New release from DIRT plantable poetry
'Loops' by Clare Pollard and Freya Sacksen
Hello! I'm glad you're here, thanks for reading, and I hope to see you at one of the events below soon. We’ve been busy!
There's so much I want to say about getting to this point and what's growing in DIRT for the future but for now, there are some upcoming events I’d like to draw your attention to.
I'd also like to celebrate all the people who have funded our project from the early adopters who believed in nothing more than an idea, to the Global Sustainability Institute at ARU who sponsored Loops and the Seeds in the DIRT Imaginarium; and the Laura Kinsella Foundation who have pledged to fund the next round of commissions. It's honestly amazing what is possible. Thank you.
We have a beautiful new webpage on the Dialect website full of our story and hopes for the future.
17th September, New Release
Announcing the release of the brilliantly unsettling Loops by Clare Pollard and Freya Sacksen.
"Loops is poetic dialogue at its finest. Both experimental and beautiful, Loops asks a meditation of questions about the nature of what it means to be organic beings. The invitation to be part of the process of the organism (poem) is also another dimension to what makes DIRT and its shoot, Loops, so exciting and nurturing.” ~ Jessica Mookherjee
“Loops is a clever, swift and dynamic single-poem pamphlet that unfolds from a simple concept, connecting bird flight to code (and to other things that loop and reel) via collage and a call-and-answer structure. Though it touches thoughtfully on many things, it travels lightly, like a paper plane arcing briefly through the air.” ~ Jon Stone
Clare and Freya give us an insight into their process on the inside of this publication, where you’ll also find extracts from the science that inspired their collaboration, and a writing prompt. Each purchase includes a packet of seeds.
Pre-order 'Loops' from Dialect Press. Release date 17th Sept 2024
join us online: 17th Sept, 7-7.30pm : micro-launch
Clare Pollard and Freya Sacksen will read 'Loops' and we'll talk about their collaboration, maybe take questions from the floor, for an intimate half-hour launch - the vibe is minimalist with maximalist hearts!
Please register for our online micro-launch and a zoom link will be sent.
We’ll be at the Gloucester Poetry Festival for the live launch of Loops. Plus I'm really looking forward to reading Chapel with JLM Morton. You may remember that we wrote Chapel in response to citizen science on snail shells which drew us into thinking about shelter and home, and what it might be to lose those things. We'll be reading alongside all the Dialect poets.
More DIRT news...
Earlier this year I co-created a DIRT Imaginarium and hosted a group of writers to explore the question: what if writers could be published without literally costing the Earth?
We clowned and danced and wrote and adventured, we imagined and challenged 'what is' and dared to ask how we'd like publishing to be, and how we'd get there. It was a bit wild, kind of intense and utterly wonderful. The link below will take you to a new webpage where you can read all about our imaginings.
DIRT Imaginarium - full of information for writers
This project was generously funded with a grant from ARU’s Sustainable Futures Knowledge Exchange Programme, and co-led with the amazing Dr Sarah Royston from the Global Sustainability Institute (GSI).
Best wishes to you all,
Alice Willitts, Editor, DIRT