‘The interesting thing about a
map is always what’s not on it.’
So said poet, novelist, and essayist, Kei
Miller, at his Words and Poetry event
at the Cultural Exchanges Festival.
Maps, place names, and languages
were the focal point of much of the discussion that followed his reading. His inspirations, and
anecdotes from his travels punctuated readings from his latest poetry
collection, The Cartographer Tries to Map
a Way to Zion.
The sequence of poems follows a
conversation between a cartographer and a Rastaman, as they deliberate the
nature of mapmaking, and how a person can know a place – two very eclectic
characters brought to life through Miller’s animated readings.
Miller touched on his fascination
with etymology – particularly in place names – and how language, dialects and history can
affect them. A particular favourite of his was Shotover, Jamaica; while locals
prefer the story of slaves being shot at, the most likely origin was the French Chateau Vert.
Miller explained how he finds it
hard to write individual poems, preferring to create sequences in which he can get
the most out of one idea. An academic as well as a poet, his enthusiasm for
research and reading usually culminates in one furious writing period, as he aims
to show the spectrum of different ways you can see one thing.
As the evening drew to a close,
one question was surely on everyone’s mind: How would you map a place?
A. L. Whitaker
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