Poetry in Photos

This month, a new exhibit opened in The Changing Gallery at the American Jazz Museum. It is called Beyond Words {A Fusion of Poetry (+) Visual Art (+) Jazz}. If you are like me, you will want to go to this exhibit, which remains open until April 26, 2013, several times because you will take something new away from it each time.

I have been working with combining poems and photographs since early 2011.  The poem and photo are distinct pieces that are being viewed together. The poem is an entity in itself and can stand alone.

After visiting the exhibit a couple of times, I created a new piece using the same photograph and elements of the poem. In this piece, the words and photo are truly joined.

How you ever created visual (or concrete) poetry? Would you be willing to give it a try?

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Conventional Wisdom about Social Media

I guess for me seeing is believing. Like many people, especially of my generation, I have entered the world of social media begrudgingly, participating some but never truly embracing it. That changed earlier this week when I attended the 2012 NACWAA Convention in Kansas City.

At this multiple-day event attended by hundreds of people, I could observe how the organization promoted the use of social media, primarily Twitter, and the response it got. I could also read the individual tweets and see what elements other people chose to highlight about an experience I was sharing.

Based on both observation and presentations I heard, here are a few thoughts I came away with:

• There will be some trial and error in building a platform.
• Platform building also will take time, and therefore, patience.
• You can tell a story even if you only use 144 characters.
• An important part of a platform is helping others.

So, I think I'm finally ready to embrace the use of social media. How about you?


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Memories in the Air

I'm having a really bad allergy season this fall. Sometimes, especially when one is grieving, I think memories can be like an allergan. I was feeling that way when I wrote the following.

Memories Alert

Memories are in the air.
Create an emotional smog
that permeates the atmosphere.
Fill the lungs
but can't be expelled
no matter how hard we exhale.
Get in the eyes,
produce tears and
blur the vision.
Relief has to be self-generated.
After all, we are all responsible
for what we put
into the environment.

Related Post-I Keep You with Me-Looking at Grief with Verse


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Poetry and Brass

When I was in 4th Grade, I took a test at my elementary school to see if I qualified to take music lessons. The instrument I said I wanted to play was the trumpet.

I didn't qualify to be given a trumpet by the school; but was told that if I owned an instrument, I could still take lessons. My sister had taken violin lessons so....

My career as a violinist ended after three years, but my love of brass
instruments continues today. Last Friday night, I had the opportunity to go to the Blue Room and hear Delfeayo Marsalis on trombone, Sean Jones on trumpet and Bobby Watson on saxophone. Engulfed in some of the most beautiful sounds I'll ever hear come out of those instruments, I had to write something.

Love Notes

Take to the air

propelled by breath

blowing horns

released by fingers

plucking strings

created by sticks

hitting drums.

Circle the globe

spreading the message:

Jazz is a love note

to the soul.

 

 

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Poetry to the Moon

Night Visitor

Search for that
first glimpse of you.
Where will you appear?
High in the sky or
along the horizon?
Will you be full
and bright or
a shimmering slice?
Height and form
don't matter.
There is comfort
in seeing you
shine each night.

Related post-Eclipsed

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Writer's Retreat

I spent this past weekend on a writer's retreat in Arrow Rock, Missouri, that was offered through The Writers Place. The topic was ekphrastic writing.

Ekphrastic writing is defined as writing inspired by visual art. We pushed the envelope a little bit by using a play as our inspiration. We saw a wonderful production of "To Kill A Mockingbird" at the Lyceum Theatre. Congratulations to the cast and crew for a job well done.

Before the show, we discussed ekphrastic writing and our experiences with it. Afterwards, we were filled with ideas. Some shared work that evening or the next day. Others will wait until we gather again.

We had other inspiration during the weekend. We walked to the river and were immersed in history and nature. We ate at a tavern that is more than 170 years old.  Of course, we were inspired by each others works, talents and support.

Thanks to Sharon Eiker for putting this great weekend together. This is the second retreat that Sharon has hosted. I thought I would show you a couple of comparisons from last year and this year via photographs.

Log by the Missouri River 2011

 

Log by the river 2012

Face in the rock 2011

Face in the rock 2012

 

 

 

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Writing to the Nines

I'm not quite ready to give up writing about poetry forms. I'm going to go back a little more than a month when Robert Lee Brewer put out a call for Nonet Poems on his Poetic Asides blog.

The Nonet begins with a line that contains nine syllables. The following lines each decrease by one syllable so that the ninth and final line only contains one.

At the time this blog post appeared, I was in Canada visiting my brother and sister-in-law. They took me to see the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. We saw many works by Canadian artists know as The Group of Seven. One of my favorites from the group is Lawren S. Harris. I chose to write my Nonet about my reaction to one of his paintings.

Artistry

The painting turns liquid before me.
Suddenly, the water seems real.
I want to dip my finger
into the clear blue pool.
Let the fluid chill
me to the bone
while sunlight
filters
down.


See Robert Lee Brewer's latest challenge-The Haibun

Another poem from my summer vacation


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