The festival approaches video poetry as a literary genre presented as visual media that makes new meaning from the combination of text and moving image. Featuring screenings, an artist residency, generative workshops for youth and adults, and juried awards, Cadence fosters critical and creative growth around the medium of video poetry.

Video poems will be eligible for an award within their submission category:

Adaptations/Ekphrasis
Judged by Amber Flame

Amber Flame is a writer, composer and performer, whose work has garnered artistic merit residencies with Hedgebrook, The Watering Hole, Vermont Studio Center, and Yefe Nof. Flame’s original work has been published in diverse arenas, including Winter Tangerine, The Dialogist, Split This Rock, Black Heart Magazine, Sundress Publications, FreezeRay, Redivider Journal and more. A 2016 Pushcart Prize nominee, Jack Straw Writer and recipient of the CityArtist grant from Seattle’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, Amber Flame’s first full-length poetry collection, Ordinary Cruelty, was recently published through Write Bloody Press. Flame joins the Hugo House in Seattle as the 2017 poetry Writer-in-Residence, and is a queer Black single mama just one magic trick away from growing her unicorn horn.

Collaboration
Judged by Angella Kassube

Angella Kassube is an avid poetry reader and freelance Art Director/Designer/Animator from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has worked in the film and video industry for more than 20 years. In 2008, Angella co-founded Motionpoems, a non-profit poetry film production organization, and was the executive producer for more than 30 poetry films during Motionpoems’ first 5 seasons. Angella has designed and animated poetry films for Thomas Lux, Dean Young, and Robert Bly. Her films have screened in film festivals in Berlin, New York City, Minneapolis, and Rome. Angella believes poetry films have a place in education and has worked with high school students and poetry teachers to help them create their own poetry films. She happily met her future husband, Norwegian poet Dag T. Straumsvåg, through his work with Motionpoems, and will be moving to Norway during the next few years.

Video by Poets
Judged by Jordan Stempleman

Jordan Stempleman is the author of nine collections of poetry including Wallop, No, Not Today, and COVER SONGS COVER SONGS COVER SONGS OFF DAYS (forthcoming, Magic Helicopter Press). He co-edits The Continental Review, serves as the faculty editor for Sprung Formal, and curates A Common Sense Reading Series.

Poetry by Video Artists
Judged by Gretchen Burger

Gretchen Burger is an artist, educator, filmmaker and, long ago, she was a poet.  The co-founder of the creative agency FEARLESS, Gretchen has turned her creative pursuits to embodied immersive storytelling and creating public art projects, exhibitions and curriculum to facilitate understanding of the invisible digital ether pulsing around us. Gretchen has an MFA in experimental film and video installation from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and has taught at The Art Institute, Seattle University, Cornish College of Arts and Northwest Film Forum.

Cadence accepts works no longer than 5 minutes that fit within the following categories of video poetry for inclusion in Cadence Video Poetry Festival. Works that exceed 5 minutes may be submitted in the Wild Card category.

• Adaptations/Ekphrasis: Videos created to bring new meaning and dimension to pre-existing poetry. Any poems used for this purpose must be in the public domain or else used with written consent of the author.
• Collaboration: Video poems created in collaboration between a video artist and writer.
• Video by Poets: Poets creating video from, or as, their writing.
• Poetry by Video Artists: Video artists using text visually or through audio intrinsic to the poetic meaning.
• Wild Card: Video work that’s poetically informed or poetry that’s visually informed that doesn’t neatly fit into one of the other categories and/or exceeds 5 minutes.

Submissions for the next festival will open on January 1st, 2021!

DESCRIPTION
Northwest Film Forum selects an artist or artist team of two to develop a new video poem for inclusion in Cadence: Video Poetry Festival each year. The selected artist(s) will have access to NWFF’s film equipment and edit lab, as well as an opportunity to participate in a scheduled workshop to develop or supplement their filmmaking and/or editing skills. The Artist-in-Residence will be asked to participate in a post-screening conversation with festival co-directors and other participating artists.

ELIGIBILITY
Artists or artist teams of two residing in Seattle, 18 years of age or older.

2021 APPLICATION PERIOD
Will open January 1, 2021.

Read application requirements here.