Off the yielding marshlands • World Poetry Days • March 20–23

Readings–Listening / Discussions / Lectures, Workshops, and Discussions / Field Activities

The cultural, social, political, and natural landscapes in which we live today are simultaneously fragile, dynamic, and filled with mutual influences and interconnections. Until recently much more stable, our spaces—physical, emotional, civic, spiritual—are now different and more questionable, with more porous boundaries. In this complex context, poetry assumes not only the role of a witness but also acts as a mediator between various forms of knowledge, experiences, and languages.

OFF THE YIELDING MARSHLANDS

This year, the World Poetry Days in Belgrade are focused on changes—local and global, undeniable and intensely significant changes—reflecting the thematic sign (and paraphrasing the verse by Rastko Petrović) ‘Off the yielding marshlands’. Whether it is about climatic, cultural, or social pressures and shocks, or about cracks in the world that poetry can grasp so that through it, the momentum of transformation and the possibilities it leads to are remembered—this year’s event substantively and in terms of values confronts questions of instability and change, ‘shakiness’—both fragility and strength at the same time, in which new landscapes and possibilities are shaped through language and poetic gesture. The four-day series of events includes readings, discussions with authors, lectures, workshops, and a panel during which, amidst shaky ground—unstable and prone to collapse and change—a space where new models of resistance and adaptation are established, numerous poets and researchers/collaborators from Serbia, Poland, Scotland, and France will be presented. Within the daily programs of the School of Ecopoetics, participants and the audience will explore the interweavings of ecology, language, and art, while the evening programs will mostly be oriented towards the performative dimensions of contemporary poetry. The venues of the SDP and the second cycle of the School—CCB, Astronomical Observatory, Museum of African Art—emphasize the interdisciplinary character of the event, which merges cultural and natural landscapes.

This year, the World Poetry Days festival in Belgrade is directly aimed at these changes and is realized with regard to the thematic sign—and paraphrase of Rastko Petrović’s verse—’Off the yielding marshlands’. Whether it is about the ground trembling under climatic, cultural, or social pressures, or about the space in which poetry tries to capture and understand moments of transformation, vulnerability, but also new possibilities—this year’s festival substantively and in terms of values meets the questions of instability and change, forming a four-day series of programs of readings-listening, discussions, lectures, workshops, and discussions involving poets and lecturers from Serbia, Poland, Mexico, Scotland, and France, layered into ‘daily’, ecopoetic contents of the second cycle of the School of Ecopoetics program, and the evening, performative program ‘Off the yielding marshlands’. Events will take place at the venues of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade, the Astronomical Observatory, and the Museum of African Art. The second issue of the publication dedicated to ecological humanities, List #2, will be published by the start of the SDP, and includes the festival catalog, literary and essay contributions.

SCHOOL OF ECOPOETICS #2

The School of Ecopoetics program explores the intersections between ecology, literature, and art, aiming to develop a deeper understanding of ecological issues through poetic expression, implemented through workshops, seminars, lectures, and public performances that typically merge theoretical knowledge with various practical applications. The program is open to all interested parties who wish to explore the connections between artistic expression and ecological responsibility and self-awareness.

POETS: Anja Marković, Dragana Mladenović, Ivan Isailović, Maša Seničić, Nenad Stanković, Ognjen Aksentijević, Petar Matović, and Tanja Stupar Trifunović

and authors gathered around the second cycle of the School of Ecopoetics, international guests of the SDP, Bartolomej Majzel, Emilia Konverska, Stanislaw Kalina Jaglaž, Gregoire Suris, Juana Adcock, and Julia Fjedorčuk

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PROGRAM

Thursday, March 20 • pre-program

18:00 • Artget Gallery CCB

Senses, Consciousness, Time (poetry reading)

During the workshop, we will reflect on types of poetry that require focused attention, make us more aware of our place in time and space, and help us experience a connection with other beings and elements of the world. We will carefully (and slowly!) read and analyze poems by Juliana Spahr (“Turnt”), Gary Snyder (“Riprap”), Adam Dickinson (“Gut-Brain Axis”), and—if time allows—selected poems by Polish poets. Program led by: Julia Fjedorčuk, Mihaljina Červonjska The language of presentation is English.

Friday, March 21

11:00 • Visit to the Museum of African Art (MAU)

For international participants of the School of Ecopoetics, a visit to the Museum of African Art is organized. After meeting with the museum’s permanent exhibit, a tour of its immediate surroundings is planned, with free activities and discussion on ecopoetic topics, especially in relation to the possibilities of sensory experience, which holds a central place in this, the second edition of the School. Thus, this small excursion will re-examine the relationship between culture (museum) and nature (surroundings), as fundamental ecopoetic and ecocritical categories.

18:00 • Artget Gallery CCB, opening program

Grand Reading, featuring Anja Marković, Dragana Mladenović, Ivan Isailović, Maša Seničić, Nenad Stanković, Ognjen Aksentijević, Petar Matović, Tanja Stupar Trifunović, Bartolomej Majzel, Stanislaw Kalina Jaglaž, Emilia Konverska, Gregoire Soris, Julia Fjedorčuk

Conversations and Readings (1), featuring: Ivan Isailović, Maša Seničić, Ognjen Aksentijević, Tanja Stupar Trifunović, Stanislaw Kalina Jaglaž, Emilia Konverska, Gregoire Soris The program will be opened by Zorana Đaković Minniti, Leh Konjčak, and Jelena Nidžović; Jelena Nidžović and Uroš Đurković moderate the programs of conversations and readings … further conversations, readings of others • Podroom Gallery Space

Saturday, March 22 • Astronomical Observatory

11:00 • Introductory Lecture by Julia Fjedorčuk

The ways in which ecological humanities, neuroscience, technology, and literature intertwine are unexpected and exciting. Raising awareness of the non-obvious connections between phenomena and things can pave the way to a deeper and more intense experience of the text. In an era of acceleration and saturation, poetry emerges as an irreplaceable form of human experience formation, but also a specific form of knowledge, necessary to face the challenges of modernity. Through examples of interesting poetic voices marked by ecopoetics, from multiple continents (Forrest Gander, Hubert Matiuva, Christina Dabrowska), participants during the lecture are invited to share their own views and experiences. The language of presentation is English.

13:00 • Language and Sensory Experience. Workshop on the Ineffable Through this workshop, we will explore how different semiotic strategies can describe sensory experience. Descriptions of colors, tastes, smells in one language are not necessarily the same as in another language, and this difference has been interesting to many researchers, with special attention given to the book Sensory Linguistics, authored by Bodo Winter. Sometimes, a term for a specific sensory experience does not exist in one language and requires additional explanation in translation. However, aside from the difference in lexicon related to sensory experience, we will also study what the function of the ineffable, i.e., the incommunicable, is in communication. Workshop led by: Julia Fjedorčuk, Maciej Rosiński The language of presentation is English.

17:00 • Guided tour through the complex of the Astronomical Observatory in Belgrade

The complex of the Astronomical Observatory is one of the oldest and most valuable urban spaces in Belgrade, with a rich scientific and cultural-historical tradition. As one of the oldest scientific institutions, the Observatory is located in a complex that is a cultural monument, situated within the protected natural good of Zvezdara Forest. During the tour of the complex, visitors have the opportunity to see part of its rich cultural-technical heritage. In the Administrative Building, in the ambiance of a library of exceptional scientific-professional and architectural value, there is a museum display of old astronomical instruments. With expert guidance through the facilities with telescopes—the Great, Small, and School Pavilion—visitors can become acquainted with the historical development of the Astronomical Observatory, as well as with the development of astronomy in Serbia. Guidance provided by: Nenad Milovanović, senior professional associate and Vesna Mijatović, professional associate and librarian

18:00

Conversations and Readings (2), featuring: Anja Marković, Dragana Mladenović, Maša Seničić, Petar Matović, Juana Adcock, Bartolomej Majzel, Julia Fjedorčuk The programs of conversations and readings are moderated by Jelena Nidžović and Uroš Đurković; Jelena Nidžović moderates the panel discussion with poets Off the yielding marshlands (panel discussion with local participants) Fragility, instability, sociability • Mapping new landscapes • Romanticization and/or resistance • Poetry and wonder • Dissolving boundaries • Vulnerability, sovereignty, and the poetic voice etc.

Sunday, March 23 • Cultural Centre of Belgrade

12:00 • Artget Gallery

Presentation of the journal ‘List’ and the festival catalog

‘List’ is the first ecopoetic journal in Serbian, an integral part of the School of Ecopoetics. The first issue, besides a general overview of ecopoetic terms, includes an article by Andrija Filipović on the concept of the Anthropocene, as well as an excerpt from the study ‘Cyborg in the Garden’ by Julia Fjedorčuk, translated by Milica Markić. The issue is complemented by an interview with Julia Fjedorčuk, and the whole endeavor from a visual identity standpoint is covered by the notable design of Andrej Ostroški. About how ecopoetics is an unfinished mosaic that still needs to find its pieces from our environment, the editors and authors of the first edition of ‘List’ will speak, with reflections on the new, second issue, and possible perspectives. Participants: Andrija Filipović, Jelena Nidžović, Uroš Đurković

13:00 • Artget Gallery

Ecotopia in Literature (discussion and workshop)

The history of utopian literature is ancient and exciting. In a discussion with Nikola Koruga, associate professor at the Department of Andragogy, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, we will talk about the various ways critical thinking can enable space for new utopias, in literature and beyond. Participants will be more than welcome to share their experiences and visions of what an ideal community would be like, in relation to humans and other, non-human forms of life, and even inanimate nature.

16:00 • Artget Gallery

Lyrical Animal Studies: Animals in Serbian Poetry (discussion and workshop)

The presence of animals in Serbian poetry has, with a few rare exceptions, eluded researchers. Yet, fauna is ubiquitous in poetry, whether it refers to the sphere of children’s literature or the most contemporary poetic voices. This workshop therefore aims to show, through discussions and readings of both well-known and lesser-known verses, how the animal world in literature can take various, often surprising forms, challenging anthropocentrism. The discussion will be led by Uroš Đurković.

18:00 • Artget Gallery

Ecopoetics and the Music of the Fourth World (lecture)

Grzegorz Czemiel, associate professor at the Institute for Linguistics and Literary Theory, Maria Skłodowska-Curie University in Lublin and translator, will hold a lecture on the connection between ecopoetics and music and the concept of the more-than-human world. If ecopoetics is understood as creating a new home, a return to one’s dwelling place, then this endeavor involves various creative aspirations, including music. Building on the ideas of American theorist and jazz trumpeter Jon Hassell, Czemiel will demonstrate how exoticism born from the encounter of the ancient and modern forms the idea of the fourth world, as well as what repercussions this concept may have on understanding ecopoetics. Musical sequences form an important part of the lecture, so all interested guests are encouraged to immerse themselves in the sound recordings and participate in the exchange of impressions. The language of the presentation is English

World Poetry Day was proclaimed by UNESCO in 1999, and two years later, relying on its own and the overall tradition of organizing poetry programs in Belgrade, the Cultural Centre of Belgrade started an event dedicated to contemporary poetry, which quickly grew into an international poetry festival

PROGRAM PARTNERS: Cultural Centre of Belgrade, Polish Institute in Belgrade, Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Astronomical Observatory, Museum of African Art

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