CONFERENCES & EVENTS

​WATCH WORDS: THE FURNIVALS AND TEXT (AS) ART IN THE LONG SIXTIES, APRIL 2023  

Conference at the University of Bristol, co-organised with Dr. Natalie Ferris, exploring the work of Astrid and John Furnival. The first dedicated conference on the work of the Furnivals, this event explored their contributions to movements such as concrete poetry, mail art, textile art, and pop art, with keynotes from writer Eley Williams and Prof. Stephen Bann. here

CONCRETE SCOTLAND, STANZA POETRY FESTIVAL, MARCH 2021   

Digital exhibition exploring how Scottish writers and artists interacted with the concrete poetry movement of the 1950s-70s, using images of rare and unpublished poems, archival materials and ephemera, to weave together a narrative of the concrete movement in Scotland and its encompassing contexts, from cybernetics to social housing. Read my interview with the Edwin Morgan Trust about the exhibition here.

 

IAN HAMILTON FINLAY: LITTLE FIELDS LONG HORIZONS, JULY 2017

Three-day symposium, the first conference on the work of Scottish poet and artist Ian Hamilton Finlay. Held at the University of Edinburgh with accompanying events at Little Sparta. Co-organised with Dr. Alex Thomson, supported by the British Academy and University of Edinburgh's School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures. Keynote speakers Prof. Susan Stewart, Prof. Stephen Bann, and Dr. Drew Milne. here

​

FROM RENAISSANCE TO REFERENDUM, 2015-16

A free, public seminar series exploring the intersection of poetry and politics in modern Scottish culture. Hosted by the Scottish Poetry Library, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, supported by the British Academy and Edinburgh University’s Humanities and Social Sciences Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fund. here

​

BEAUTY, HAPPINESS AND PLAY: EDWIN MORGAN, IAN HAMILTON FINLAY, AND CONCRETE POETRY, SPRING 2012

Exhibition at the Scottish Poetry Library, Spring 2012, exploring the work of Edwin Morgan and Ian Hamilton Finlay in relation to the concrete poetry movement in Britain and beyond, including poems produced as vinyl transfers for walls. Exhibition notes here.

​

CONVERSIFY: POETRY, POLITICS & FORM, SEPTEMBER 2011

Two-day conference at University of Edinburgh exploring the relationship between formal innovation and political commitment in poetry. Co-organised with Dr. Samantha Walton and Dr. Lila Matsumoto. Keynote speakers Prof. Esther Leslie and poets Sean Bonney and Nicky Melville. here

​

​