Artist and writer Allison Grimaldi Donahue will examine the history and practice of Sound Poetry in Italy, with particular attention to the work of women poets who played a central role in redefining the relationship between voice, body, language, and meaning in the second half of the twentieth century. The first part of the program is devoted to guided listening, drawing on works and ideas by poets and thinkers such as Patrizia Vicinelli, Tomaso Binga, Adriano Spatola, Giulia Niccolai, Arrigo Lora Totino, Adriana Cavarero, Charles Olson, and Alice Notley, among others.
In the second part of the event, participants will be invited to experiment with writing and vocal exercises inspired by the methods of sound poetry. These short, structured experiments are designed to encourage play, risk, and attention to the material qualities of language. Those who wish will have the opportunity to share their work with the group.
This exploration of sound, language, and materiality resonates closely with Magazzino’s collection: many of the poets discussed belong to the same historical generation as the artists of Arte Povera and share related philosophical concerns about process, presence, the body, and the limits of traditional forms.
This research project is granted by the Directorate-General for Contemporary Creativity of the Italian Ministry of Culture under the Italian Council program (14th edition, 2025), which aims to promote Italian contemporary art worldwide.
Allison Grimaldi Donahue (Middletown, Connecticut, USA, 1984) is a writer and artist. She is the author of The History of Breathing (Diaphnes, 2025), Body to Mineral (Publication Studio Vancouver, 2016), and On Endings (Delere Press, 2019), and translator of Blown Away by Vito M. Bonito (Fomite, 2021) and Self-portrait by Carla Lonzi (Divided, 2021). She has recently performed poetry and created installations at the Madre Museum Napoli, Guggenheim Foundation Venice, Luci d'Artista Torino, Kunsthalle Bern, Sonnenstube Lugano, Short Theatre, MACRO Rome, and MAMbo Bologna. Her writing has appeared in publications such as BOMB, The Brooklyn Rail, Tripwire, Mousse, NERO, The Evergreen Review, and Prairie Schooner. She was nominated for the 64th Termoli Prize at the MACTE Museum and the FlashArt 2026 Art Writing Award. She is also the winner of the Premio Gallarate 2026. She is a recipient of the 14th edition of the Italian Council Talent Development Award from the Italian Ministry of Culture for her project on the role of poetry in contemporary art in Italy and the US. She lives in Bologna.