ABOUT
Thirty Poets | Thirty Filmmakers | Thirty Days
ABOUT
Thirty Poets | Thirty Filmmakers | Thirty Days
The Visible Poetry Project was founded in 2017 with the goal of bringing together a collective of filmmakers to create a series of videos that present poems as short films. Drawing from works created by renowned poets, including Neil Gaiman and Tato Laviera, as well as emerging poets, the Visible Poetry Project strives to make poetry accessible, exploring how we can recreate and experience poems through the medium of film.
Throughout the month of April - National Poetry Month - we release one visual poem each day. An exercise in translation and a reclamation of both poetic and film discourses, the resulting thirty videos explore how we read, interpret, visualize, and hear poetry.
If you would like to be involved with the Visible Poetry Project, or have any questions about our organization, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].
The Team
The Team
Sophia Bannister (Managing Director)
Sophia Bannister graduated from Barnard College, where she studied English and writing. A former VPP poet herself, she hopes to continue sharing the vivid medium of visible poetry with artists and audiences alike.
Alina Sodano (Head of Production)
Alina Sodano is a graduate of Barnard College, where she studied English and Film. Thus the Visible Poetry Project was the perfect merger of her two great passions! Alina's favorite thing about the Visible Poetry Project is the collaborative spirit of all involved, and the global community of artists that has since materialized. Check out her website here.
Katie Ogden (Producer)
Katie Ogden graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a degree in Cinema, Television, and Emerging Media. Since then, she has worked in a variety of productions within the industry. She is passionate about exploring what’s possible when creatives are given complete control over their projects to freely express themselves, their ideas, and their visions. She’s excited to facilitate this process for artists of the Visual Poetry Project and experience the ways film can serve as a medium for poetry.
Tamsin Pargiter (Development Consultant)
Tamsin Pargiter is involved with helping the Visible Poetry Project expand however she can, including through podcasting, event production, and pursuing institutional sponsorships and artistic collaborations. She hopes the intersection of visual, auditory, and poetic mediums can re-define what poetry is capable of, who can be considered a poet, and how poetry can impact us.
Martin Clark (Director of Partnerships)
Martin Clark works in business development at Nielsen helping some of the largest advertisers with their digital marketing. Martin is interested in exploring the intersection between poetry and film with the Visible Poetry Project. He hopes VPP can serve as a platform for individuals with unique voices and perspectives to find and develop their craft through uninhibited creative expression.
Sarah Sparkman (Producer)
Sarah Sparkman graduated from Columbia University with a degree in film studies and has been working in production for Nickelodeon, National Geographic, and NBC. She’s excited to see the Visible Poetry Project create a community of creatives using their art to intentionally start conversations and create dialogue.
Michaela Schwartz (Producer)
Michaela Schwartz is a graduate of Barnard College, where she studied film and gender studies. She now works at Above Average Productions, a comedy TV production company, and is so excited to collaborate with the amazing artists of VPP!
Tansy Xiao (Curator)
Tansy Xiao is a curator, artist, writer and poetry translator. Traveled extensively prior to her relocation to New York, she focuses on the multicultural and cross-disciplinary practice of art and literature in a global context. Tansy is fascinated by the diverse rhythms and universal sentiments that inhabit languages. Meanwhile, she works on connecting different communities and events with Visible Poetry Project.
Her website is tansyxiao.com.
Christina Ellsberg (Director of Outreach)
Christina Ellsberg graduated from Barnard College, where she studied medical anthropology and poetry writing. Christina hopes the Visible Poetry Project will encourage new poets to take pride in expression beyond formal publication.
Mia Shelton (Producer)
Mia Shelton has worked in development and production for Amazon, A24, Netflix, HBO, and more. As a freelance music video producer, Mia loves helping visual and musical creative worlds collide. She is excited to partake in the collaborative cross-medium magic of the Visible Poetry Project!
Taylor Faires (Media Coordinator)
Taylor Faires graduated from Barnard where she worked extensively with conflicting narratives in humanitarian aid and development discourse. She currently works at Barnard College as a fellow at the Digital Humanities Center. She hopes that the Visible Poetry Project can help others take pride in their own personal and cultural narratives through art and collaboration.
Sahil Ansari (Audio Technician)
Sahil Ansari is a Brooklyn-based record producer, instrumentalist, and composer. He hopes the Visible Poetry Project can help connect the dots between words, vision, and sound, inspiring filmmakers and poets alike to defy prescriptive creation. Check out his website here.
Board of Directors
Michelle Cheripka (Founder)
Michelle Cheripka graduated from Columbia University, and has since been working in film and media production. She wants the Visible Poetry Project to help poets and filmmakers explore interdisciplinary approaches to visual self-expression.
Alex Max
An NYU graduate with a master's from Tsinghua University, Alex Max has been working in television and media production for several years. Hooked on the idea since Michelle first approached him on set, he looks forward to ensuring that the Visible Poetry Project becomes an important and enduring part of National Poetry Month.
stay in touch
stay in touch
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