PRESS RELEASE If every word spoken in New York

							PRESS RELEASE

"If every word spoken in New York City daily were        audience, where as Shandy Hall was where Laurence
somehow to materialize as a snowflake, each day there Sterne wrote his most celebrated work, The Life and
would be a blizzard."                                    Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. It's fitting that
                                                         one of the most famous contemporary avant-garde
The words of Kenneth Goldsmith, described by Juliana poets is to stay in the home of one of the 18th century's
Spahr as 'the world's leading conceptual poet', and by   most experimental writers."
himself as 'the most boring writer that has ever lived'.
His ideas are being brought to the screen by artist and
director Simon Morris in a film to premiere at the
British Library in London on Friday 26th October.
Christian Bök, one of Canada's leading poets and the
winner of the 2002 Griffin poetry prize recently said:
"Goldsmith is our James Joyce for the 21st century."

sucking on words introduces 8000 of those daily words
- a flurry of excitement as the climates of conflict and
admiration come together around Goldsmith's
pioneering conceptual poetics. Shot on location in
Manhatten in February this year, sucking on words
features interviews with the leading critics and poets
Bruce Andrews, Barbara Cole, and Robert Fitterman.

Goldsmith says: "I'm more interested in knowing
                                                            ENDS
language better in the way Warhol was knowing image
better by simply turning the camera on to it and letting it
run."
                                                            Your personal invitation
                                                            The British Library, The Eccles Centre for American
Simon Morris adds: "Goldsmith is turning the literary
                                                            Studies and information as material invite you to a
world on its head by encouraging plagiarism and
                                                            special screening of:
suggesting writers throw away existing notions of
intellectual property." As Goldsmith says: "We don't
                                                            London film premiere of sucking on words Kenneth
need the new sentence, the old sentence re-framed is
                                                            Goldsmith, a film by Simon Morris
good enough."
                                                                 Date: Friday 26 October
Conceptual writing is the poetics of the moment. It fuses
                                                                 Time: 6pm Doors open. 6.30pm Screening
avant-garde impulses of the twentieth century with
                                                                 Venue: The British Library Conference Centre
technologies of the present. The material morphs
                                                                 auditorium, The British Library, 96 Euston Road,
between the web and the printed page. It draws
                                                                 London, NW1 2DB
attention to the materiality of the word and the
conceptual nature of this type of literature - the writing is
                                                             Tickets are by reservation only. For your free tickets e-
the idea and the idea is the writing.
                                                             mail: simon@informationasmaterial.com We will
                                                             reserve you a place at the screening and e-mail you a
The lively conversations featured in the film are an ideal
                                                             booking confirmation slip.
introduction to Goldsmith's witty and provocative works,
already regarded as hallmarks of 21st century literature. additional information
In addition to debate and commentary, the film               Filmed on location in New York City, February, 2007
showcases readings from some of his most notorious           Critical Commentary: Bruce Andrews, Barbara Cole, Robert Fitterman
books: No.111 (found phrases ending in an 'r' rhyme          Film & Lighting: Fiona Biggiero, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman
                                                             Film editor: Christine Morris. Sound: Jarrod Fowler
and filtered alphabetically by syllable count); Soliloquy    Original musical score: Rob Lavers, Design: Peter McGrath
(a transcription of every word Goldsmith spoke for a
week); Day (a retyping of one day's New York Times);         PAL copies of the DVD will be available at the screening, priced at
Traffic (a day's worth of hourly traffic bulletins); and The £19.95
Weather (a year's worth of radio weather bulletins).         sucking on words will be screened at the following venues:
                                                                 Friday 26 October 2007
In November sucking on words will have its                       The British Library, London
Scandinavian premiere at the Oslo International
                                                                 Saturday 27 October 2007
Festival of Poetry. A screening is also taking place at          Shandy Hall, The Laurence Sterne Trust, Coxwold, North Yorkshire
Shandy Hall, Coxwold, near York, on Saturday 27th
October, supported by the Laurence Sterne Trust where            Sunday November 4 2007
Goldsmith will be staying as poet-in-residence.                  The Oslo International Poetry Festival

                                                                 Spring 2008
Simon Morris says: "Oslo will provide us with the                New York City (venue TBC)
opportunity to bring the film to a much wider European

        For more information, contact Simon Morris on 01904 338 641 or Sarah Smelik on 0773 278 2424