welcome to Geoconference 2!

The Geoconference is our Network's annual meeting for Network site directors. This year, we're expanding it into a post-modern lyceum, too, by including special events for the public. Our theme this year is "Exploring the sphere of electronic language arts."

What is a lyceum?
Click and read.

We'll draw from Chicago's strong, emerging school of electronic literature and her deep performance poetry heritage. We'll feature artists from Canada, the US, Latvia, and Peru. We have public forums on publishing spoken word and visible literatures. There are screenings of poetry video and a groundbreaking feature film based on the writing of Paul Hoover. The last day has a feast where we can celebrate and do a little one-to-one "networking."

The Geoconference is three days of our Network's year when physical presence takes priority over virtual connections. Instead of meeting by videophone or web chat, site directors convene in a city of their choice to discuss goals and share experiences of the past year. The first Geoconference was held on Bowen Island, British Columbia, last year, and gave us our Network Charter.

We invite you to Geoconference 2. Our public presentations feature top artists -- Patricia Smith, Kent Foreman, Christopher Shillock, Richard Fammereé, Gerard Wozek, Heather Haley, Paul Nelson, Sean Culver, and many others. Survey the events page for more. Our flagship venue and sponsor, Center Portion, is an excellent place to retreat, audition something new, and talk about it with friends.

Geoconference 2: home | events | videos | artists | reservations | lodging | net access | transport | sponsorship | links

The politician and poet, Eugene McCarthy, is the subject of the documentary "I'm Sorry I was Right", which makes its Chicago premiere at Geoconference 2.
[photo: Mike Hazard]