Today brings the sad news of English poet Sean Bonney's passing. His sister, Mel Bonney-Kane, shared this message on social media: "We are devastated to let people know that my beloved brother Sean Bonney died in a tragic accident last week in Berlin. We are in the process of seeking to bring him home and will let people know of the funeral arrangements when we are clearer. He will live on in his words and poetry."
We couldn't agree more, which is why we humbly direct our listeners to our Sean Bonney author page. There, you'll find a modest collection of recordings made between 2009 and 2012. The earliest reading, presented in two videos, is an August 2009 reading at Manchester's The Other Room that includes selections from The Commons, Document: Poems, Diagrams, Manifestos, and Tracts and Commentaries. Next there's a 2011 reading from The Commons at London's Birkbeck College, and a trio of readings from Happiness: Poems After Rimbaud at the University of Cambridge's Lady Mitchell Hall in November 2011, and unknown London venue in 2011, and at the Poetry and Revolution Conference, X-ing the Line, at London's The Apple Tree in May 2012. Our last two recordings are "Notes on Militant Poetics" from the aforementioned Poetry and Revolution Conference, and a home recording from the Letters on Harmony series made in the summer of 2012.
These documents of Bonney's work are nicely complemented by PoemTalk Episode #122, where Bonney's "Happiness" is discussed by a panel including Al Filreis, Anna Strong Safford, Chris Martin, Stephen Willey, and Luke Roberts. You can listen to everything mentioned above by clicking here. We send our condolences to Bonney's family, friends, colleagues, and fans as this devastating news spreads throughout the poetry community.
