TALKING POETRY

Atlas Book Launch February 2006

'Open Space for the Word' organised the launch of Atlas - a new international novel-sized magazine of 'new writing, art & image' published by Aark Arts and Crossword in February 2006. Apart from featuring cutting-edge original and translated poetry, drama, fiction & non-fiction, as well as in-depth interviews & features, the issue features selected portfolios of artists, photographers & filmmakers.  Noted poets Sudeep Sen, Dilip Chitre, Priya Sarukkai Chabria, R Raj Rao and C P Surendran were invited to read selections from the inaugural issue of Atlas . Readings were followed by an interactive session with the audience.

Audience attendance:
Audience attendance was close to 35 for the readings and about 20 stayed back for discussion. There was a mix of youngsters (professionals and students) and elderly people who have frequented Open Space for other poetry related programmes. Also reporters from the Maharashtra Herald and the Indian Express who covered the event and interviewed Sudeep Sen about Atlas and the idea to launch the literary magazine in Pune. The poets who were present and who read: C. P. Surendran, R Raj Rao, Dilip Chitre, Priya Sarukkai Chabria and Sudeep Sen

Session Duration: 6.00pm – 8.30pm

Response: Quite a few young people turned up for the launch and reading sessions, some from the Talking Poetry forum. Sudeep Sen introduced the speakers and poets, and briefly introduced the place of poetry and fiction in the larger literary scene both in India and at the international level. Poets read excerpts from prose pieces of their own, and those by other writes and a few poems. Priya Sarukkai Chabbria talked about the relevance of poetry in todays changing world, as a tool for dialoguing with people. Also Open Space as a space for such an exchange through literature, primarily poetry and the various poetry related activities already up and running at Open Space.

Post the readings, there was a session of informal interactions and discussions. Some of the ideas and thoughts which came up were about the growing need for similar spaces where young people could attend live poetry readings and interact with poets. The growing need to create forums and encourage people to write. Online forums which encouraged young people to publish their works (specially poetry) thereby shaping a whole new culture of authorship. Also the trends and influences that inspire young people to write poems today, their sources and the concerns reflected upon.

The event was documented, with photographs and audio recordings of the poems that were read.