Flipped eye publishing is joining forces with The Barbican to publish a poetry anthology, authored by members and alumni of the Barbican Young Poets programme.
The not-for-profit publisher has collaborated with the London culture hub to release Articulations for Keeping the Light In, featuring poems written by 23 new and alumni members of the Young Poets programme.
"Articulations for Keeping the Light In will explore themes of dreams and memory, as well as scenes of bliss, connection, sex and desire," the synopsis explains. "There are also pieces that hold up a mirror to trauma, brutality, isolation, and the violent realities affecting us and the world now."
It will be edited by Sam-La Rose with poet and programme co-tutor Rachel Long. It was commissioned by Sam-La Rose, Rachel Long and Lauren Brown, creative learning producer at The Barbican.
An exclusive edition of the anthology will be published by The Barbican on Sunday 8th May, launching at a free, ticketed poetry showcase in the Barbican Conservatory, while the main edition will be published on Thursday 14th July by flipped eye.
The anthology includes new poetry written by Oshanti Ahmed, Esme Allman, Mandisa Apena, Rachel Cleverly, Courtney Conrad, Bella Cox, Geraint Ellis, Abena Essah, Rakaya Fetuga, Rosanna Hildyard, Minying Huang, Gabriel Jones, Kerrica Kendall, Rachel Lewis, Cia Mangat, Sarah McCreadie, Shanay Neusum-James, Tasmia Salim, Maeve Slattery, Matt L T Smith, Simran Uppal, Maggie Wang and Jinhao Xie.
“Barbican Young Poets is a programme that values a wide-ranging body of poetics, celebrating poetry both on the page and in performance with the intention of sidestepping that age-old dichotomy," said Sam-La Rose. "Having been so heavily invested in the development of the programme and its poets since its inception, I’m excited to have been able to establish this relationship between the programme and flipped eye publishing, a relationship that serves to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the work these poets are doing. The connection between flipped eye and Barbican Young Poets feels like a perfect fit, bearing in mind the principles the programme upholds in nurturing its participants and the strong track record of developmental work flipped eye has. This is a milestone in the programme’s history.”
The young poets programme focuses on creating spaces and communities for poets aged 16 to 30. Alumni include Eleanor Penny, Kareem Parkins Brown, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Victoria Anne Bulley, Amina Jama and Laurie Ogden.
Brown added: "We are delighted to be partnering with flipped eye publishing on the Barbican Young Poets 2022 anthology. This new partnership brings exciting potential for the extraordinary work of our young artists to reach even more widely and be rightfully platformed alongside other exceptional poets in the sector. We’re also thrilled to be hosting the Barbican Young Poets Showcase in the beautiful surroundings of the Conservatory. This event is a chance to celebrate the hard work and talents of the cohort but to also give audiences a glimpse into the poetic artistry they’ll find in the anthology too.”