Hélène Gelèns: Poem for Two Voices and a Clock

On april 17th Hélène Gelèns and other Dutch poets came to Pittsburgh by invitation of City of Asylum Pittsburgh. They read in four different homes in the Mexican War Streets and the Northside branch of the Carnegie Library and then, together, at the Allegheny Unitarian Universalist Church accompanied by Living Room Chamber Music Project.

Hélène Gelèns is a writer of poetry, essays, and short prose. Her debut Niet Beginnen Bij Het Hoofd (2006) was shortlisted for the C. Buddingh’ Prize for New Dutch Poetry and her second collection of poetry Zet af en Zweef (2010) was awarded the prestigious Jan Campert Prize. A third collection will be published this fall. Gelèns’s poetry has been translated in five languages.

In the video Hélène Gelèns read “Gedicht voor twee stemmen en een klok” (Poem for two voices and a clock).

The event was presented in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s “Distinctively Dutch” festival, the Consulate General of the Netherlands, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Kleine Revolutie Producties, and Lira.