Dirk Huelstrunk (b. 1964) is an internationally renowned sound poet, spoken word poet, writer, creative writing teacher and curator of art/poetry events from Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Influences range from Dada, Surrealists, Fluxus, Beatpoets to Pop and modern electronic sound-poetry. He works with and between different media and frequently collaborates with artists & musicians.
Huelstrunk lectures on sound poetry, spoken word, outsider art, gives workshops in creative writing and performance poetry and is also one of the pioneers of the Poetry Slam movement in Germany, hosting Poetry Slam and Spoken Word events since 1996.
He curates & hosts events for Frankfurt Bookfair “Guest of Honor”, Frankfurt Poetry Days Festival and other events.
Collaborations and performances with: writer & sound poet Jaromir Typlt (CZ), dancer & choreographer Milla Koistinen (FIN), performance artist Juha Valkeapää (FIN), radio artist Gabi Schaffner (GER), performance artist Brandstifter (GER), Sounddesigner HERR WILD (GER), Jazzmusicians Peter Klohmann, Martin Lejeune, Harri Gottschalk, Stefan Schulz-Anker (GER) and others.
Writings/poems have been translated to English, Spanish, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Czech, Slovak, Romanian.
Current collaborations:
Plötzlicher Nebel/ Sudden Fog – Poetry Audio Play with Martin Lejeune (guitar, effects, sounds)
Storm Trio – Jazz Poetry Graphic Novel Performance with Peter Klohmann (sax) & Martin Lejeune (euphonium)
“antibodies” with performance artist/musician Brandstifter (Mainz/GER) – art book & multimedia performance based on the book antibodies
Recent collabortions
“a pile of frames – sound poetry moves” with dancer/choreographer Milla Koistinen (FIN)
JIRK Sound Poetry Duo with vocal performer Juha Valkeapää (FIN)
Teaching (See Teaching site)
Creative writing & performance poety since 2001 at schools, libraries, museums, universities & in cooperation with literary Institutions (Literaturhaus Frankfurt, Hessisches Literaturforum).
Lectures on sound poetry, Dada, Spoken Word etc… on German and international Universities and Institutions.
Hosting/curating. (See Curating site)
since 2o23 I host the international poetry podcast “Possible Poetry”
since 2020 I host the podcast show “Wortsalon Schlitz” about books & places in a small barber shop.
since 2014 curating Poetry Events for the Guest of Honor at Frankfurt Bookfair
Since 2013 I host the monthly song slam frankfurt
1998-2016 I hosted the monthly poetry slam frankfurt, the oldest regular poetry slam in Hessen, after first experiments with poetry slam at Club Voltaire, Frankfurt 1996
Since 1997 hosting the monthly radioshow „Knallfabet“ at local Radio X, Frankfurt with a podcast on Kulturnetz Frankfurt & iTunes
2003 I hosted the German National Poetry Slam collaboration with Dichterschlacht Darmstadt.
For my projects I cooperated with Kulturamt Frankfurt, Hessischer Rundfunk, Goethe Institute, schauspielfrankfurt, Hessisches Literaturforum, Finnish Literature Exchange (FILI), Turku Poetry Week, CRiSAP Institute London, Georgian National Book Center and many other institutions.
Residencies/grants:
2020/21 Working grant, Hessische Kulturstiftung, Wiesbaden.
2020 Working grant, Hessisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst, Wiesbaden.
2018 “Land in Sicht”, artist residency, Huenfeld, Germany
2015 Prague Literaturehouse/Hessischer Literaturrat, residency in Prague.
2014 Kone Foundation, Bold Initiatives in the Arts Grant, for “a pile of frames” with Milla Koistinen
2012 Kone Foundation, Saari, Finland,
2011 Hessischer Literaturrat, Madison, Wisconsin
2011 Nuoren Voiman Liitto, Villa Sarkia, Sysmä, Finland,
2008-2010 School artist at two schools in Hessen.
Member of the international board of Turku Poetry Week Association
Member of VS Verband deutscher Schriftsteller (German Writers Union) & VdÜ (Translators Union)
Founding member and member of board the nonprofit organisation Kulturnetz Frankfurt