SPEAKING ROCKS – GEOPOETRY 2020 1st OCTOBER
Really very honoured to be presenting at this genuinely ‘rocking’ conference organised by the Geological Society, with a strong team of geopoets at the helm and taking part. Whilst pre-COVID-19 the event would have been live, (with all that encompasses in relation to the theme), geological sites have found their online visual voice through poetry plus photographs, paintings, music and poetry film. Renowned poet John Hegley is headlining the day, with unmissable talks and readings from: Yvonne Reddick, Sarah Acton, Norrie Bissell, Nia Davies, Alyson Hallett, Ken Cockburn and more, including the Hugh Miller Writing Competition poetry winners Jack Cooper (18–25) and Claire Rinterknecht (under 18). I will be reciting the poem and showing the poetry film of ‘Firewash’, the second episode from Tree my family history geopoetry and poetry film project. To sign up to catch the conference please go to: https://www.geolsoc.org.uk/geopoetry20 where they note:
‘This event is to follow up the Geological Society’s first Geopoetry Day (held in 2011), and was due to take place at the Scottish Poetry Library, Edinburgh. While due to the coronavirus situation it will now take place online, we are delighted to present a programme that brings together voices from around the world while remaining firmly rooted in Scotland.
Rocks have long inspired poets (refer to Burns’ “O my Luve’s like a red, red rose”poem 2794): “Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear, And the rocks melt wi’ the sun”.
To the present day poets are similarly inspired. Michael McKimm’s Fossil Sunshine (2013) and “MAP, Poems after William Smith’s Geological Map of 1815” (2015) showed how geological subject matter from Geopoetry 2011 could inspire poets: “…the poems here make Smith’s map anew in moving and surprising ways”. The Jurassic Coast Poems (2017) by Sarah Acton, the Jurassic resident poet, showed continued inspiration: “We hear the red rock Speak in ripples”.
This event, to be held on National Poetry Day (1 October 2020), is hosted by the Geological Society (in conjunction with the Central Scotland Group), the Scottish Poetry Library and the Edinburgh Geological Society and will bring together poets and geoscientists to further encourage the rocks to speak.
Thanks to the sponsorship of the Scottish Energy Forum, registration for this event is free.’
