The University of Sheffield
wordSurge

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logo wordsurgewordSurge is a word-image-performance project that draws on Sheffield writers, visual artists, students and performers to bring poetry in unexpected forms in unexpected places. It is one of over forty Festival of the Mind projects.

The Festival of the Mind is a collaboration between the city and the University of Sheffield which showcases its cultural strengths. The Festival will run from 20-30 September 2012. For more information please visit Festival of the Mind and follow  Festival of the Mind on Twitter @FestivalMind #FestivalMind or visit our Facebook page.

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Word - Image - Performance

For wordSurge, Sheffield authors were invited to submit a literary piece about Sheffield of no more than 40 lines. In collaboration with the writers collective Signpost, 28 poems were selected for online publication. Out of that selection seven poems were picked to be printed on large posters. These poems are on display around Sheffield City Centre during the Festival of the Mind.

A local project

With the help of voluntary local actors, a selection of poems will be performed on Saturday 22 September in outdoor, spontaneous readings.

More formal wordSurge activities include an exhibition in the Butcher Works Gallery and the closing poetry reading on 29 September. See the full schedule of events below. There you can also scroll through the selected 28 poems.

All wordSurge event are free, as are all Festival of the Mind activities.

wordSurge is a collaboration between Dark River and city-books.eu

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Schedule of Events

From Saturday 22 September Exhibition of selected poetry posters in the Winter Gardens and Marmedukes Cafe, Norfolk Row
22 September, 12.00 - 13.30

Live street performance of Sheffield Poetry:

  • 12.00 Train Station Forecourt
  • 12.30 Winter Garden
  • 13.00 Barker's Pool
All poems written by local authors and performed by voluntary actors: Christine Spencer and Hazel Crowther.		 performance in the streets of Sheffield
22 September, 12.00 - 14.00
 Poetry placards move among the Saturday shoppers.

29 September 16.30

Poetry reading by poets Helen Mort, Agnes Lehóczky, Carolyn Waudby and Rob Hindle in the Butcher Works' Fusion Café. Followed by a closing reception

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24-29 September

wordSurge exhibition in Butcher Works Gallery: Sheffield poetry by Carolyn Waudby and Sheffield images by visual artist Mike Hutchinson, photographer David Bocking and filmmaker Dominic Green.


setting up

logo for bannerwordSurge are: Mike Hutchinson (visual artist), Henriette Louwerse (coordinator) and Carolyn Waudby (poet). Contact us on: h.louwerse@shef.ac.uk