Versopolis Podcast #27: Poetry in late-stage capitalism

Late-stage capitalism is typically defined as the final form of a highly commercialized society. Fast fashion, globalization with borders porous to capital but closed to people, the exploitation of natural resources, and rampant ecological damage are among the most pressing issues of our time. How do poets respond to these times of crisis and social inequality? How are the predicaments of today’s societies reflected in poetry? 

Dominique de Groen, a Dutch poet and artist, published her debut Shop Girl in 2017 – an unconventional poetry collection deeply immersed in capitalist logic. The title is followed by a trademark symbol (™), and the ISBN number is printed on the cover as a subtitle, as if to emphasize that even a critical work of poetry remains part of the market. Furthermore, buyers can choose from various cover colours. Does this mean that even as consumers of poetry, we are bound to the whims of market forces? 

Also joining the talk is Lies Van Gasse, another Dutch poet and visual artist, who pioneered the genre of the graphic poem in Dutch-language literature. Central themes in Van Gasse’s work include nature, landscape, desire and love. She describes the city as an ‘attractive beacon – but one that turns into a site of disaster when growth leads to disorder and chaos.’ Can art confront chaos and offer refuge? How does one become a homo-non-digital when the grand promises of online communities dissolve into deep polarization? And how can we nurture our identities as citizens rather than merely consumers? 

Dominique De Groen (1991) is a Belgian poet, artist and co-founder of Marktcorruptie, a DIY publishing label. Based in Ghent, her acclaimed poetry collections – Shop Girl (2017), Sticky Drama (2019) and Offerlam (2020) – critique late capitalism, ecological collapse and gendered violence through avant-garde verse that merges the visceral and the conceptual. Nominated for the Herman de Coninck Prize (2020) and winner of the Frans Vogel Poetry Prize (2019), her work reimagines language as both commodity and resistance, exemplified by Shop Girl’s trademarked title and consumer-grade design. A frequent contributor to literary journals (nY, The Low Countries), she is writing her debut novel: a paranormal detective story spanning Los Angeles and Glasgow.

Lies Van Gasse (1983) is a Flemish poet and visual artist known for pioneering the graphic poem – a fusion of poetry and illustration – in Dutch literature. Her debut, Hetzelfde gedicht steeds weer (2008), introduced her cyclical themes of nature, desire and impermanence, later expanded in works like Sylvia (2010) and Wenteling (2013). Collaborating with artists like Peter Theunynck and Annemarie Estor, she blends text and image in multimedia projects, books and performances. A member of the band Electric Sheep and the poetry initiative De Eenzame Uitvaart, she has won the East Flanders Provincial Prize (2011) and exhibited widely, including at Watou Arts Festival.