Newsletter
FRIENDS in LIT & ARTS — A Gallery
For some time, I have been experimenting with digital collages using mostly my photographs, found photographs, photographic reproduction of some artworks, and written words mainly as a graphical element — in order to celebrate my FRIENDS in ARTS & LITERATURE.
You can see the samples of the work in progress in this photo album:
My photoshop skills are limited, and graphical design dexterity is minimal, but I thought these friends who enriched my life with their work and appreciation for the written word and visual arts, given my well-meaning intent, would be forgiving of my shortcomings. Whenever the words are written, we cannot help but try to understand. I cannot say the meaning is not important at all, but the words are meant primarily as graphical components.
If you have any difficulty accessing the pictures, it would be helpful to hear about it. I am open to improvement suggestions.
I like to say: more to come.
The First and The Last Word - Poetry Reading
Victor Howes reads one of his "light verse" style poems addressing the historical puzzle who actually wrote Shakespeare's plays: Marlowe, Francis Bacon or a hired hand from Hollywood. Victor is teacher of many aspiring poets of the area; it is always a pleasure to see him engaged.
Mary Buchinger Bodwell reading samples from her Gilgamesh poems. We had an interactive audience in the room. They interacted with the featured readers. Mary is one of local poets who doesn't enjoy sitting on her laurels; she experiments, pushes the limits. Her exploration of the Sumerian epic is an excellent example for this.
Poetry shines, after all, as a beacon of hope through the darkness
Some Kind of Reflections
It is such a good feeling to experience a few moments of sanity in a world where things seem to get crazier and crazier every second. The moment we say it can get any worse, more gruesome, we keep getting unpleasantly surprised: luckily beauty, arts, poetry bring a touch of fresh air and we manage to go on.
Something of Interest
for the month of September
Poetry Magazine comes with a companion podcast every month, in which some poets read poems published in the issue. Many times, you can also listen to discussions about the essays included in the magazine. Audio, definitely, augments the experience and makes the content accessible to a larger audience.