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An Interview With Creative Director, Miriam Barr
By Jason White

J.W: Why poetry for you?
M.B: Because I was born that way, I have been writing poetry since before I knew what poetry was, so it’s a natural propensity. What makes me do it now is that I like how it connects me to this wider community of people, it shares an understanding. And because I can, I would be doing poetry even if no-one saw or heard it, fortunately though people do want to see and hear which is good, because it means I get to do it even more.

J.W: What’s the difference between a Literatti show and an open mic poetry night?
M.B: In a Literatti show, the pieces have been selected to entertain, to flow into each other, these are professional, rehearsed pieces set to music, we perform rather than simply read.

J.W: What’s your connection with the north?
M.B: I was born there and grew up there until I was 17. My mother still lives up there. I love that you can go outside and be alone up there, there are still these relatively untouched pockets of land: it’s just beautiful and there is a lack of pretension in the people, and a greater sense of freedom.

J.W: What is the Literatti?
M.B: We are a performance poetry collective. We combine theatre, poetry and music in a show
format. We really wanted to do something with poetry that is dynamic and entertaining to watch, bring a new face to poetry, something outside of libraries and book shops, something everyone can relate to and enjoy.

J.W: What do you want to do in Whangarei?
M.B: We want to bring something that hasn’t been seen before to new audiences. I’m really looking forward to doing a show in the region I came from; there is a sense of nostalgia about it for me.

J.W: Who is in the Literatti?
M.B: The Literatti is a collection of great poets and performers. There are six of us and each person brings a unique style and taste to the show, creating a diverse experience.
Shane Hollands was the original creative director and founder of the Literatti. He has travelled all
around the country, touring with different bands and DJ’s, performing his brand of beat speak verse. One of the few poets I’ve seen who can get crowds of people dancing to poetry.
Andra is one of the original literartists; she is a sublime, saucy satirist. Murray Haddow, is a real entertainer who can win over the toughest audience with his punk poetry. Murray Lee, a true original, a poet’s poet, he can be counted on to deliver the unexpected with a smile.
Charis Boos, understated and clever, has an air of sophistication, she plays with words like a pro,
carrying listeners away with her imagery and styley metaphors.
And me, Miriam Barr, (the current creative director), a slam champion, I can make angels weep and devils sigh with each poetic journey. Come to my show and I’ll prove it.

J.W: What can be expected from a Literatti show?
M.B: Entertainment, to be taken on an evocative experience that will get you thinking, with each
performer bringing a different flavour to our new history of poetry.

J.W: Why poetry and Music?
M.B: Because sounds can convey emotions on a sub-language level, it’s not constrained by words, it’s
a direct route to the emotions, so if it’s well matched to a poem it can be a landscape that your poetry
lies across. Eliot says that true poetry communicates even before it is understood, this is what we want
to do, communicate, and music adds to that.

J.W: What are your inspirations?
M.B: Life, because that’s everything. The whole world. Everything is poetry. I’m very influenced by
my psychology background, the details of people fascinate me, why we do what we do, things that
aren’t often owned up to or verbalised.
The Literatti’s inspiration comes from other performance poets like the Wellington Word Collective,
The Def Jam poets, the Melbourne poets like those involved with Going Down Swinging, we really
liked what these people were doing. Also wanting to create some opportunities, somewhere to put our work. And to bring reflections of all these influences that we’ve appreciated so much to others, like a spreading the word kind of thing.
We all have our own individual influences, they range from poets like Kerouac, Bukowski, John
Cooper Clarke and Bob Dylan to Merryn Cadell and Ani DiFranco.

J.W: How do you feel about playing at the Capitaine Bougainville theatre?
M.B: Fantastic, it’s exactly the kind of stage and environment for our show. It’s just a beautiful venue. We’re all really excited about it.

J.W: Stage or theatre for poetry?
M.B: I don’t think it should be constrained like that. It’s suited to everywhere, bars, cafes, theatres,
street corners, park benches, school halls, everywhere, everything is poetry. Traditionally it’s been in smaller venues, and it’s time for it to be branching out.

J.W: Any last words?
M.B: The Literatti is a new evolution in poetry, who’d want to miss out on that?

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