Sucking on Words is a film about Kenneth Goldsmith’s conceptual writing – a fusion of art and literature. Presenting a mode of literature more in dialogue with the visual arts than with conventional poetry or fiction, and arguing for a new kind of ‘thinkership’ to replace the conventional idea of a ‘readership’, the lively, incisive and accessible conversations in Simon Morris’ film are an ideal introduction to Goldsmith’s witty and provocative work.

Already regarded as hallmarks of 21st century literature, his work exemplifies one of the key trends in contemporary poetry: a deliberately uncreative writing predicated on reorganizing found language rather than on expressing or communicating personal emotion.

In addition to debate and commentary, the film showcases readings from some of Goldsmith’s most notorious books, such as, No. 111 (found phrases ending in an ‘r’ rhyme and filtered alphabetically by syllable count); Soliloquy (a transcription of every word Goldsmith spoke for a week); Day (a retyping of one day’s New York Times); Traffic (a day’s worth of hourly traffic bulletins); and The Weather (a year’s worth of radio weather bulletins).