Reykjavík Grapevine - 24.08.2018, Qupperneq 2

Noemi Ehrat is a
student of English
and political science
hailing from the
Swiss city of Zurich.
She came to Iceland
first through her
love of the majestic
Icelandic horse and
could somehow not
stop coming back
ever since. Reading,
writing and hating
make her happy, too.
Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
An international
man of mystery, Art
Bicnick moves like
a shadow through
the subcultures and
soireés of Reykjavík,
never still, ghosting
the scene in a puff
of blue smoke—the
exhaust fumes of the
elusive, well-travelled
Bicnick Mini. He
takes photographs
and oversees
photography in
the magazine.
Hannah Jane Cohen
is based out of Ice-
land by way of New
York. An alumni of
Columbia University,
Hannah has lived
on five continents
and speaks three
languages fluently,
which is very impres-
sive. Her visionary
work is known for
expanding the defini-
tions of emotion,
introspection, and
above all else, taste.
John Rogers an
Englishman who
first joined us as
a music writer,
later graduating to
Managing Editor. A
constant traveller, a
lover of art, culture,
food and nightlife,
he edits our Best of
Reykjavík, Best of
Iceland and Iceland
Airwaves sister
publications. His first
book, “Real Life,” was
published in 2014.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funkþátturinn
radio show, or sits
at a table in a Rey-
kjavik café, drinking
copious amounts of
coffee and thinking
about fonts.
Christine Engel
Snitkjær has a
diverse interna-
tional background
in studies ranging
from Literature to
Character Animation.
An avid traveler and
cosmopolitan, Chris-
tine uses her experi-
ences as sources of
inspiration for telling
stories. Her passport
says Denmark and
she loves rabbits.
Andie Fontaine has
lived in Iceland since
1999 and has been
reporting since 2003.
They were the first
foreign-born mem-
ber of the Icelandic
Parliament, in 2007-
08, an experience
they recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Timothée Lambrecq
is a French freelance
photographer and
filmmaker who can
be found exploring
Iceland’s nature,
small towns and 101
music scene, or on
the dancefloor at
Berghain in Berlin.
He’s made music
videos for sóley, JFDR
and Samaris, likes
shibas and techno,
and is an avid burger
aficionado.
First 18: Baldvin Z And The Lost Girls14: The War Of The Bureaucrats 16: The Opioid Epidemic20: Cacao Yoga 28: Hórmónar Claiming The Rock Scene36: Gróa Beating The Odds 39: Mimra: The Artist Vision 40: Reflecting U.S. Life 60: Myrka Manifesto 62: Mandi vs Ali Baba49: Food: Aalto Bistro 56: Shadow Nymphs
ON THE COVER:
Drawings of Fríða
Ísberg, Bergþóra
Snæbjörnsdóttir and
Ragnar Helgi Ólafsson.
COVER ILLUSTRATIONS:
Elín Elísabet
elinelisabet.com
ABOUT THE PICTURE:
Elín Elísabet met with
three of the subjects
of the poetry feature
and drew them, over a
cup of coffee and some
conversation.
The poems were
selected and written
out by hand by the
poets themselves.
Don’t worry, the
poetry scene is Gucci
It’s interesting, in the time of the
social media’s stultification, and in
the age of banalism, that the poetry
scene in Reykjavík has almost never
been so strong. There are two inde-
pendent presses solely focusing on
poetry and the big publishing houses
are publishing new poets on a regular
basis. Bergþóra Snæbjörnsdóttir was
nominated for the Icelandic literature
awards last year, although poets are not
nominated nearly as often in that fierce
battle for the next “great” novel. So that
is an a achievement in itself. It’s safe to
say, that something is brewing.
Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir has done
amazing things with her Partus Press,
which focuses almost exclusively on
publishing new poets.
There is also a diversity of poetic
communities in Iceland; very differ-
ent from how it was just a decade ago.
Now we have English languagepoetry
appearing in such publications as Ós
Pressan’s journal, which publishes a
variety of works in several languages
We have heavily Americanised and
hip-hop based slam-poetry culture
that emphasises the act more than the
text. We also have a performance art
like publishing house Tunglið (literally
“moon”). They only publish poetry on
the full moon, sell it the same evening,
and destroy the rest. The publication
is more like a heathen celebration of
Freyja, the muse of poetry, where every-
body meets, drinks and screams poetry
for a night.
What makes this incredible is that the
Icelandic population contains just over
300 thousand people, the total market
of readers might consist of a third of
that and even less who read and buy
poetry. It’s a downright insane career
choice to become a poet in Iceland.
Still, we have as many poets as we have
rappers, and the poets are only getting
stronger.
For these reasons, we decided to ask
some poets about the prospect of the
poetry market in Iceland (page 22), and
the answer is the always the same: it’s
doing just fine.
Valur Grettisson
EDITORIAL
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