poetry
We had over 20 poets (regulars and new attendees) participate in the Erasure Poetry Workshop. Thank you for coming.
You can find more info on our events, or access the sign-up forms here.
Erasure Poetry Workshop
- Led by Leora Joy Jones
In this workshop, poet and facilitator Leora Joy Jones will guide you to create an original poem out of any piece of text you encounter. Erasure poetry, also known as blackout/ redacted poetry uses preexisting or “found” text to create something new.
We will look at examples of erasure poetry from Reginald Dwayne Betts, M. NourbeSe Philip, Tracy K. Smith, Solmaz Sharif, Niina Pollari, Mary Ruefle, Austin Kleon, and Ian Hamilton Finlay, and discuss the various ways these poets have shaped found language to their own ends. This will include a discussion on the practical steps of the process as well.
You will be invited to test-run your first erasure poem with a shorter text and reflect on the process of elimination toward creation. You will be asked to share how this process resounds for you conceptually and visually.
Then you will have the opportunity to choose from a selection of longer texts (sourced from the London Review of Books, the New Yorker Magazine, Taipei Times, and various other sources) to create a second, longer poem. You are also invited to bring your own found text to use should you prefer that. Black markers and pencils will be provided, but feel free to bring your own colors should you wish. You should leave the workshop with a poem or two, that are also visual works of art.
This generative workshop is accessible to poets at any level of experience. It will take place on Sunday 7 January from 4:30-6:30 pm. Please note there will NOT be a critique workshop scheduled afterward.
A special thank you to Julia at Oomph Arts, and thank you to all the visual artists who showed their work: Grace Jao (textiles & multi-media), Eller Liu (acrylic on canvas), Germain Canon (ink on paper), Helen Ting (illustration lightbox), Elina Eihmane (multi-media on canvas), kira wei-hsin jacobson (photography), and Mario Oliva (acrylic on canvas).
Thank you to our dj snoozy carmichael
Thank you to our performing artists Forrest Thornberry (opening musical act) and Akari Yamasaki (live Ikebana)
We also had the pleasure of working with some special collaborators: Alethiometer offered alchemically made gender-neutral fragrances and chose one for the evening which was also on sale. Tzu-Ching Lien and Cathy Keng took photographs of the evening’s readings, experiences, and beautiful guests,
All photos by Cathy KENG
in 2022 we returned to Huashan for the 2022 TABF. We had an incredible turnout! Thank you to all the poets, writers, friends, supporters, and strangers who came to buy our work and cheer us on.
Elīna Eihmane - Dragonfly Morning (Poems and illustrations)
Germain Canon - Flammable Dream Houses (paper and cardboard risograph printed houses)
TPC - Versify, Versify II, Versify III (poetry anthologies)
TPC - Printed tote bags
TPC - Stickers
Leora Joy Jones - Cluster (Pink photography )
Leora Joy Jones - Collage postcards
Leora Joy Jones - Poetry posters
To commemorate public poetry readings in 2017, 2018, and 2022, TPC released three zines with a selection of poets’ original work. Attendees at all three events took home echoes of what we’ve so long been cultivating.
Versify I printed in December 2017, in Taiwan, with 54 pages featuring 17 poets’ original work.
Versify II printed April 2018, in Taiwan, with 52 pages featuring 16 poets’ original work.
Versify III printed in June 2022, in Taiwan, with 72 pages featuring 27 poets’ original work.
TPC is planning another reading and printing of a fourth zine, so stay tuned for that.
// V3 //
After a four year interlude, TPC is back with our third—and likely, final—Versify poetry zine launch & reading event. This time we’ve teamed up with our very good friend Oomph! to bring you a luscious, multi-modal poetry experience.
With an aim to invoke all your senses, come for an evening of verse; visual, performance, & flower art; music; movement; scent; sips & bites; & of course, connection.
We’ll be transforming New Bloom Magazine’s two-floor coffee shop in Wanhua—Daybreak 破曉咖啡—into an intimate & art-filled space, invoking organic, dusky summer vibes. From kombucha to cocktails, craft beer to whiskey, the bar’s got you covered with reasonably priced refreshments.
We’ll also have a V3 signature drink (and a non-alcoholic cocktail) for sale, made with love by Alex Mei, Oomph & TPC.
MC’d by Joy Gomez & Alex Mei, featuring 17 of Taipei's finest anglophile poets, 9 visual & performing artists, 2 photographers, 1 scent specialist, & snoozy carmichael at the controllers—this will be an evening of deep connection & we hope, heartfelt impressions.
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// Event Schedule //
6PM Doors Open
6:45PM Opening Performances
7:30PM Poetry Reading (part 1)
8:30PM Intermission
9PM Poetry Reading (part 2)
10PM DJ Set until end
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// Poets //
Quenntis Ashby
AT Beaune
Isaac Bettinger
Arpita Biswas
Alex Bleecker
Germain Canon
Rozel Chang
Piera Chen
Elina Eihmane
Alexandra Gilliam
Rose Goossen
Ashley Hamilton
C.K. Hugo Chung
kira wei-hsin jacobson
Leora Joy Jones
Cathy Keng
Kate Kinoshita
Halo Lahnert
Shahar Lubin
Rose Najia
Jonathan Pyner
Kenneth David Sweet
Forrest Thornberry
Andrea Valladares
sandee woodside
GS Young
Bithia Yuan
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// Visual Artists //
- Grace Jao (textiles & multi-media)
- Eller Liu (acrylic on canvas)
- Germain Canon (ink on paper)
- Helen Ting (illustration lightbox)
- Elina Eihmane (multi-media on canvas)
- kira wei-hsin jacobson (photography)
- Mario Oliva (acrylic on canvas)
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// Performing Artists //
- Forrest Thornberry (opening musical act)
- Akari Yamasaki (live Ikebana)
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// Special Collaborators //
- Alethiometer offers alchemically made gender-neutral fragrances and has chosen one for the evening. If you like what you smell, there will be bottles for sale
- Tzu-Ching Lien & Cathy Keng are experienced photographers who will be taking photographs of the evening’s readings, experiences, & beautiful guests
- snoozy carmichael will be DJing for us throughout the evening
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// Tickets //
***This is a ticketed event. Tickets are extremely limited. We will be releasing the RSVP form on Monday 6/6 at 6PM for sign-up. To keep it fair, you can only sign up one person per email. We will have 40 spots available for RSVP and 20 tickets available at the door on a first-come-first-serve basis. Those that are on the RSVP list must arrive by 6:15PM at the latest otherwise your ticket will be released to those waiting at the door. Every 600NTD ticket includes a copy of TPC’s third Versify poetry zine.***
// Disclaimer //
We know you know, but let us reiterate: we ask for you to be respectful of the poets reading by keeping silent during those portions of the evening. Please support New Bloom’s space by not bringing in outside food or beverages. We also ask that you follow CDC guidelines. If you or someone you are in close contact with is sick, please take care of yourselves & stay home. As always, we are here to create a safe community space; we reserve the right to refuse participation or service to anyone, or to ask participants to leave, for any reason whatsoever, at any time before or during the program.
Taipei Poetry Collective and some of its writers, artists, and collaborators exhibited recent poetry publications, photography books, art, collage, and writing work at the 2020 Taipei Art Book Fair at Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
Taipei Poetry Collective | Online Workshop | Oct. 2020
I facilitated an online workshop on the theme of love during crisis for Taipei Poetry Collective. We invited participants to write a single poem over a month, about love in the time of COVID-19. We provided a shared doc so that we could work at our own pace with the prompt, share our work with our global TPC community, give feedback to those who have requested it, and ultimately participate in a virtual workshop to engage with attendee’s finished drafts.
Poets were invited to respond to one of the poems provided in the doc (or anyone else who has written on this topic whom you find compelling). For this unique workshop, we urged poets to respond to a poem, photograph or poet, rather than just free-writing on the prompt. We analyzed each participant's poem, providing feedback on form, structure, content, emotive offerings, and presentation.
It was Taipei Poetry Collective's pleasure to share Versify II with you.
Photos by Abby Chao.
I was invited back to Radio Taiwan International and went on The Book of Odes to read two poems about place and time. Click here to listen.
Photo by Michael Garber
On a weekend in June 2018, Taipei Poetry Collective collaborated with ACID EFKT and hosted poetry writing workshops at Grassroots Taipei.
We offered workshops on Blackout/Erasure Poetry, Haikus, the Cinquain and the Ode.
Follow TPC on Facebook for further information regarding public workshops, our bi-weekly poetry workshops, and readings.
In this 10 minute episode I chat to Charlie Storrar on Radio Taiwan International and read three poems about revisiting home and communication breakdown. Give me and my nerves a listen.
Sandee Woodside wrote on the only Poetry Collective in Taipei. That's us!
Go to The NewsLens to read about Taipei Poetry Collective and the importance of poetry.
Photo by Temporary Truth.
Taipei Poetry Collective hosted our very first event, curated to feature 15 of Taiwan’s freshest poets—
• take home our limited edition zine, gratis
• satisfy your tastebuds with a spread by Badohyao 八豆腰, also gratis
• wash down the word porn with carefully selected libations
• boogie your way through all those feels
Arrive early and stay late to indulge yourself in soundscapes outside the written word, featuring DJ Anti Hero
•••Admission of $300 includes a copy of limited edition zine & 1 free drink•••
Doors: 7:00p (come eat!) // Reading: 8:00p
This was our inaugural poetry reading. Sold-out/full-house/glowing heart. We also released a 54p publication featuring 17 poets’ original work to commemorate this event.