Curation
The Ash Sessions - 'If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash'. L. Cohen
Dimitra Xidous is the founder and curator of The Ash Sessions. The Ash Sessions is an outdoor poetry and music showcase that takes place at Nick’s Coffee Company in Ranelagh, Dublin (Ireland). The Ash Sessions’ mission is to bring duende to the streets of Ranelagh. The first session was held in October 2012, and The Ash Sessions celebrated its first birthday with an all Cohen-covers affair called “The Ash Sessions does Leonard Cohen”.
Sessions
All told, the first year of ash consisted of: 8 sessions, including one on the dark sounds of duende, guest curated by Greg Kirkorian; two chalkboard poetry series (Ash Wednesday and Black, Strong, and Sweet poetry series); a two-part series looking at the masculine and feminine energy in poetry and music (Between Ribs and Figs Music and Poetry Series); and, a lovely collaboration between The Ash Sessions and Bare Hands Poetry – where we ‘Bared Our Ashes” during the 10 Days in Dublin festival, and then bared them again, as part of the Ranelagh Arts festival, for Culture Night 2013, and then bared them three times with our Christmas Special “Baring Our Ashes under the Mistletoe".
Each session is opened with a Leonard Cohen poem, and a literary tidbit on Ranelagh. The literary tidbits come care of Ronan Sheehan. The duende comes flowing from everything else. For a list of sessions done to date, go here.
Poetry Series & Public Art
In partnership with Nick's Coffee Company and through The Ash Sessions, Dimitra curated poetry series & public art. For a list of series curated to date, go here.
In 2014, The Ash Sessions will kick off the Ranelagh Arts Centre Spring Salon with a reading by poets featured in The Ash Wednesday Poetry Series - How to Speak Poety. In addition, The Ash Sessions is looking to collaborate in novel ways - so if you have an idea for something that produces loads of duende, please do get in touch: [email protected]
For more information go to The Ash Sessions website.
Sessions
All told, the first year of ash consisted of: 8 sessions, including one on the dark sounds of duende, guest curated by Greg Kirkorian; two chalkboard poetry series (Ash Wednesday and Black, Strong, and Sweet poetry series); a two-part series looking at the masculine and feminine energy in poetry and music (Between Ribs and Figs Music and Poetry Series); and, a lovely collaboration between The Ash Sessions and Bare Hands Poetry – where we ‘Bared Our Ashes” during the 10 Days in Dublin festival, and then bared them again, as part of the Ranelagh Arts festival, for Culture Night 2013, and then bared them three times with our Christmas Special “Baring Our Ashes under the Mistletoe".
Each session is opened with a Leonard Cohen poem, and a literary tidbit on Ranelagh. The literary tidbits come care of Ronan Sheehan. The duende comes flowing from everything else. For a list of sessions done to date, go here.
Poetry Series & Public Art
In partnership with Nick's Coffee Company and through The Ash Sessions, Dimitra curated poetry series & public art. For a list of series curated to date, go here.
In 2014, The Ash Sessions will kick off the Ranelagh Arts Centre Spring Salon with a reading by poets featured in The Ash Wednesday Poetry Series - How to Speak Poety. In addition, The Ash Sessions is looking to collaborate in novel ways - so if you have an idea for something that produces loads of duende, please do get in touch: [email protected]
For more information go to The Ash Sessions website.
Baring Our Ashes
Baring Our Ashes is a joint collaboration between Bare Hands Poetry and The Ash Sessions with the aim of hosting beautiful evenings of poetry/spoken word and music in Dublin. This collaboration begin in July 2013, with the first BoA event part of the 10 Days in Dublin festival. Since then, BoA have held events as part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival and Culture Night, and finished the year off with a Christmas-themed show at Jack Nealons in Dublin.
2013
Baring Our Ashes – 10 Days in Dublin (here is how planning the first BoA went down).
Baring Our Ashes – After Hours – Culture Night 2013
Baring Our Ashes under the Mistletoe
2013
Baring Our Ashes – 10 Days in Dublin (here is how planning the first BoA went down).
Baring Our Ashes – After Hours – Culture Night 2013
Baring Our Ashes under the Mistletoe
The Ranelagh Arts Centre - Literary Committee
Dimitra is a member of the Literary Committee for the Ranelagh Arts Centre. As a committee member, she has contributed to the programs for the Ranelagh Arts Festival (2012), and the Ranelagh Arts Centre Salons (Summer 2012 (as a performer), Spring 2013, Spring and Summer 2014). She has organized and curated events in partnership with the Ranelagh Arts Centre, including last year's very successful Ash Wednesday Poetry Reading, and the Baring Our Ashes After Hours, part of the Ranelagh Arts Festival Culture Night Program (2013).