An honour to give a reading at the prestigious Hay Festival, and afterwards Jimmy and I were interviewed by Dylan Jones about the process of creating our spoken word album Catalyst together.
I was honoured to be asked to read in Lowell, Massachusetts, by the Kerouac estate to celebrate Kerouac's 100th birthday. Amongst the poems I read was "For Jack" that was featured on my spoken word album Catalyst. It was a delight to read alongside Ann Waldman and Paul Marion in Kerouac's hometown and meet the team working at the Kerouac estate to keep his memory alive.
At Keats House Museum Dan Baldwin revealed his sculpture for the John Keats bicentennial celebration, inspired by Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn, featuring inscriptions from the poems Simon Armitage and I wrote for the bicentennial. The urn was unveiled by Greek Ambassador H.E. Ioannis Pediotis, Ambassador of Greece. This was the first in person poetry reading I was able to take part in since the pandemic and lockdowns, it was wonderful to read my poem for Keats, and hear Simon Armitage, Ruth Padel and Hannah Sullivan.
I gave a reading at Bologna Book Plus during a panel discussion exploring the writers work in translation his literary contemporaries and ongoing influence. The panel featured Dr. Jacob Blakesly Associate Professor in Comparative Literature and literary translation and Co-Director of the Centre of Dante Studies at University of Leeds, Dr Daniel Neuman Professor in Modern Language and Culture at Durham University, and Yao Yi, editorial lead for international literature at Yilin Press.
I was honoured to be be commissioned to write a poem to commemorate the 200th anniversary of John Keats death, alongside Poet Laureate Simon Armitage by the Keats Shelley Association.
On 23rd February 2021 I took part in an interdisciplinary webinar hosted by Magdalen College, Oxford, along with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, Lord Charles Spencer, and the BBC's John Simpson. It was a wonderful forum to debut my poem for Keats which you can read below. When I was writing this poem, I think what struck me was what turbulent times Keats was living through, there were riots taking place regularly in England, and revolutions were happening in America and Europe. Death seemed ever close, ever present. Keats also had medical training at St. Guy's hospital in London, which he began when he was only 15, and he later worked as a surgeon's dresser. This of course was in the days when there was no anaesthetic, patients were held down as they were being operated on. So, it was intense, bloody work, and during this period of time, Keats really began writing extensively. It interested me that Keats was building his life with his hands, in this way, in two very meticulous ways. So, in this poem, I really wanted to capture the flesh and blood of the man, and the dexterity of his hands.
23rd February 1821: In Remembrance of John Keats
by Scarlett Sabet
Body and Flesh a compass for an Isle fervent with dissent
your mind's eye performed
mercilessly beneath scalpel and pen
and in between gasps and screams
your lungs exhaled beauty and dreams
your hands and fingers
insistent, conjuring
invocations of blood and love
you clutched her neck
as you stood before the precipice of death,
blasphemy beneath the church steps
and now the hand that once burnished her flesh
clutches your chest
exhaling blood red breath
And now, I gaze at the death mask cast
As you passed away,
I trace your eyelids' delicate crease,
wondering at the imprint your lips leave
Scarlett Sabet in conversation with Gerard Malanga - The London Magazine
It was a pleasure to take part and perform some poems at the launch of the second issue of Lisa Marie Jarlborn's lovelove magazine. Held on the same street in London where Rimbaud and Verlaine conducted their affair many moons ago, at the Prince George. It was lovely to perform and get to meet some of the other creatives that contributed to the magazine.
I’m thrilled to be featured in this issue alongside hero’s of mine like Gerard Malanga and Anne Waldman both of whom are interviewed in depth by Lisa Marie Jarlborn.
It was wonderful to perform at Libreria Bookshop, for the first time, for our sold-out event.
I gave a poetry reading, and afterwards, Danuta Keane opened up the conversation where Jimmy and I were able to talk further about the creation of our spoken word album Catalyst. We also took questions from the audience.
Thank you Libreria for hosting a great night, it was a joy sharing Catalyst with you all.
It was a pleasure to revisit MoPoP Museum whilst in Seattle. We returned to meet with the incredible young people that make up MoPoP'S youth advisory board. I gave a poetry reading, then we played Catalyst on vinyl, after which Jimmy and I discussed its creation, the process in the studio, etc.
We had answered questions from the young people from the museum's program. Like last year I was so impressed with their perspectives and questions. The youth at MoPoP really are the great artist of tomorrow. We overrun on time so only some of the YAB are pictured here. Thank you for having us it was a delight to share Catalyst with you, and a special thank you to Josh, and Amy, and curators Jasen Emmons and Jacob McMurray, the wonderful team at MoPoP and of course the late, great Paul Allen was on our minds, the founder of the museum and co founder of Microsoft, a man who changed the world and was so humble.
It was so sweet to return to San Francisco, to read at the iconic City Lights. San Francisco is a sprawling, vibrant, multicultural city, rich in history. It's synonymous with the Beat poets whom I love and have been so inspired by. I read a selection of poems from all four of my books, some of which of course are featured on Catalyst. After the reading it was a pleasure to discuss Catalyst more in depth and meet attendees of the reading, some of whom had brought their vinyl copies of Catalyst with them. I felt so embraced by San Francisco, and I can't wait to return.