The Thinking

The act of writing poetry, of picturing the world in a different way, has potential beyond the uniqueness of its perspective or the cleverness of its language. To see things otherwise is to alter their meaning and explore the world anew. And poetry need not be overtly political or self-consciously philosophical to achieve this, rather it is a product of its time and place, and the speculation that is so much a part of the human condition.

Conversation is a magazine that tries to open poetry publication to the possibilities inherent in the alternatives that are the poet’s forte. To hone the sentiments and outpouring of joy, love, surprise, anger, sadness, frustration; to thrash out the confusion of a situation, or to document that moment when everything suddenly falls into place. This is where the publisher can launch an idea into the wider world.

We aim to be part of the dialogue that promotes the potential of the poet as social critic, commentator, even utopian: poetry as a revolutionary activity. It is the nature of those who write with the clarity or skewed vision of the poet, with an architectural expression of something deeper, a rebellion against conventional ways of seeing.

The Conversation International Poetry Project is a way of widening this dialogue. Through a series of independent magazines in multiple languages, poets from all over the world can come together for the common purpose of exploring the philosophical and political possibilities of poetry. As we are able to cater for more languages, the project will grow, taking in the varied cultural and linguistic nuances of subject and style. These conversations may not always translate easily, and many writers and readers will have only one language. Yet, in an increasingly small world, it is the explorations of poetry that give us our best hope of getting to the heart of humanity wherever it is to be found.

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The Editors:

David Nettleingham is a doctoral student of sociology, researcher and seminar teacher at the University of Kent, UK. He is co-founder of Conversation Poetry Quarterly, the Canterbury School, and is head of the Conversation International Poetry Project. His work has been published in a number of magazines and anthologies, and he is part of The Word live literature organisation.

Christopher Hobday co-founded Conversation Poetry Quarterly back in 2007 and the Canterbury School. He was formerly editor of the University of Kent’s poetry magazine Logos. He was the winner of the 2009 Save As poetry prize and was shortlisted for the 2008 Canterbury Poet of the Year competition. His first joint collection Stubborn Mule Orchestra was released in 2008.

David and Christopher are currently collaborating on AdageAdagio – a dialogue of philosophical poems, which they hope to release later in 2009.

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All current and back issues of the magazine are available online to download free in pdf format.