One of the greatest privileges of running the European Poetry Festival is that I get to collaborate with some of the poets coming for the festivities. I mean, one could argue it’s narcissistic that I participate at all, given I curate it all (for years I didn’t, because I feared it appears this way). But then again, I’ve done so many collaboration performances I have found, over recent years, my own shenanigans tend to relax others sometimes, that as long as my work has a humorous edge, it can set a positive tone. Anyway for the mega EPF 2022 I am collaborating eight times. Some old friends, some poets I have never met before. Cassius Fadlabi, Tine Melzer, Fabian Faltin, Alessandro Burbank, Krisjanis Zelgis, Phil Minton / Audrey Chen / Jaap Blonk, Tom Jenks and Nick Roth. A more intimidating lineup you perhaps could not get. The reality is, collaboration is pedagogy. I learn every time I work with another poet. Moreover, it is pressure. It forces invention. Without committing to these collaborations so often and in such volume over the years I am sure I would’ve never developed my improvisation poetry work as I do it now. Each one of these poets is remarkable in their own right, but here are works I’ve made before with Fabian, Burbank, and Krisjanis for example, and wow the quartet with Minton Chen Blonk, a dream, and Jenks again, and Nick Roth in Ireland, an amazing musician. Please come and watch me fail while others succeed, multiple times over. https://www.europeanpoetryfestival.com/2022