Red Door Magazine 35

RED DOOR
TRANSMISSIONS
FEATURING KARSTEN GARNER
SPRING 2024
REDDOORMAGAZINE.COM
01

RED
34-35
WALES PEN Cymru
Anniversary event,
LONDON
BIOGRAFIA DE UN
CUERPO / BIOGRAPHY
OF A BODY
LALO BARRUBIA
36-37
02
08-09
Red Door turns 15 and
to celebrate, we’re
throwing our very own
FRINGE OF NATURE &
CULTURE!

40-41
THE RESONANCE
WITHIN
An anthology of Latin
American Women
voices in poetry, in
collaboration with
Versopolis
33
THE RED
TRANSMISSIONS
PODCAST
is turning 5!
38
The POETIC
PHONOTHEQUE
Now in Wales,
Sweden,
Finland,
Denmark
and a screen
near you!
17-25
RED DOOR 34:
Celebrating the work
of KARSTEN GARNER
03

Founder & Director:
Elizabeth Torres
(Madam Neverstop)
www.madamneverstop.com
Poetry Editor:
Pablo Saborío
Correspondents:
Melaine Knight
The Neon Rebel
Australia
Tanya Cosio,
Mexico
Brandon Davis,
Germany / DK
Mario Z.Puglisi
Mexico
Collaborators:
Patrick Horner
Nature & Culture
International Poetry Film
co-director
Denmark / Canada
Miller Almario
Red Visions
Colombia
Dominic Williams
Write 4 Word
Wales
Kultivera
Sweden
Kirjan Talo
Finland
Cover & featured art by
KARSTEN GARNER
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
RESONANS
A FRINGE OF NATURE & CULTURE
in celebration of our sweeeet 15! -------pgs. 08-09
POETRY ---------------------------------------------pgs. 10-16
by
Kris Nesbitt
Elmaz Abinader
Stephen Grant
Patrick Horner
Isaac Essex
Christopher Menezes
Clela Reed
Featured artist
KARSTEN GARNER --------------------------- pgs. 17-25
THE RESONANCE WITHIN
Anthology of Latin American voices
on Red Press -------------------------------------- pgs. 26-32
Featuring:
Margarita Drago, Mónica González Velázquez,
Lalo Barrubia, Ángela García and Pita Ochoa.
THE RED TRANSMISSIONS PODCAST
is turning 5! ----------------------------------------------pg. 33
WALES PEN Cymru
Anniversary event ------------------------------pgs. 34-35
BIOGRAPHY OF A BODY -------------------- pgs. 36-37
Biografia de un cuerpo
Lalo Barrubia
...and more!
Welcome to the beginning
of our 15th year.
Oh, who woulda thought we’d get here.
Baby, look at us.
RED DOOR MAGAZINE #35
SPRING, 2024
Red Press, Copenhagen
ISBN: 978-87-94003-24-7
www.reddoormagazine.com
All rights reserved to the
corresponding authors.
04

SUBMIT CONTENT to
RED DOOR MAGAZINE:
Red Door Magazine releases digital & printed issues
quarterly with an emphasis on visual art and poetry.
This includes multimedia art, artistic research, essays
on projects, reports on festivals and activism, as well
as relevant media articles and documentation of the
activities by you and your network.
The magazine always features a poetry selection, prose,
and occasional interviews by established and emerging
artists, plus relevant upcoming events. We’re here to give
you a handful of essential pieces you can digest in one
sitting.
We’re currently seeking visual art, music, film reviews,
travel and media articles, poetry, fiction, and creative
nonfiction. Simultaneous submissions are always ok, but
if you have a piece accepted elsewhere, please let us
know by adding a note to your submission; we’re not
aiming for exclusivity - but relevant, quality content.
Please send your questions to reddoorny@gmail.com
________________________________________
File specifications: Your article may be a maximum of
two pages, and we accept a maximum of 3 poems per
submission. All languages are welcome but please include
English translations. Also include a small biography of up
to 5 lines about you. All this must be included as .doc files
or PDF. All images must be attached as .jpeg images in a
resolution of 1080 x 1080 px or its equivalent in format so
it can be used for print and hi-res for web.
Please note we currently accept poetry submissions only
via our submittable platform:
https://redpress.submittable.com/submit
LEARN MORE AT:
WWW.REDDOORMAGAZINE.COM
GIVE YOUR SUPPORT:
WWW.PATREON.COM/REDDOOR
05

FROM THE DESK OF MADAM NEVERSTOP
THE YEAR OF RED DOOR
The Product IS the Process - The Process IS the Product
06
Madam Neverstop,
Denmark, Spring 2024
To most, 2024 is and will continue to be a year of
turmoil and rising conflicts, geopolitical shifts and
dispair, from the genocide in Gaza and the war in
Ukraine, to the planet’s hottest week on record,
floods, earthquakes and record-breaking wildfires,
not that the records themselves make us winners
at anything, except self-destruction.
To many, 2024 gets to be the year they saw their
very first solar eclipse, the very first trial of a former
US president, or the year they witnessed NATO’s
largest military “collective defense exercises”
since the Cold War.
To some, 2024 will be a year of uncertainty, of
economic confusion, of grief, of hearbreak, of
disillusion, and although these stories don’t often
make the news, it will be a year that is forever
sketched in that mental drawing we carry with us
when we think of the passing of time.
These are not predictions but simple narrations of
what is happening around us as I write this.
Fifteen years ago, immersed in love, a vibrant
poetic community in New York, and plenty of new
dreams, upon the arrival of spring I gathered my
closest collaborators and announced, that Red
Door Magazine was no longer just an idea, but
an obsession that somehow needed to manifest
itself, in spite of the lack of funds or experience.
The goal was a first release in the fall of that year.
Although the internet was nothing like it is today,
it felt like an accessible solution to bring our
communities together, in spite of the long physical
distances. From the beginning, Red Door was an
international endeavour, with collaborators in
Mexico, Colombia, Australia, the US and various
parts of Europe.
Since it wasn’t a physical publication, and I was
just getting started, I first needed to figure out
the logistics and then submerged myself in the
process of re-designing the website every single
time a new issue of the magazine would be
released. That quickly turned out to be extremely
tedious and unnecessary, but it sure was a good
learning step. As it was later on, deciding to rebel
and go to print after all, but we learn as we go.
When people ask about the name, I always have
to share the story:
Walking through the halls of 5-Pointz, Queens,
(now defunct) during one of the artists’ studios
opening weekends, Dave Vanegas (co-founder
of RD) and I, found that one of the doors to the
studios was closed. There was music, incense,
weed, laughter, filtering through the little gaps
between the door and its frame, so we knocked
a few times, and everyone got quiet... then they
laughed even louder, and nobody opened the
door. It was RED. It had an horus eye above it.
Of all the exhibitions and studios we saw during
that weekend, the only thing that sayed, was that
door. The idea of possibility. What would have
happened if we were allowed in? What awaited
us on the other side of this door? Isn’t Red Door,
precisely about welcoming the unknown?
To us, who are part of Red Door, which is now more
than just a magazine, but also a gallery, a family,
an international community, 2024 marks the 15th
anniversary of an idea. It marks the solution and
highlights the way, for independent creators
and cultural organizers, to serve as a platform
and as an alternative space for the distribution of
important messages. This, especially whenever
times are most uncertain. There is a freedom in
our independent voice, that is worth its weight in
poetry.
To me, 2024 marks a beginning. It was impossible
to guess, 15 years ago, that Red Door would take
over my life and show me the way. But now that I
am fully conscious and aware of the power of our
collective efforts, what comes next?
RESONANS: A Fringe of Nature & Culture, is the
official celebration of this anniversary. It is also an
answer beginning to take shape. I envision a more
interdisciplinary delivery of our collaborations.
Hybrid and fluid, poetic, always. I invite you to join
us in Copenhagen this November, so that together,
we can manifest what the future looks like.
Happy year of our quince, dear Red Door fam.

...To many more!
Thanks to
all the artists,
collaborators,
volunteers.
supporters and
readers.
07

08

esonansfringe.com
Get ready, Copenhagen! This October, the
city is in for an exciting treat – the RESONANS
Fringe Festival! From October 8 to 13, this
new event will bring people together from
across the globe to connect through art,
science, and sustainability.
Created in celebration of Red Door
Magazine’s 15th anniversary, this festival
brings together the Nature & Culture -
International Poetry Film Festival Screenings,
an ecological anthology release, concerts,
exhibitions, and collaborations with Nordic,
US and Latin American partners.
At RESONANS, we believe in the power of
creative collaboration to spark important
conversations about our planet. Picture
digital art installations, film screenings,
poetry performances, and panel discussions
all exploring environmental issues in fresh
and engaging ways.
What makes RESONANS special is its focus
on bringing different voices and perspectives
together. Local artists, Nordic partners, and
international talents will come together to
create a diverse and inclusive program.
Through art and science, we’ll explore what
sustainability means for us all.
But RESONANS isn’t just about the events –
it’s about the connections we make and the
conversations we have. Whether you’re an
artist, a scientist, or just someone who cares
about the world we live in, RESONANS is your
chance to be part of a global community
working towards a better future.
09

POETRY
A Kiss is a Loving Headbutt
hagiographic sympathies
emotional instruction windfall
victim prowling dissolute euphoria
morose inclinations implicates lurid evidence
dreams die by attainment
twist the fabric of reality wring out what
fervor over reason
civility anchors strategic silence
leverage the instinct for reciprocity
locus astride disintegrated perspective
laidless
sexual and ominous
a burden long with the universe
its only a whole life
being right is not not being wrong
ideological hitchhikers peddle sectarian paths
opportunity costs tragedy
abundance isnt enough
hostage worth ransom
admonition against levity
allies in alleys
dose for does
worse angels
wanting to be forged and not clay
010
A 2019 graduate from Russell Sage in Writing and Contemporary Thought, Kris Nesbitt lives in
a small New York village. Recently published by Indelible Lit, Wayne Literary Review & Wingless
Dreamer. Forthcoming publication in From Whispers to Roars.

Trying to keep hopes low
because the city is composed of organs, each wall
retracing tracks of frantic entry and flight
because every cinderblock
is a casting of a heart
blackened by history stacked to render
makeshift schools and border walls
because each grove was seeded with skin cells
a new growth, undetectable by the machine
that unearthed the trees, ripped them like loose threads
discarding their bones
The effort began after a sniffer dog named Flash signaled
to his Chilean search and rescue team
that someone might be alive under the concrete
and debris in the neighborhood of Mar Mikhael.
Searchers said their sensors have confirmed the
presence of a body
…what they believe could be a weak human pulse.
Edward Bitar, a member of NGO Live Love Lebanon said
“We are trying to keep hopes low. If someone is found,
it would be a miracle”.
Organs float too, jellyfish and octopus ride
when the electricity is cut in Gaza and the children
turn side gaze, fish eye, to the road split in two
by the sewage filling
the streets a channel to the sea
These trackers cannot truly believe these are the only
lives underground
somewhere between the nightclubs
and the sea,
martyrs echo in tunnels,
subterranean
anthems reminding them that holidays, even joyful ones
remember crucifixion, loss, homelessness.
they should remember jenin and skin shredded in
digging
beneath the fallen buildings the lifelines
charcoaled with mud voices were heard
all the time, every day, until the unreachable
grew silent.
a month after the explosion, the dog tells the team
to listen
a breathing cycle detected, a morse code of 18
inhales, 18 exhales, weak
a child, they believe, singing the dust of
drywall and concrete.
And for a moment it is quiet in a way Beirut
never is
we want the miracle. keeping hopes low
is what we always do
and the buried child is not ready to part,
signals the dog in a secret language resisting
this final burial.
Elmaz Abinader is an Arab American poet, memoirist, and fiction writer. She has
published two award-winning poetry books, and a memoir. She is the co-founder of
VONA, the Voices of our Nations Arts Foundation offering workshops for writers of color
since 1999. Elmaz lives in the Bay Area.
011

POETRY
Afternoon Idyll
I have nothing to change my perspective,
mere skeins of words. Only chance and
daring remain while the talk of our lives
fades into black velvet. It is fixed on the
end of a pier, dangling a verbal toe into
water of imperceptible coherence, halting
the shrill and the fury. The sea laps onto the
rocky shore, a carousel of laughter, a
playground of mirth. Crossing the truss
bridge for the last time at 5 a.m., the future
found north and never reverted to its old
ways. All that is left is an oil-slick
on a rainbowed creek, sweet hues of indigo
and green pastel muddling together
and finding each other, touching like
a faint zephyr on a rosy cheek. We take
the sonority for granted. Softly dazzled,
sun-proofed souls evaporate like mist,
quenching the unquenchable, taking calm
from here, comfort from there. We hit
our stride through elegant legato, bassoons
lowing in the distance, from which comes
clarity of vision. But rationality offers itself
at too great a cost, too steep a price.
Stephen Grant is a Canadian writer and poet, trying to source the sweet spot between love and
sorrow. His most recent work can be found in In Parentheses, magazine and website.
012

Excerpt from Rituals and Antidotes
They hold it in their hands.
Lines of light green converge in
the centre of the leaf like paths
towards the centre of a garden.
A vascular system dividing space
into section. The edges of the leaf
rise and drop like small waves
across shallow water. A structure
that feeds on light. When you do
not listen to the whispers, they
crawl inside you and find a home
in your flesh, like caterpillars
on a leaf. Feed on tissue and
eventually burrows into bone.
Patrick Horner is a Canadian poet and engineer living in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he
works to develop new water treatment technology. He co-wrote and co-produced Waste Dump,
a serial radio play, and his poetry and fiction have been published in magazines and journals in
Canada and the USA. He is co-director of Nature & Culture: International Poetry Film Festival.
Refugia, University of Calgary Press 2022, is his first book of poetry.
013

POETRY
Sentinels
after Wangechi Mutu
They are standing amid an air of water slowly moving against brass. Assembled into
a two legged stance, from this we assume human. In some ways they might be called
woman. But what, really, does this offer of such a body. A defiant composition, their
presence exceeds what is known from naming. Strengthening the sense of embodied
change. Tones of skin and earth entangling, the blooming of an earth-being. They
de-cohere the body, those gazing upon a reflected kind of self. Their brushing with
soft light shows contours, facading what this space brings by design: a fantasy of
becoming. They are adorned. A jewelling directs sites of looking. The feet, or place of
grounding. The limbs, or sites of strength. The face, or, rather, where the gazing eye
feels the need to focus. Ephemeral gathering around points of contact for what makes
a body. They hold an implement for crafting, crafted, of crafting, this reading assuming
what the body is made for. It trails across the page, or plinth, the staging inviting the
viewer to presume. What stages this making of flesh; when might difference forbode.
And who is the agent of this looking? We are only in this standing, this looking, for a
little while.
Isaac Essex is a trans poet living in Providence, Rhode Island after stints in Philadelphia, London,
and Nebraska.
014

Where Their Minds Go
Russian writers in Stalin’s time
chose manual jobs—window washing,
street sweeping—so their minds
could be free to conjure
the forbidden fiction and poetry
they would pen at midnight.
Ticket-takers scan, punch, or tear off
stubs one after another after another
with mindless automation,
museum attendants rock on their heels,
look straight ahead, eyes moving
from corner to corner across
polished hardwood floors.
And everywhere, laboring hands—
warehouse workers feeding boxes
to conveyor belts or forklifts,
farmers in their fields of green routine—
all dismiss attentive focus.
Imagine their imaginings, freed from time
and tedium, swirling ascensions
of energy, shades of blue and gold
(think Chagall or Van Gogh)
that charge the air all around,
so that a passerby may feel a shiver,
another, solve a nagging problem,
and a third—caught in eddies
of creative churning [sparks and snaps]—
birth opening notes of a symphony.
Clela Reed is the author of seven collections of poetry. Recently Silk (Evening Street Press,
2019) won the Helen Kay Chapbook Prize and then the 2020 Georgia Author of the Year in
chapbook competition. A Pushcart Prize nominee, former English teacher, and Peace Corps
volunteer (Romania), she has had poetry published in many journals and anthologies. She lives
and writes with her husband in their woodland home near Athens, Georgia.
015

POETRY
MIX FOR GETTING THROUGH THE FIRST FEW YEARS OF MARRIAGE,
TRAUMATIZED FROM CANCER AND UNABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN,
PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY,
SITTING ALONE AND LISTENING TO MUSIC
1. “World Turn,” by Copeland—
The waves kept crashing
and quiet washed over us.
2. “Palace,” by The Antlers—
We were lighter when we thought
like kids
before we learned to disconnect
and hide within.
3. “33 ‘GOD,’” by Bon Iver—
This is how we grow now.
4. “Onaroll,” by Jeremy Enigk—
Imagine, darling,
if blue skies availed.
5. “Clearing Life,” by The Appleseed Cast—
Everyone is reaching in,
reach out.
6. “Stillness is the Move,” by Dirty
Projectors—
Isn’t life just a mirage of the world
before,
a great longing for a higher
mountain?
7. “Like Myself,” by You Blew It!—
The poison I exhale
fills the room around me.
8. “An Introduction to the Album,” by The
Hotelier—
I searched for a way out
but I choked.
9. “The Artic Cat,” by The Gloria Record—
In all the uncertainties,
certainly, you will be loved.
10. “Third of May/ Ōdaigahara,” by Fleet
Foxes—
Night ended the fight, but the song
remained,
like castaways crowded together on
the sand.
11. “Big Empty,” by Stone Temple Pilots—
We waited too long and fell further
from what we are.
12. “Total Entertainment Forever,” by
Father John Misty—
Someone is living my life for me.
13. “Soul to Squeeze,” by The Red Hot Chili
Peppers—
My angels have turned into demons
of greed.
14. “Death of a Disco Dancer,” by The
Smiths—
Love, peace and harmony?
Maybe in the next world.
15. “The Cure of Death,” by The Pains of
Being Pure at Heart—
When you’ve lost more than you’ll
ever know
nothing will be so clear.
16. “So Now What,” by The Shins—
I guess we’ll just begin again.
17. “Blue Beard,” by Band of Horses—
Gonna roll the dice in this grand
illusion,
drink with you in neon glow.
18. “Með suð í eyrum,” by Sigur Rós—
With bloody hands
we’ll beat our drums.
19. “Gagging Order,” by Radiohead—
Move along, there’s nothing left to
see,
just a body.
20. “Road to nowhere,” by Talking Heads—
Let’s take that ride.
21. “Slower,” By Mineral—
It’s best not to understand the
reasons why.
016
Christopher Menezes holds a BA in creative writing from California State University, Long Beach, and an
MFA in poetry from Converse College. His work has appeared in literary publications like Switchback,
RipRap, Rockvale Review, Gold Man Review, Untenured, Foliate Oak, Buck Off Magazine, and others.

017

FEATURED ARTIST
KARSTEN GARNER
Exhibiting at Red Door Gallery May 17 - June 1st.
Opening May 17 at 5pm
Red Door Gallery, Møllegade 23a kld, 2200 KBH N, Denmark
018

019

020

Karsten Garner, born in 1975 and
based in Hvalsø, Denmark, is a
multifaceted artist whose creative
pursuits transcend the boundaries
of visual and auditory expression.
Educated and actively engaged as
both an art and music teacher, Garner’s
work embodies a harmonious fusion
of two distinct yet interconnected
disciplines.
In his paintings, Garner ventures into
the captivating realm between the
abstract and the figurative, weaving
together vibrant colors, intricate
interior landscapes, and fantastical
architectures. Garner’s artistic vision
is deeply influenced by his extensive
experience as a musician, having
played the drums in a diverse array of
bands spanning various genres. As a
drummer, Garner has lent his talents
to numerous bands across a diverse
array of genres, from the experimental
sounds of AutomatAutomat or
SPEkTR to the african grooves of
WhoAreYouPeople and the balkan
rhythms of Umti Orkestar, Calamari
Dancers and Balkanholdet, among
others. His musical experiences enrich
his visual art, infusing it with a sense of
movement and fluidity that captivates
the senses and transports viewers to
new realms of possibility.
Through his exhibitions and
performances, Garner invites
audiences to embark on a journey
of discovery, where the boundaries
between art and music blur and the
creative spirit soars. With each stroke of
the brush and beat of the drum, Garner
invites us to embrace the beauty of the
unknown and celebrate the endless
possibilities of artistic expression.
021

022

023

024

025

RED PRESS PRESENTS
“The Resonance Within” (La resonancia interna) emerges as a pivotal
anthology that encapsulates the profound narratives of five Latin American
women, whose voices interlace to form a strong poetry collection rich in
testimony and resilience. Through the evocative medium of poetry, Ángela
García, Margarita Drago, Mónica González Velázquez, Lalo Barrubia, and Pita
Ochoa, extend an invitation into their worlds — worlds marked by the indelible
scars of displacement and war, the pervasive specter of femicide, and the
harrowing experiences of political imprisonment. Yet, within these pages, the
reader discovers not only the portrayal of struggle and affliction but also a
resilient undercurrent of hope, courage, and an unwavering spirit of resistance.
Each poet, with her unique voice and perspective, contributes to a collective
narrative that speaks volumes about the complexities of agency, identity, and
survival in the face of adversity.
Translated Elizabeth Torres, “The Resonance Within” serves as a bridge across
cultures and languages, ensuring that the poignant messages of these poets
reach a broader audience. This book is the second of a poetry collection
released by Red Press in collaboration with Versopolis, with the support of
Creative Europe.
“The Resonance Within” is an essential read for those who seek to understand
the nuances of Latin American struggles through the intimate and transformative
lens of poetry. It is a book that resonates with the voices of its authors, inviting
readers to listen, reflect, and find their own resonance within its pages.
The Resonance Within // La resonancia interna
Released by Red Press in Denmark, March 2024
026

027

RED PRESS
LALO
BARRUBIA
There is no homeland
the delimited territory
where you were born
is called paisito
or this country or this
country of shit
shitty country
you don’t come from anywhere
uruguay / hawaii / kuwait
are concepts that nobody knows
with certainty what they mean
No hay una tierra natal
al territorio delimitado
en el que naciste
se lo llama paisito
o este país o este
país de mierda
mierda de país
vos no venís de ninguna parte
uruguay / hawai / kuwait
son conceptos que nadie sabe
con seguridad qué significan
Lalo Barrubia (Montevideo, Uruguay, 1967) is a writer, translator and performance artist. She was part of the generation
that stirred up the Uruguayan cultural scene after the fall of the dictatorship in the 1980s.
She has experimented with poetry in different formats and in alternative spaces. She has published several books of
poetry, novels and short stories. Her novel Pegame que me gusta (Montevideo, Trilce, 2009) received the 3rd prize
of the Annual Literature Awards in 2011. And her book of short stories Ratas, was awarded 1st prize in the Annual
Literature Awards of the Ministry of Education and Culture of Uruguay in 2014.
Her work is represented in several anthologies and has participated in festivals and conferences in different parts of
the world.
She has a degree in social work and has worked in various social development programs through culture in the city of
Malmö (Sweden) where she has lived since 2001.
028

PITA
OCHOA
Breath
Stride with fire
bold the cry
flayed the finding
broken infinity
cracked heart
black mirror
estranged I embrace myself.
In my own emptiness
I breathe.
Respiro
Zancada con fuego
atrevido el grito
desollado el hallazgo
roto el infinito
corazón cuarteado
negro espejo
extraña me abrazo.
En mi propia vacío
me respiro.
Poet. Infrarealist without remedy. Hyperabsurdist by conviction. Libertarian by nature. Feminist
by vocation. Lover by pleasure. Historian by necessity. Documentalist by contagion.
I write because it is a way to burn. I do not charge or contest to be a poet.
I continue to be marginalized by my own free will. So I remain just a poet who publishes where
and with whom I have vibes in common. I am in the anthologies of the infras where they are,
and of the Horazerians of Peru. And other subway ones in Mexico and in the world. The official
anthologists and the independent little mafias hate me.
I share poetry on sidewalks, in parks, cafés, bars, canteens, living rooms, bedrooms... And
yes, sometimes, in cultural events and workshops. I have started to create trasmedia works. In
2002, I published a four-handed book, in collaboration, in memory, in celebration of David H.
Rambo. I have written, produced and collaborated on numerous documentaries, educational
and cultural television programs, and advertising.
029

MARGARITA
DRAGO
Last battle
When the light of your gaze
blinds the gaze of the jailer’s eye
when the caress of your loving hand
removes the face of wrath
Última batalla
Cuando la luz de tu mirada
ciegue la mirada del ojo carcelero
cuando la caricia de tu mano amante
elimine el rostro de la ira
cuando nuestros cuerpos trenzados en
abrazo
batan el miedo
when our bodies braided in embrace
beat fear
when innocence is stronger
than the claw the fist and the shrapnel
when the celebration of the fruit
prevails over the gall of envy
when the word polished in a silver furnace
prevails over the hostility of the verb
we will have fought the last battle.
cuando la inocencia pueda más
que el zarpazo el puño y la metralla
cuando la celebración del fruto
impere sobre la hiel de la envidia
cuando la palabra pulida en horno de
plata
se imponga sobre la hostilidad del verbo
habremos librado la última batalla.
Margarita Drago (Argentina). PhD, Professor of Spanish American Language and Literature at the City University of New
York, poet and storyteller. Author of Fragmentos de la memoria: Recuerdos de una experiencia carcelaria (1975-1980),
declared of cultural interest by the Honorable Cámara de Diputados de la Nación Argentina, and of the recent expanded
edition Fragmentos de la memoria. My life in two battles.
She has also published the poetry collections Con la memoria al ras de la garganta, Quedó la puerta abierta, Hijas de los
vuelos, Un gato de ojos grandes me mira fijamente, Heme aquí, Con la memoria stretta in gola Sé vuelo, Un cuerpo que
aún palpita, Palabra ardiente, and the academic study Sor María de Jesús Tomelín (1579-1637), concepcionista poblana:
La construcción fallida de una santa (Sister María de Jesús Tomelín (1579-1637), concepcionista poblana: The failed
construction of a saint). She is co-author of Tomamos la palabra: mujeres en la guerra civil de El Salvador (1980-1992). She
has participated in symposiums, poetry festivals and book fairs in the United States, Latin American and Caribbean countries,
Canada and Spain.
030

ÁNGELA
GARCÍA
Haya purpúrea
Purple Beech
Si quieres saber de mis festejos
deja un instante el corazón en vilo.
Sentirías conmigo cuando la raíz
empieza a erguirse en tronco,
y el limo esparce su carboncillo verdebruma
palpando a la vez corteza y aire.
Aunque no lo goce tu vista, sentirías
conmigo
el vehemente ajetreo de los nidos.
Las pupilas eléctricas de las ardillas,
o sus correrías como hilos de agua por mi
tallo.
Quizás te rozaran los pies
conejos perfumados de cilantro y menta.
If you want to know of my feasts
leave your heart in suspense for a while.
You would feel with me when the root
begins to stand upright in trunk,
and the slime spreads its green-brume
charcoal
touching bark and air at the same time.
Even if your sight does not enjoy it,
you would feel with me
the vehement bustle of the nests.
The electric pupils of the squirrels,
or their running like threads of water
down my stem.
Perhaps your feet would be brushed by
rabbits scented with coriander and mint.
Ángela García was born in Medellín (Colombia) in 1957 and lives in Malmö (Sweden). Poet, translator, cultural
manager. Co-founder of the International Poetry Festival in Medellín.
She has published among others: Entre leño y llama (Ed. Prometeo), Rostro de Agua (Ed. Prometeo), Farallón
Constelado/ Sternige Klippe (Ed. Delta), De la fugacidad/ Om flyktigheten (Ed. Aura Latina), Veinte grados de
latitud en tres horas (Ed. Smederevo), Doce poemas sobre el silencio/ Tolv dikter om tystnaden (Ed. Poesía con
C.), Todo lo que amo nace continuamente (Ed. Universidad EAFIT), Retablos del movimiento (Ed. Aura Latina),
Apuntes para el Ejecutante (Ed. La Otra), Io sono la vertige (Ed. La Vencedora) and Se arrodillan para beber (Ed.
Visor), Premio de Poesía Casa de América de poesía americana 2021. She directs Världspoesidagen i Malmö/Lund.
She has translated Swedish poets and storytellers into Spanish and
co-directed two poetry documentaries.
031

RED PRESS
MÓNICA
GONZÁLEZ
VELÁZQUEZ
The atrocious scene of the crime
Paraphrasing Cortázar: Every loving memory carries its
madeleines, and mine, know this, wherever you are,
is the memory of your whole body
and not in parts like a broken doll, Magdalena.
To Magdalena
La atroz escena del crimen
A Magdalena
Parafraseando a Cortázar: Cada memoria enamorada
guarda sus magdalenas, y la mía, sábelo, allí donde estés,
es el recuerdo de tu cuerpo entero y no en partes
como una muñeca rota, Magdalena.
Mónica González Velázquez (Mexico City, 1973). Editor and poet. Graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Artes
Plásticas (UNAM) with a degree in Graphic Design. At the same time she studied a Diploma in Literary Creation at
the School of the General Society of Writers of Mexico (SOGEM). She took experimental poetry workshops with
the poet Raúl Renán (1998, 2001).
032
She has published the following poetry collections: Tríptico de desamor, La luz y las sombras altas, Poesía
reunida, Las cosas últimas; Gran mal, Glory box, Las eternas rutas, El misterio de los mundos vulgares, Breviario
de la renunciación, Crónica de los días que ya no son (Antología poética 2001-2015; El quirófano ediciones,
Guayaquil 2016) and El Ruido del mundo. She was a participant in La palabra transfigurada: cien años de poesía
visual mexicana (Ediciones del Lirio, CONACULTA-INBA, 2014). Finalist in the International Prize of Experimental
Visual Poetry, Badajoz 2015. Director of miCielo ediciones, a project specialized in Book-object and Artist’s Book.

THE RED TRANSMISSIONS PODCAST
Since its first episode release in the spring
of 2019, The Red Transmissions podcast
aims to document the work, behind-thescenes
moments and creative process of
the incredibly interesting characters in our
network, be it in Copenhagen, New York,
Bogota, or anywhere around the world
where poetic adventures take us.
in this year of celebrations, it’s important
. to also thank each and everyone of
the guests of the podcast’s previous
episodes, for these fantastic 5 years of
storytelling, important projects, exchange
of knowledge, and worldthreading.
Find out why artists do what they do,
how they do it, and hear about the inner
workings of their projects. Contemporary
happenings and conversations on culture,
music, art, film, poetry and independent
projects around the planet. Subscribe and
listen in, on most podcast providers.
redtransmissions.libsyn.com/
Want to share your story with us?
Write to:
theredtransmissions@gmail.com
You are now tuned in to
THE RED
TRANSMISSIONS
PODCAST.
033

WRITE 4 WORD - WALES
Wales PEN Cymru 10th anniversary event
LONDON
I am close friend of Red Door and
when I heard the theme of the
current edition was transmissions
my thoughts turned immediately
to Elizabeth Torres’ Red
Transmissions podcast series. I
featured in an episode back in 2020
when we were just a few months
into the pandemic and consequent
various versions of lockdowns.
During the episode I shared “the
process of translating communitybased
events to a digital format,
and then reintroducing them into
a physical environment, allowing
these two to converge into a more
inclusive hybrid existence.”
As co-director of write4word CIC,
with my colleague Mel Perry we
have spent the last four years
championing the hybrid model
of delivery as a critical tool for
developing a more inclusive arts
sector. I am also a board member
of Wales PEN Cymru and was very
pleased recently to be able to
support PEN Cymru at the poetry
Café in Covent Garden, London
in the hybrid delivery of the first
of their significant celebrations of
the tenth anniversary of this PEN
Centre.
Dylan Moore, chair of PEN Cymru,
told us at the event, it is a relatively
young centre, supported by Irish
Pen, Scottish PEN and of course
PEN international and English PEN
who have both recently celebrated
centenaries.
There have been several failed
attempts at starting a PEN
centre in Wales but at the PEN
international congress in Bisskep,
Kyrgyztan, Wales PEN Cymru was
established. The event opened
with a bilingual introduction to
the work of PEN Cymru from its
president, Menna Elfyn. Menna
noted how Wales as a nation has
always promoted and protected
the Welsh language and its culture
through non-violent means. Wales
is a Nation of Sanctuary and
considers itself outward-looking
and internationalist.
On 24 February 2024 the
Smithsonian returned a chest from
The USA to Wales. This act was to
mark the centenary of a Pledge for
Peace sent to America in 1924. The
Chest contained a petition signed
by 400,000 Welsh Women, that is
two thirds of all the women Wales
at the time.
Menna also reminded us of the
women who marched from South
Wales to Greenham Common to
establish a peace camp in 1981.
Over the last decade PEN Cymru
has been involved in various
PEN congresses and campaigns,
such as campaigning against the
killing of journalists in Mexico and
the clamp-down on Freedom of
Expression in Turkey.
034

BY DOMINIC WILLIAMS
Board members of PEN Cymru
work on PEN international
committees and regularly
collaborate domestically with
partners such as Swansea Asylum
Seekers Support Group and Hafan
Books. It is an unfunded voluntary
organisation.
At the event an Empty Chair was
prominently displayed to focus
our minds s on all writers who
are prisoners of conscience, like
İlhan Sami Çomak, who has been
imprisoned for 30 years and with
whom, for the last three years,
Menna has exchanged poems
every month.
cinema as well as Welsh language
TV after seeking asylum in the UK.
In a time when the support and
solidarity of writers across the
world is in such critical demand,
it allowed us also to pause and
celebrate what has been achieved.
In Dylan’s closing words it provided
“food for thought and thought for
action”.
Menna opened the performance
programme with readings of some
those poems contained in letters
from İlhan. Her readings were
followed by a rich programme that
celebrated the Welsh language and
Wales multilingual society, it was a
celebration of our differences and
the thigs that bind us together. The
schedule featured, readings from
PEN members across Wales via
zoom as well as those in London.
It included a poem about learning
Welsh from octogenarian farmer
Patrick Dobbs; a performance by
the National Poet of Wales Hanan
Issa; a musical interlude by Zeynel
Ali Bingöl, which incorporated a
traditional Welsh folk song and an
interview with theatre-maker and
activist Mehmet Ali Alabora who is
known for his roles in Turkish
Pg. 26: PEN Cymru
Pg.27: On the left, Patrick Dobbs
Top image: Dylan Moore Chair Wales PEN Cymru
Middle image: Hanan Issa Nationla Poet of Wales
Bottom image: Menna Elfyn President Wales PEN Cymru
035

LALO BARRUBIA
BIOGRAFIA DEL CUERPO
APUNTES SOBRE LA POESIA
Durante los casi cuarenta años que llevo
ejerciendo como poeta, y como parte de un
proceso que viene desde más atrás aún, se
han producido algunas transformaciones
importantes en la escena poética.
En los 80, el arte que yo practicaba no era
considerado poesía por los que tenían el derecho
de definirla, sino más bien poesía adjetivada, léase
oral, performática, experimental, algo así como un
subgénero para inconformistas que no estaban
dispuestos a leer y trabajar. La adjetivación, casi
siempre, lleva implícita una discriminación, una
intención de ponerte al margen del sustantivo
por sí mismo, como cuando se habla de poesía
femenina, de autores inmigrados o de literatura
de clase trabajadora. Este recurso, a veces, ayuda
a interpretar contextos, pero sin duda, también
es usado para marcar posiciones dentro de una
supuesta escala jerárquica. Estar al margen no
es algo que me preocupe, y menos las escalas
jerárquicas, que están diseñadas por aquel
que se ubica a sí mismo en la cumbre. Cuando
nos tomamos la libertad de elegir el margen en
el que queremos ubicarnos, las pirámides se
desdibujan.
Si yo quisiera adjetivar a la poesía de la que formo
parte, me gustaría más llamarla poesía del cuerpo,
al decir de mi amigo y poeta Luis Bravo. Porque,
de esa manera, no hablamos solo de la puesta en
escena, sino también de un lenguaje diseñado
para activar la integridad física del espectador
o lector. El desafío, aunque bastante intuitivo
al principio, era devolver a la poesía su papel
de disparador de emociones y pensamientos.
No íbamos detrás de la confirmación de los
intelectuales sino que buscábamos destrabar
el flujo de las ideas, compartir con otres la
sensibilidad de un tiempo que se nos venía
encima y que no ha parado de acelerarse. Por
lo que hubo que seguir innovando, probando,
desmoronando estructuras, reinventando el
decir, incorporando tecnologías, instrumentos.
Hubo que poner el cuerpo, salir a la intemperie,
arriesgarse, hacer el ridículo si era necesario.
036
Hubo que sacar a la poesía de los salones limpios
de la Academia donde la habían encerrado a
una muerte segura. En parte, este proceso se fue
haciendo de forma casi natural, trasladando a
la poesía a boliches, plazas o centros culturales
de barrio, pero también determinó la forma de
hacerla.
No se puede separar la forma del contenido
porque se constituyen mutuamente. Los propios
contextos, el aprendizaje y la necesidad de
insertar el hacer poético en otras realidades,
muchas veces en nuestras realidades, implicó
quitarle la solemnidad y desvestirla de los
códigos secretos que se pretendían necesarios
para entenderla.
El conocimiento nunca sobra. Los poetas del
cuerpo se valen de herramientas intelectuales
para su trabajo y su formación. Es una ingenuidad
creer que el juego es una actividad espontánea
y vacía de objetivos éticos o estéticos. O que
hacer poesía con el cuerpo, con la voz o con
las emociones puede sostenerse sin trabajo. La
forma nunca es azarosa, es el resultado de una
cocción en la que se mezclan ingredientes de
un proceso expresivo, cada vez más aguzado
con el correr de las décadas, los talleres, los
intercambios.
La construcción de una poesía del cuerpo parte
de no limitar el origen de los ingredientes, de
saber que el germen puede estar en cualquier
lugar del cuerpo o del mundo. Que la poesía la
definimos haciéndola.
Si bien existen, y siempre van a existir, grupos que
no se sienten a gusto con los cambios, esa noción
sectaria de varones blancos regodéandose en su
exclusividad y en su manejo minucioso de la lírica
del cerebro, se fue quedando vieja, muy vieja.
Esto son apenas unos apuntes. Ya no es necesario
adjetivar. La que llamaban ”poesía performática”
se ha convertido en ”la poesía” y la que llamaban
”la poesía” se ha convertido en un subgénero.
Lalo Barrubia, 2024.

BIOGRAPHY OF A BODY
ANNOTATIONS ON POETRY
During the almost forty years that I have been
practicing as a poet, and as part of a process
that goes even further back, some important
transformations have taken place in the poetic
scene.
In the 80s, the art that I practiced was not
considered poetry by those who had the right
to define it, but rather adjective poetry, read as
oral, performative, experimental, something like
a subgenre for nonconformists who were not
willing to read and work. Adjectivization almost
always implies discrimination, an intention to
put you on the sidelines of the noun itself, as
when talking about feminine poetry, immigrant
authors, or working-class literature. This resource
sometimes helps to interpret contexts, but
undoubtedly, it is also used to mark positions
within a supposed hierarchical scale. Being on
the sidelines is not something that worries me,
and even less hierarchical scales, which are
designed by those who place themselves at the
top. When we take the freedom to choose the
margin in which we want to place ourselves, the
pyramids blur.
If I wanted to adjective the poetry of which I am
a part, I would prefer to call it poetry of the body,
as my friend and poet Luis Bravo says. Because,
in this way, we are not only talking about staging,
but also about a language designed to activate
the physical integrity of the spectator or reader.
The challenge, although quite intuitive at first,
was to return poetry to its role as a trigger for
emotions and thoughts. We were not seeking
confirmation from intellectuals but rather seeking
to unlock the flow of ideas, to share with others
the sensitivity of a time that was coming upon us
and that has not stopped accelerating. So, we had
to continue innovating, experimenting, breaking
down structures, reinventing expression,
incorporating technologies, instruments. We had
to put our bodies into it, go out into the open, take
risks, make fools of ourselves if necessary.
We had to take poetry out of the clean halls of
the Academy where it had been locked away
to a certain death. In part, this process was
almost natural, moving poetry to clubs, squares,
or neighborhood cultural centers, but it also
determined the way to do it.
Form cannot be separated from content because
they mutually constitute each other. The contexts
themselves, learning, and the need to insert
poetic creation into other realities, often our
own realities, implied removing the solemnity
and undressing it of the secret codes that were
deemed necessary to understand it.
Knowledge is never redundant. Poets of the
body rely on intellectual tools for their work
and formation. It is naïve to believe that play
is a spontaneous activity devoid of ethical or
aesthetic objectives. Or that making poetry with
the body, voice, or emotions can be sustained
without work. Form is never random; it is the
result of a cooking process in which ingredients
of an expressive process are mixed, increasingly
sharpened over the decades, workshops,
exchanges.
The construction of poetry of the body starts from
not limiting the origin of the ingredients, knowing
that the germ can be anywhere in the body or the
world. We define poetry by making it.
Although there are, and always will be, groups
that do not feel comfortable with changes, that
sectarian notion of white men reveling in their
exclusivity and their meticulous handling of the
lyric of the brain, has become old, very old.
These are just notes. Adjectivizing is no longer
necessary. What they called “performative
poetry” has become “poetry” and what they
called “poetry” has become a subgenre.
Lalo Barrubia, 2024.
037

THE POETIC PHONOTHEQUE
LEAVE
YOUR
POEM
AFTER
THE
TONE.
The dream has always been, to have a type
of traveling device, which would allow for the
collection of poetry in the voice of its poets, wherever
a representative of the Poetic Phonotheque was
in movement, and for the rest of the time, for it to
be at the headquarters of the Phonotheque in its
respective countries.
The dream is now a reality. Look for the red FONOTEK
in Wales, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, (or record
your message on our website) and in all the events
where the Poetic Phonotheque is present... now all
you gotta do is pickup that handset, and leave your
poem after the tone.
038

Gestos de la poesia is a hybrid poetry festival hosted by the Cultural Center of the Universidad de los Andes Colombia. The spring part of the festival will
take place at the University of the Andes Library, and the second part digitally. Follow @centroculturauniandes to learn more.
039

FINLAND: KIRJAN TALO / BOKENS HUS HAS MOVED
Warm greetings from Turku, though as of today, it seems we’re
still blanketed in snow!
This has already been a big year for us. In January we officially
moved into our new premises in Taiteentalo – a huge new
arts and culture center located right in the heart of Turku’s old
town. We now have 300 square meters of office, library, and
event space on the building’s 5 th
floor. Not to brag, but we think our center has the best view in
the whole city. We’ve already started renting out our spaces for
artists, art courses and social clubs, and have also begun
hosting book launches and concerts.
We held our grand opening in mid-March – a whole week of
shows, workshops, panels, and plenty of good food concluding
with a full-day party on Saturday. It was a lot of work, and a
lot of fun, and was just the first of many exciting events we’ve
got planned for the year. A quick sample of projects we’re
involved with include: Poetry Veckan (Swedish Language
Poetry Week) in April, Vanhankaupungin juhla (Old Town Celebration)
15.6, Taiteiden Yö (Night of the Arts) 17.8, GoRuno-
Go/Poetry Day, 6.7, and Rap and Poetry by the Lake in Liitoinen
(date), as well as our monthly Bar Ö poetry evenings and
(something in Salo). We will also be sending a delegation to
Tranås, 29.6 – 6.7. and Red Door’s 15 th anniversary
(date).
It’s been exciting and rewarding to watch our vision for our
center becoming a reality, and we are on the lookout for new
collaborations and projects to make even better use of these
beautiful new premises. We hope to see some of you here with
us soon.
Until then, we’ll be admiring the view.
Much love,
040
The Kirjan Talo/Bokens Hus Team.

SWEDEN: TRANÅS AT THE FRINGE
Tranås at the Fringe 2024
Kultivera has organised a cultural festival called Tranås at the
Fringe since 2014.
From being a festival with a few hundred visitors and about
twenty events, the festival has continuously grown to become
an established festival with 2500 visitors and over 150 events.
In 2024, between June 29 and July 6, Kultivera will be hosting
the festival for the eleventh year, and the audience will be able
to choose from a wide range of events.
Poetry and performing arts, experimental film, theatre, dance
and visual arts. Artist talks, workshops and seminars, as well
as exhibitions and a book fair. All this and more in several
locations within easy walking distance in the city centre. So
why not come to Tranås this summer and be part of the Fringe?
Don’t worry, it’s easy to find us.
We are right there, between somewhere
and nowhere.
041

The Red Door
Network:
Red Door Magazine is a quarterly Arts &
Culture publication meant to document
the work of creators everywhere, as
well as facilitate new conversations on
important matters for our communities
in a local and international way, through
the linking of themes, collaborations,
interviews and hybrid events that can
expand the reach of independent voices
and remarkable projects. Red Door
counts with the help of correspondents
in Australia, Mexico, the US and Denmark.
Red Door also functions as a
gallery and independent space in
order to serve as a platform for the
same purposes. In expanding its
reach, Red Door also counts with:
-A podcast called the Red
Transmissions, where creatives,
activists and cultural organizers share
their process, projects and initiatives.
042
-A Poetic Phonotheque, which serves
as an online collection of poetry in many
languages in the voice of its authors,
created to break the barriers of distance
and facilitate free access to poetry in
households around the world.
-An independent print project called Red
Press, which focuses on the publication
of poetry (and illustration) in translation.
Bilingual books, handmade, limited
edition books.
-The Red Door Gallery located in
the cultural hub of Copenhagen on
Møllegade, Nørrebro, where talks,
workshops, exhibitions, performances
and other events are often on the
calendar, as well as limited edition
books and prints, original art,
miniature books and other art related
products, often with a focus on poetry.
See them also on the online shop:
www.reddoormagazine.com/shop
-And other cultural collaborations
internationally.
THE PARTNERS:
Litteraturcentrum KVU:
An international literary initiative we
often promote as a league of publishers
in Scandinavia. Red Door is published
through this collaboration.
Kultivera operates international cultural
programs. It is the organization in charge
of the Tranås Fringe Festival and their
curriculum of activities can be seen on
the issues of the Red Door Magazine.
Kirjan Talo / Bokens Hus is a cultural
organization based in Turku, Finland,
and headquarters of the Poetic
Phonotheque in that city.
Write4Word: Is a West Wales community
organization with a focus on language
arts. Its director, Dominic Williams, is a
frequent correspondent of Red Door.
La Libélula Vaga: is a spanish literary
magazine published in Sweden
documenting the work of poets all
over the planet, as well as encouraging
translations, talks and other
collaborations.

THIS IS WHERE YOU GET TO PLAY
AN ACTIVE ROLE.
HEAR HEAR! In celebration of Red Door
Magazine’s 15 year anniversary coming up
in 2024, we’ve decided to launch a brand
new PATREON, exclusively for Red Door
related shenanigans.
Want to get a subscription of the
magazine to your door?
Easy peasy. Visit www.patreon.com/
reddoor and choose the tier to the left...
then just add your address.
Want to show your support of Red Door
events, festivals, publications and other
poetic endeavours?
Well, sign up to Patreon and show some
love!
Are you more of an entrepreneur, cultural
organizer or business owner, who’d like to
have Red Door as part of your repertoir?
We now offer a Magazine Distribution tier
level, with which you’ll receive not just the
magazines for you to sell, but also stickers,
books, and other goodies, to make your
shop look extra spiffy.
Red Door, in simple terms, is a love
project. A DiY magazine / gallery / umbrella
for other projects / platform for your voice...
We do not receive grants nor support from
any institutions, so it only makes sense to
ask you today to give your helping hand
and help keep this project going...
The income earned always goes
to domains, print and other bills,
such as rent, water and heat
at the gallery... and of course
materials for the continuation
of artistic projects
both in print
and digitally.
043
www.patreon.com/reddoor

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED
RESONANS
res·​o·​nance ˈre-zə-nən(t)s
A FRINGE OF NATURE AND CULTURE
In celebration of the 15th anniversary of Red Door Magazine,
we’ve decided to embark on a very exciting, yet challenging adventure.
From October 8th to the 13th, 2024, in Copenhagen, Denmark,
we will be hosting the very first RESONANS festival, a fringe of nature
and culture. That is to say, a celebration of humanity’s connection with
our environment, through expressions in poetry, visual art, theater,
music... all with a focus on multimedia.
There will be, of course, digital happenings, as well as a publication,
and plenty of other collectable items
for us to celebrate this occasion.
We have already begun recruiting local venues for this endeavor, and
our partners have already agreed to put on their fanciest suits and
curate programs that represent their region in our festival, but we still
need to recruit funding and sponsors to make this great thing happen.
Please give your support at www.patreon.com/reddoor to give us the
necessary impulse to accomplish this feat.
If you have other ideas of how you’d like to get involved,
please write to
reddoorcph@gmail.com
Meanwhile, please save the date.
We look forward to celebrating with you,
yes, here, in Copenhagen.
044
WWW.RESONANSFRINGE.COM

045

RED DOOR MAGAZINE
TRANSMISSIONS
FEATURING KARSTEN GARNER
SPRING 2024
046
WWW.REDDOORMAGAZINE.COM