60 Writers-60 Places at Eyedrum on Friday
When poets Zachary Schomburg and Ann Stephenson read at Eyedrum on Friday, they’ll be followed by a screening of 60 Writers/60 Places, a film with an unambiguous title if there ever was one.
In less than an hour, the documentary features 60 writers reading from their work in, you guessed it, 60 different places. Each scene is separated by a black screen indicating a name and location, such as “Lauren Bender/Street Corner” or “Gary Lutz/Botanical Gardens.” There’s no narrative or discernible arrangement to the vignettes, just a formal concept carried out to completion. While the idea sounds dry and rigid on paper, the film is a clever and surprising experience that plays to the strengths of the filmmakers and the writers they feature.