Watercolour book from Matadero Artist Residency, 2022
News & Recent Work
Premiere of Espantamoscas in Midwest Video Poetry
Filmed and directed by Charles Olsen and Lilián Pallares, Espantamoscas (Shoo-flies), featuring a poem by Spanish poet Julio Alcalá, premieres at Midwest Video Poetry Fest in Wisconsin, MA.
Details on ArtLibLabPremiere of La familia Espiral in Cerralbo Museum
Made during workshops in the Cerralbo Museum with children of the Association Espiral, Lavapiés, led by Charles and Lílián, the collaborative poetry film La familia Espiral was premiered in the museum to a full house.
Read on MaristasPoems from Aotearoa New Zealand — Given Words
Charles presents the winning poems of the 10th edition of the Given Words competition, which he ran for Aotearoa New Zealand's National Poetry Day.
Read on Given WordsExhibition in Madrid — 4 Writers Who Paint
Charles was invited to participate in a group exhibition alongside Ana Rosa Díaz (Cuba), Rafael Vilches Proenza (Cuba) and Abdhul Hadi Sadoun (Iraq), in the gallery Espacio Ronda, Madrid.
See video at Arte Espacio RondaAnthology reading — Te Moana o Reo | Ocean of Languages
A micro story by Charles is included in Te Moana o Reo | Ocean of Languages (The Cuba Press, Wellington), edited by M. Elvy and V. Rapatahana. The anthology reading was recorded for the 2025 Festival of Flash.
Watch at Festival of FlashUrban Landscape | Paisaje Urbano on Radio 3 Extra — Metaverso
Charles's poem Urban Landscape | Paisaje Urbano, performed with the Webster Collective, was featured on Spanish National Radio 3 Extra's Metaverso programme, Especial 03: Paisajes. The poem begins at the 20-minute mark.
Listen on RTVEFive poems and a painting in Farol #3, University at Buffalo
The journal Farol (Journal of Literature and Other Arts, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, University at Buffalo, SUNY) published five poems — Punto de equilibrio, Into the Deep, Snap, Nightfall, Touching Land — alongside the painting Inner Window.
Read in Farol #3Casas Errantes featured in El Heraldo de Barranquilla
Colombia's El Heraldo published a feature on the poetry film Casas Errantes (Wandering Houses), directed by Charles Olsen with poems by Lilián Pallares and Lauren Mendinueta. The film has been selected for festivals in Seattle, Mexico City, Lima, Dublin, Oeiras, Lisbon and Wellington.
Read in El HeraldoPoetas de Nueva Zelanda — Gestos de la Poesía 2025, Universidad de los Andes
The collaborative te reo Māori poetry film Noho Mai, co-directed by Charles is featured as part of a focus on New Zealand poets at Gestos de la Poesía 2025, organised by the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia. The festival also includes poetry films he made with Colombian poet Lilián Pallares.
Watch Festival programmePoesía neozelandesa: Charles Olsen en Círculo de Poesía
The major Spanish-language poetry journal Círculo de Poesía published a feature on Charles as part of a series on New Zealand poetry, including four poems in Spanish, English and Māori.
Read in Círculo de PoesíaCadence 2025 – Craft Talk with Lilián Pallares + Charles Olsen
Visiting artists Lilián Pallares and Charles Olsen, whose work has been featured at the festival over the years, are invited to give a craft talk at Cadence Video Poetry in Seattle. Their newest video poem Wandering Houses (Casas Errantes) has its world premiere at Frye Art Museum and also screens in my more-than-me at NWFF.
Visit Festival programmeReading of two poems on Fonoteca Española de Poesía
Two poems from La rebeldía del sol — in both English and Spanish — have been recorded and archived by the Fonoteca Española de Poesía, Spain's national sound archive for poetry.
Listen at FonotecaEn silencio in the Museu das Águas Brasileiras
The poetry film En Silencio (In Silence) has been included in the online gallery of the Museu das Águas Brasileiras, an interdisciplinary institutional project of the Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT), Brazil.
View in museum galleryCollaborative poetry project with IES López de Arenas in La Voz de Marchena
A report in La Voz de Marchena covered the collaboration between students of IES López de Arenas and Charles Olsen, which was featured in the Given Words competition for New Zealand's National Poetry Day.
Read the reportPhotostory: A Painting of a House — Liberated Words
Charles contributed a photostory essay combining photography and prose to Liberated Words, the UK-based poetry film and arts platform.
Read on Liberated WordsHow to Film a Poem — Readingroom / Newsroom NZ
Charles's essay introducing poetry film in New Zealand was published in Readingroom, the literary supplement of Newsroom, New Zealand's leading independent news platform.
Read the articleLa rebeldía del sol on Metaverso, Radio 3 Extra (53 min)
A 53-minute programme dedicated to La rebeldía del sol was broadcast on Metaverso, Radio 3 Extra (RTVE), featuring readings and discussion of Charles' poetry collection inspired by the Antonio Machado Poetry Residency of Segovia and Soria.
Listen on RTVEUrban Landscape / Paisaje Urbano — single with Webster Collective
Charles's poem Urban Landscape / Paisaje Urbano, set to music and released as a single in collaboration with the UK-based Webster Collective, is now available on major streaming platforms.
Stream the singleOn Being Sanguine — Cordite Poetry Review
An essay reflecting on two years of anxiety, the Christchurch mosque attacks, and the creative response to terror, published in Cordite Poetry Review, Australia's leading online poetry journal.
Read in Cordite