Motionpoems
A trend is afoot: more and more poems are being turned into short films for broadcast and online use.
In support of this trend, Todd has co-founded (with executive producer Angella Kassube) an exciting initiative called Motionpoems.
It all started when Angella came to a reading at Nina’s Cafe and told Todd she’d seen his call for collaborations on this very web site.
About poetry, Todd gets kinda animated.
Angella and Todd host a “lights-up” discussion during a recent screening at Open Book in Minneapolis that drew a standing-room-only crowd of 150+ for a premiere of twelve new Motionpoems. (Photo: Mitch Monson)
To the nay-sayers,
Todd says:
It’s true that poetry is an intimate written medium that draws upon the reader’s solitude and imagination for its power.
But it’s also true that poetry is an aural and visual medium that deserves a broader audience. Motionpoems is an attempt to add a vibrant dimension to the distribution of poetry in the digital age.
The project is designed to make poetry accessible to a media-savvy generation by bringing the magic of animation to poems by some of the best living poets in the country.
Motionpoems taps the volunteer energy of talented film and sound artists to produce professional-quality, big-screen, high-definition shorts that treat individual poems as scripts.
Resulting projects find their way to web publications, radio and television broadcasts, film festivals... even art galleries and museums!
SUBSCRIBE to the Motionpoems channel on YouTube!
Poets already animated:
Marvin Bell
Robert Bly
Todd Boss
Jane Hirshfield
Freya Manfred
Tim Nolan
Poets in the queue:
Sandra Beasley
Sharon Chmielarz
Philip Dacey
Beth Ann Fennelly
Dorianne Laux
Alex Lemon
Thomas Lux
David Mason
Alicia Ostriker
Molly Peacock
Terese Svoboda
Robert Wrigley
“Must see” similar projects:
Billy Collins as “action poet”
Motionpoems is generously supported by HDMG, and by The Minnesota Center for Book Arts, motion504, and Z-Systems.
To support Motionpoems in any way, or to arrange a screening in your community, contact Todd at toddbosspoet(at)mac(dot)com.
Hear a recent interview with Todd and Angella on Minnesota Public Radio, below.
Click to play this one-minute film.
See more motionpoems at Motionpoems.com!
On Air
In the Twin Cities, Motionpoems is proud to partner with TPT (Twin Cities Public Television). Watch for Motionpoems as a regular feature of “Minnesota Originals.”
Poetry and New Media
A free 74-page report, “Poetry and New Media,” recently issued by the Poetry Foundation’s Harriet Monroe Poetry Institute, is available for download here.
Kudos
Motionpoems salutes Tom Jacobsen and team: “The God of Our Farm Had Blades,” above, was selected for the Minneapolis International Film Festival!