Lit Encounters

Lit Encounters is a long-term exhibition presented by Mad Arts in partnership with digital poetry gallery theVERSEverse. This exhibition reconsiders how poems can look, sing, and perform — inviting a reexamination of the cultural currency of verse. The Listening Room: Immersive spoken word poetry by renowned poets, featuring spoken work from Julie Marie Wade, Christian Bök, Caridad Moro-Gronlier, Nicole Tallman, Elisabeth Sweet, Ana María Caballero, and Pierre Gervois. poem = work of art: Text-based works by leading contemporary poets and artists, showcasing Nicole Tallman, Denise Duhamel, Anne Spalter, Sarah Ridgley, Christian Bök, Pierre Gervois, and Nathaniel Stern. Being Borges: Being Borges proposes a new form of literary translation, begging the question: What's at stake when language becomes literal via the visual? Ana María Caballero uses Borges and Margarita Guerrero's Book of Imaginary Beings to explore how AI interprets Spanish versus English text, exposing data set biases. The installation received funding from the Tezos Foundation and Mad Arts' nonprofit wing. Holo/Voices: Redefining the limits of presence and performance, Holo/Voices, jointly created by Mad Arts and theVERSEverse, presents holographic poetry readings. Poesía de Protesta: Poesía de Protesta brings together the powerful voices of Spanish-language poets, curated by Cuban art historian Gladys Garrote and produced by Elisabeth Sweet. The 12-poem collection features collaborations between Spanish-language poets and contemporary artists, presented as micro-poetic films. Mad Arts acquired these works with support from the Tezos Foundation. About theVERSEverse: theVERSEverse – a women-led collective of poets, artists, and creative technologists – commissions, curates, and sells digital poems, emphasizing craft and creating lasting value that can support artists financially. Founded in November 2021 by Ana María Caballero, Kalen Iwamoto, and Sasha Stiles, with Elisabeth Sweet joining for communications and community outreach, the collective works to unlock the literary potential of the blockchain.