Bedankt Brussels!
After our XIV symposium and IV Pedqagogical Conference, recently celebrated in Brussels (September, 12-15), Daan Janssens prepared and performed this brilliant chronicle in the best poetry slam tradition. A big hearttelijk bedankt to Daan, to An Leenders and her great organisational Belgian team from Creatief Schrijven!
Impressions of neighbouring lives in writing
by Daan Janssens
in a room filled with people who write and teach about writing
so I am here now to have my words be scrutinized by all of you
there is a vulnerability to all this
so…
a Spanish linguist, a Finnish writer, a Dutch editor, an English teacher, a Belgian slam poet, an Irish organizer, a French literary reviewer, another Spanish linguist, a Dutch teacher, an English writer all walk into a bar or a restaurant or a tea-room or maybe just this building in the heart of Brussels
Bruxelles
would be a great way to start a very elaborate joke that will probably miss its punch line several times
in several different ways
in several different languages
most likely with a build-up greater than the eventual laughter will ever be

so let me stray you away from this bad joke that is not even a joke and guide you through some of the things you may have heard passing through these hallways or whirling through the curls in the ornate banisters
or may actually not have heard because there was so much to be heard and seen
I’ll call this a new masterpiece and give it a proper title
‘impressions of neighbouring lives in writing’
is there such a thing as a native language when writing
the native language of conferences seems to be English
sifted through different accents through different vocal chords with differing ways of expressing themselves
idiosyncrasies as a new wave – a new state of writing
a roundtable conversation that was actually provided with a round table always a beautiful coincidence

to be honest it was more of a smoothed-out octagonal shape
talk about creative europe
not only a governmental body
but most importantly an idea conveyed through different tongues
talk about war
warmongers are scared of words – words carry meaning beyond the grasp of a bombshell
as young writers share their texts around museum walls with newfound responsibility
have a jam session with the new school and the old school
the autonomy in the digital age – phone-driven writers colliding with the power of print
the overwhelming sounds of the new generation fed by inspiration from their elders
that text is the only thing we know about
and the best part of a text is skipping the jokes – something we have already established of course that I am not here to joke around

and writing is being a director and a method actor at the same time
and there are no rules – so I would say jokes are back on the menu and I hope none of you are suffering from indigestion
we all want to get linked with each other on LinkedIn
develop a network like a spider’s web
our eight imaginary limbs eagerly waiting to be triggered
the notification bubbles with new faces resembling dewdrops
there are versions a versions b versions b.2 versions c 2.0 / b 2.0
an alphabet soup of possibilities tossed about with some numerical values to denote some degrees of progress
this is progress
there will always be progress
and boomerang is not an english word
and the question is are you having fun

there is a possibility of living in an archetypal reality – I would do so
because real life refuses to give me a narrative
structure me, world – petrify my existence in the liveliest way
maxim me
into words that fulfill exactly their intended purpose to give meaning
sentences with just the right amount of words giving just the right amount of information
paragraphs connecting all these words together
until I would end up with an entirety of text
slightly ambiguous slightly obscure but an entirety nonetheless
there are images of roast chicken as the rest of the venue is shrouded in silence
images of clothes tumbling in a dryer
images of an airplane simulation
images of waves crashing into marbled pebbles on an unknown shore

images of a time-lapsed city under construction as a voice wonders how squirrels find their provisions under a blanket of snow
a person can be changed
into a donkey walking down a road to become a changed man
during a certain period of time – a subjective construct
impressions gathered from the past two days in all of your lives
two days filled to the brim – maybe even beyond the brim overflowing cascading with stories and new information
two days of exchange rivaling the busiest stock market days
dow jones who? wall street what?
two days of gathering bits and pieces to enhance your own ways of teaching
two days of strengthening the relations between all of these creative writing programs and organizations
days that will hopefully last beyond the petty bounds of sunset and sunrise.