Epilogue

Abstract

Virtanen offers an illuminating synthesis of the discussions within the preceding chapters, and highlights notable overlaps and shared parallels between the First International Poetry Incarnation, Riley’s reading at the Cambridge Poetry Festival, Mottram’s Pollock Record and Fisher’s Blood Bone Brain. The chapter proposes that these parallels denote a gradual move away from the performance of authorship, and a shift towards more pluralistic occasions where both the poet-performer and—increasingly—the audience author the event. Virtanen is careful to avoid asserting these patterns as an overarching theory of poetry and performance, and instead celebrates the insights that may be gained through studying the ‘minor histories’ of individual events and effects. The chapter concludes with observations about the current scenes of poetry readings within the UK.