THE DIGEST READER 

THURS 9 DEC

19:00 - 21:00

Our gut is lengthy, weighty, coiled tightly in the core of our bodies. It is forever present but out of sight, gurgling and growling, communicating its digestive processes. Culture can silence or shame our insides, but the viscera continue to speak in voices characterised as bold, honest and vital. We are gutted, we are gutsy, we are forever stirred by gut reactions. Our understanding of the gut's effect on mood, mind and health is fast evolving, and as we learn more about the power of the microbiome and the gut-brain axis, we are seeking ways to engage with these inner parts as bodily correspondents.

What if we found ways to unspool and explore the hidden channels of our being? What if we found opportunities for the body to speak for itself, allowing the unsung parts to bellow? What if we engaged with digestion through a metabolic form of writing?

The Digest Reader is a playful collection of poetry, experimental texts, prose, and images that explores our relationship to the gut and the process of digestion. Material for the reader was generated through a collaborative workshop- Gut Feelings: Voicing the Visceral- devised and led by Esme Boggis and Fiona Glen in Sept 2021.

Contributing artists and writers to Reader include, Beth Fox, Christy Thynne, Esme Boggis, Fiona Glen, James Ireland, Judith Walker, Krystle Patel, Lara Baksu, Mandy Wax, Rhona Eve Clews , Seth Guy, Sinéad Brady, Tabby Gammer.

The launch evening will be an informal presentation of  The Digest Reader, animated with readings from Esme Boggis and Fiona Glen, and video by Gut Feelings participants in response to food, digestion and the body

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Esme Boggis and Fiona Glen are two artists working with writing and the body.

Esme Boggis is an artist and writer based in South East London. Her interests lie in the slippery nature of bodies, language, geographies, and objects, in states of flux, tension and mistranslation. She completed an MA in Writing at the Royal College of Art in 2020. Her writing has been published online and in print, including The Double Negative, Abstract Magazine, Plicnik Space, ARC Magazine and NOIT Journal. She has performed and exhibited in galleries across London including Flat Time House, SET, The Bomb Factory Art Foundation and Guest Projects.


Fiona Glen is a writer and artist interested in the complex relationships between humans and our fellow animals, and in the lives of objects and materials. Glen’s writing has been published in periodicals including Aesthetica, NOIT Journal, 3:AM Magazine, and MAP Magazine, as well as in various anthologies. She has read at the London Science Museum and Gossamer Fog gallery, and she has previously been commissioned by BBC x ICA New Creatives.