International Poetry Festival London

More than 300 people attended Financial Consequences / International Poetry Festival, organized by the Institute for Experimental Arts in collaboration with the Anthropology Department of London School of Economics. The amazing meeting of 40 poets and 36 video artists from 26 countries offered a provocative and educative experience to the enthusiastic attendants and created a meeting point for contemporary poetry, video art, music and Anthropology in London. We would like to thank all artists as also David Graeber and Deborah James from the Anthropology Department of LSE. With their collaboration and efforts, the festival achieved the highest possible success. – The Institute for Experimental Arts

“The festival was great and so well organized! It was an amazing gathering of intellectuals and artist at the safe and cozy venue of LSE.”
Alice Lewis, festival attendant

“The talk of David Graeber was inspiring for all the people who were at the festival. Thank you.”
Terry Gibbs, festival attendant

“David Graeber is so intelligent and we love to be in a lecture room with him and enquiring ourselves about his beliefs. It was fabulous to meeting him in a festival venue. Congratulations to the Department of Anthropology for the Festival. ” Robert Bewer, attendant of the festival, student of UCL

“Thanks so much for making us part of the festival. All we wanted to do is share our love for poetry and animation, and it’s very exciting to be able to get the message across to various countries and audiences. Keep on spreading the word, and keep up the great work!” The Common Room Animation Team / Video Poetry artists

I found the festival inspiring, absorbing and at times powerfully moving. It was a privilege to hear both Tasos Sagris and David Graeber speak. Sometimes, especially when you live on a small island, it is all too easy to become cocooned and inward-looking. Hearing Tasos speak about the Greek revolt of December 2008 and poetry and activism in general reopened my eyes to the incredibly challenging circumstances so many people live in, and reinforced my commitment to speaking out against injustice. David’s talk about the uneasy relationship between art and economics was illuminating, fascinating and also galvanising. Being able to watch such a wide variety of poetry films from all over the world on a big screen was a feast for the senses; again it was the internationalism that inspired, giving rise to a rich breadth and depth of subjects, views and styles, all in some way speaking to the central theme of economic crisis. There were several films I know I will be returning to again and again. It was an honour and a great pleasure to be part of this brilliantly curated festival at such a fantastic central London venue.  Thank you again for everything. Janet Lees / Video Poetry artist

“I am very happy to have been invited to participate in ‘Financial Consequences: International Poetry Festival.’ I believe the day highlighted to many that economics and poetry have an important relationship, and that this relationship is best glimpsed by looking at the issue from an international perspective. As a poet from Ireland who has thought deeply about the ways in which the Financial Crisis of 2008 effected Irish poetry (see my book forthcoming from punctum books in 2019, Incomparable Poetry), it was especially useful to see poetry performed from Greek comrades (Ireland was frequently compared during that Crisis to Greece, Portugal, and Spain). The entire festival highlighted to me how manifold and subtle the ways in which poets respond to economic crisis are.” Robert Kiely, poet

I greatly enjoyed the International Poetry Festival. Many provocative performances by a variety of poets from countries around the world provided ‘food for thought’. Very interesting ideas were shared and it was a very positive experience overall. I would like to congratulate and thank you for this very successful event. Maria Theodorou, festival attendant

“It was one of the best events in LSE. It was so unique and provocative for everyone who was in the Venue. Congratulations to the Department of  Anthropology.” Terry Gibbings, festival attendant – student in SOAS

“I’ve experienced the fun and excitement of the Festival first hand and I couldn’t be any more excited. While poets and intellectuals have stories and ideas and thoughts to share, the point of the festival was about a deep analysis in economic crisis using the words of poets. This festival in LSE brings together local, regional, national, and international people of traditional forms, free verse, haiku, slam, experimental, and more. It’s really a whirlwind adventure of poetry from a perspective of an anthropologist.”   Marie Winston, Journalist of  “Radical Times in Poetry”

As invited poet at the International Poetry Festival, organized by the Department of Anthropology LSE and The Institute for Experimental Arts (09/02/2019), I would like to thank you for the opportunity to present my work to a big and dedicated audience. The lectures by David Graeber and Tasos Sagris were stimulating and the event created a productive platform for communicating interesting ideas and work shared by poets from around the world. I wish next year you organize the 2nd International Poetry Festival and give the chance to more poets to participate and perform their work. Larry Cool, poet