Keynote speakers for the Poetry & Video Conference to be held April 5 in the Center for the Arts Screening Room include William C. Wees, Kurt Heintz and Chris Funkhouser.

Wees, professor of English at McGill University, is a leading theorist on poetry and media who will speak on "Poetry-Films as Imagetexts of Memory and Desire." Heintz, a Chicago writer and media artist known for his poetry video work on screen and stage, will talk on "Hacking Poetry-Tales from the Inner Coast"- a discussion of poetry, video, stage and e-media and stories of "hacking poetry videos together with no big grants, no reputations in Chicago." Funkhouser, who has spearheaded CD-ROM poetry publication, is finishing his Ph.D. in English at State University at Albany. He will speak on "Present Effects: Poetry and Digital Media," looking to the future of poetry and video.

Afternoon sessions will offer a panel discussion and screenings of works by area poets and video artists, including Mike Basinski, Bob Borgatti, Gail Brisson, Tim Clinton, Alicia Cohen, Bryan Dominick, Mac Hammond, John Harrigan, Alexander Kort, Jody LaFond and Kristin Prevallet.