings of Uprooted across the pond.
 
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​After Words
This was a wonderful event - Uprooted (screening of films about the refugee and migration crisis) was very well received and the poets that Fran selected to recite between film sections seemed to marry seamlessly with the films.  One poet said that she felt the films added to their readings, which was really meaningful. Fran and Yolanda made everyone feel very much part of the event, which was constantly stimulating.  Great memories and talks by Dave Bonta - I particularly liked his haikus, and Mary McDonald's wonderful, fun, helpful and detailed explanation of working with different apps. So want to go back next year. More to say later.  

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