Archie Swanson

Poetry is irrelevant – I protest! 

My presentation takes participants on a journey through poems spanning 46 years – poems of protest covering conservation, injustice and war. I argue that one way we remain relevant is through the poetry of protest. There will be time for questions and debate and you’ll also get an opportunity to write your own poem of protest. Each participant will receive a chapbook of the presentation.

My poems appear in the 1967 to 1987 English Alive Anthology, the 2014 McGregor Anthology, the first and current editions of Stanzas, the current New Contrast “Voyage out voyage in” edition, the 2015 Best New African Poets Anthology, Lara Kirsten’s Blog http://laraafrika.blogspot.co.za  , Stop the demolition of Marlborough School https://www.facebook.com/SaveVictorianSchools and the Art of Jazz blog http://artofjazz.blogspot.com . In June three of my poems were translated into Spanish by Martín López-Vega and published in the Spanish National newspaper, El Mundo.

I’ve been a guest poet at Off the Wall Poetry Performing in Observatory and was one of four Best New African poets invited to read at the Cape Town Central Library Poetry Circle earlier this year.


I am a 60 year old surfer, poet and father of four daughters who lives in George.