Distāntia Remote Reading Archive
Distāntia: ‘standing apart’, hence ‘separation, opening (between); distance, remoteness; difference, diversity.’
This is a working archive of Distāntia, an experimental reading series staged around the COVID-19 crisis and the concept of social distancing done intimately. Call it: intimate social distancing. Spread poetry, not COVID-19.
Our remote intimate gathering unfolds here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvvXC1Q4IwxV7Ve6h1026cg
Line up includes so far (not in order):
Holly Melgard
Rachel Blau DuPlessis
Leonardo Flores
Curtis Emery
Jennifer Scappettone and Nicholas Calvin Mwakatobe
Stephanie Heit
H. E. Casson
Emily Martin
Petra Kuppers
cris cheek
Larissa Shmailo
Steve Benson
Kaitlin Moore
Joel Chace
Travis Chi Wing Lau
Ricky Tykal Ray
Charles Bernstein
Aldon Lynn Nielsen
Amanda Earl
Joanna C. Valente
Scott C. Smith
Joe Milazzo
Megan Burns
Elæ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson]
Samantha Pious
Patrick Durgin
Isaac Pickell
Catherine Kyle
Ira Sukrungruang
Cam Scott
Christina Rosso
Joey Yearous Algozin
Mark DuCharme
Thom Donovan
Rebecca Teich
mIEKAL aND
D.J. Lee
Vaughan Rapatahana
Sophia Wilson
Stephen Bett
Siobhan Harvey
Kit Willett
Stephanie Anderson
Joe Balaez
Cat Tyc
Kristen Gallagher and Tara Merenda Nelson
March 14, 2020
Emcee Introduction: https://youtu.be/za5sqPWxHMU
Poetry by Stephanie Heit: https://youtu.be/cWUyjuSCie8
Curtis Emery’s “Waterworld”: https://youtu.be/HaSE0bHp6I0
“Reproductive Labor” by Holly Melgard: https://youtu.be/ASMZuI2k1IE
March 15, 2020
“How To Survive Surviving a Crisis” by H.E. Casson: https://youtu.be/La12xDBhdco
“Gestures Carve Out A Space” By Emily Martin: https://youtu.be/z9pwLT-QNOE
“Neptune’s Handfasting” by Petra Kuppers: https://youtu.be/73jITrWPmAE
March 16, 2020
“On the border” by Rachel Blau DuPlessis: https://youtu.be/ExsQqSKOF0U
“Remembering the Lanternfly” by Amanda Silberling: https://youtu.be/eSKLX_Da6l4
“Populist Pastoral in Smoke” by Jennifer Scappettone and Nicholas Calvin Mwakatobe: https://youtu.be/3CoOtvsXCoY
March 17, 2020
“Environmental Foam (for Keith)” by cris cheek: https://youtu.be/lpEXSbA40Vg
“Poetry reading my mind” by Steve Benson: https://youtu.be/kDPk3KjCl-I
“In Paran” by Larissa Shmailo: https://youtu.be/EBLruzDH90c
March 18, 2020
Poetry by Travis Chi Wing Lau: https://youtu.be/ftePdTevpDU
“Invictus” by William Ernest Henley and recited by Charles Bernstein: https://youtu.be/2OgWMALHlks
“Nebulosa Orionis” by Kaitlin Moore: https://youtu.be/t5xUAde7C7k
March 19, 2020
“Música Callada” by Aldon Lynn Nielsen Translation by Lianggong Luo, read by Chen Hongbo: https://youtu.be/bKydOknfIPw
“timocracy” by Joel Chace: https://youtu.be/gbITdt4S1ZQ
March 20, 2020
The Sword” by Joanna C. Valente: https://youtu.be/m4QyEXZ3IyA
Poetry by Ricky Ray: https://youtu.be/pBtwXbj5dTs
Poetry by Amanda Earl: https://youtu.be/VEkeFhLLdxk
March 21, 2020
“Tübatulabal” by Scott C. Smith: https://youtu.be/daEXZ5cDj4w
“Litany for Philly bookstores” by Samantha Pious: https://youtu.be/VMsCT0H0ffQ
March 22, 2020
Poetry by Joe Milazzo: https://youtu.be/yA4D4vHsnQk
“Opening Lines” by Megan Burns: https://youtu.be/Y6tQHkVu_A4
“Transmission Attempt #46–06–909 [From the medicine diaries of the Fewkin, 2214]” by ELÆ [Lynne DeSilva-Johnson]: https://youtu.be/4m8RVTrxz5c
March 23, 2020
Pomes by Isaac Pickell: https://youtu.be/qxuFtjvZXkc
“The Living Net” by Catherine Kyle: https://youtu.be/bDBMOceOZVQ
“Sprucing Spring up on Larkin Street” by Lorenzo Thomas, recited by Aldon Lynn Nielsen: https://youtu.be/sCH7DAKykZI
March 24, 2020
An excerpt from “Case Comparison” by Patrick Durgin: https://youtu.be/wDcY5LW4Uso
“Monkeys, The Cinepoem” by Ira Sukrungruang: https://youtu.be/T-28m0p-mao
March 25, 2020
“Isolation” by Genevieve Pfeiffer: https://youtu.be/LR6WbeUombk
March 28, 2020
“Romans” by Cam Scott: https://youtu.be/Aux2PC7YFsM
March 29, 2020
“Becoming a Beast” by Christina Rosso: https://youtu.be/yCZZxGVMi7c
March 31, 2020
“On Poverty and Joy” by Joey Yearous Algozin: https://youtu.be/HW2sFUh5CT0
April 8, 2020
Poems by Mark DuCharme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhuM44LpW1M
April 9, 2020
[Zurich Concert] by Thom Donovan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2oOQhrIkPQ
April 10, 2020
“Enter” by Rebecca Teich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dFnuzfEsOA
April 13, 2020
“Always wild words unwind- the wildverse of mIEKAL aND” by mIEKAL aND, C. Mehrl Bennett, video by Camille Bacos, published in The Madhatter Review #10: https://vimeo.com/138348445?fbclid=IwAR3YxbYP9bMVQOkSxe_4UUlB-Oq96hezulxiIWOjDmTUdC0XAAEwvvjFHds
April 14, 2020
“Constellation” [excerpt from REMOTE] by DJ Lee: https://youtu.be/JwN6anvJ2rU
April 15, 2020
Poems in honour of Julius Eastman by Thom Donovan: https://youtu.be/5q7fmbefhNg
April 16, 2020
“tahi kupu anake” by Vaughan Rapatahana: https://youtu.be/ZTBjxUpiJkg
April 17, 2020
Poems by Thom Donovan: https://youtu.be/YWBWwAwn_4Y
April 18, 2020
“On the first day of class I felt scared” by Thom Donovan: https://youtu.be/oLagDjnD6yQ
April 19, 2020
“Invasions” by Sophia Wilson: https://youtu.be/eRBGr60dTiE
April 20, 2020
“La Couronne” by Sophia Wilson: https://youtu.be/3YsGALPH8Kg
April 22, 2020
“Jack Spicer: No One Listens to Poetry” by Stephen Bett: https://youtu.be/PSuouF_TlwM
April 23, 2020
“Richard Stevenson: White and Airless Signals” by Stephen Bett: https://youtu.be/GEZm9dlGEJc
April 24, 2020
“Myriad” by Sophia Wilson: https://youtu.be/4qQWsf8XL38
April 25, 2020
“Kia atawhai — te huaketo 2020” by Vaughan Rapatahana: https://youtu.be/ahXJdR2e-FY
April 26, 2020
After all that” by Siobhan Harvey: https://youtu.be/UeXqu0OZXmY
April 30, 2020
“Canticle” by Kit Willett: https://youtu.be/V93FWzyweYg
May 5, 2020
“PS Pandemic” by Stephanie Anderson: https://youtu.be/5Yzg6bUL9do
July 21, 2020
“Just Call Me Nero” by Joe Balaz: https://youtu.be/VXY8WSFzFV0
Music by Joe Balaz and Peter Chamberlain. Additional vocals by Mary Ellen Derwis. Video by Mary Ellen Derwis and Joe Balaz.
October 13, 2020
“I Need You To Care That The Country Is On Fire” by Cat Tyc: https://youtu.be/jk07IlJwRLk
March 3, 2021
“Df A5: The Plant” by Kristen Gallagher and Tara Merenda Nelson: https://youtu.be/I5jKt_fGtn8
In March 2020, Kristen Gallagher and Tara Merenda Nelson began a collaboration concerned with mining the very large, underexplored collection of lantern slides at the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester NY, where Tara is an archive curator. Each month, Tara chooses a slide (sometimes because something strikes her, sometimes Kristen gives her a chance-based guideline like “row 1, shelf 1, box 5, slide 20”). Once Tara has shared the image, Kristen has two weeks to write a brief response and record herself reading it. Tara then makes a short film featuring the slide and Kristen’s soundtrack. It’s all quick and dirty, against perfectionism. The current plan is to continue this series until every slide in the collection has been addressed — which is impossible. Tara and Kristen will die before they run out of slides. “Df A5: The Plant” is the first in the series; slide chosen by Tara.
