Welcome to Rail Switch
poetry videos / poetry films / spoken word
With this publication we set out to determine whether poetry could be interpreted in new and potent ways through the use of video. The answer was a resounding yes, and the poetry videos we found took forms we could not have anticipated, though we tried. An idea of what a poetry video could be was with us when we started our search, but we decided to see what was actually out there and were blown away. Look no further than to our featured performance of Ocean Vuong's “Deto(nation)” which takes the "reading" of poetry to new territory, or to our featured animation of Ross Gay's “Poem To My Child, If Ever You Shall Be” which seamlessly and tastefully binds poetry, music, and subtle visuals. But actually, please do look further. Throughout the issue, a collision of perspectives, artistic disciplines, and backgrounds has allowed for work that we found to be both novel and inspiring. We hope you enjoy.