For Penn Kemp, poetry is magic made manifest. While her subjects are varied, and her interests and approaches have evolved over the years, Kemp has always understood the power of spoken word to evoke emotion, shift consciousness, and shape the world. Drawing on a syncretic blend of spiritual philosophy informed by Buddhist, Hindu, and Celtic wisdom traditions, Kemp’s work is imminent and transcendent, embodied and cerebral. The words on the page produce certain effects, while the voices in the air produce others altogether. How do these effects complement and contradict one another? How does literary sound produce bodily effects and altered states of consciousness? Where will the trance take us, as listeners?
Through conversation with poet Penn Kemp and SpokenWeb Researcher Nick Beauchesne, this episode invites us to explore these questions by tracing the threads of magical practice from Kemp’s early career to the present day. A clip from her performance of Trance Form at the University of Alberta (1977) is brought into conversation with more recent material from When the Heart Parts (2007) and Barbaric Cultural Practice (2017). The episode concludes with a live reading from Kemp’s brand-new Pandemic Poems (2020).
**Transcript in Progress**
00:00 [Intro Music]
Hannah McGregor: What does literature sound like? What stories will we hear if we listen to the archive?
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Hannah McGregor: Welcome to The SpokenWeb Podcast: Stories about how literature sounds. My name is Hannah McGregor, and each month I’ll be bringing you different stories of Canadian literary history, and our contemporary responses to it, created by scholars, poets, students, and artists from across Canada.
How often do you think of your own voice as sonic art? What happens when you speak poetry aloud – what effects can voices in the air produce? For sound poet Penn Kemp, poetry is something more than the written word – words must be lifted off the page, into the air, and sculpted in sound. Her voice is her poetic instrument, and sound becomes a verb – the transporting and trance-forming act of “sounding”.
In this episode of the SpokenWeb Podcast, Penn weaves us through her creative practice with Spokenweb researcher Nick . Exploring the magical effects of literary sound to transport us, transform us, and entrance us - Penn and Nick take us on a journey through Penn’s illustrious decades long career. Discussing archival performances of Trance Form -1977, When the Heart Parts - 2007, and Barbaric Cultural Practice - 2017. Plus, two brand new poems from Penn Kemp shared in this episode.
Penn Kemp has published 30 books of poetry and drama, and had 6 plays, 10 CDs, and several award-winning video poems produced. A former Poet Laureate of London, Ontario, and League of Canadian Poets Spoken Word Artist of the Year - Penn has been giving creativity workshops, teaching, and performing her poetry since .
Here is Nick Beauchesne with honored guest Penn Kemp in Episode Three of the SpokenWeb Podcast: “Sounds of Trance Formation”.
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2:35 [Feature Episode Plays]
2:37 Nick Beaschesne: Good Day Audio Lovers....
2:37-53:10 [Interview with Penn Kemp]
53:10 [Music Outro]
Hannah McGregor: SpokenWeb is a monthly podcast produced by the SpokenWeb team as part of distributing the audio collected from (and created using) Canadian Literary archival recordings found at universities across Canada.
Our producers this month are SpokenWeb team members Nick Beauchesne - University of Alberta, with guest collaborator and Canadian poet Penn Kemp. A special thanks to Adam Whitaker-Wilson, Douglas Barbour, Ann Anglin, Bill Gilliam and John Magyar for their contributions to this episode.
To find out more about Spokenweb visit: spokenweb.ca and subscribe to The Spokenweb Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you may listen. If you love us, let us know! Rate us and leave a comment on Apple Podcasts or say hi on our social media @SpokenWebCanada. From all of us at Spokenweb, be kind to yourself and one another out there. We will see you back here next month for another episode of the SpokenWeb Podcast, stories about how literature sounds.
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