Tomorrow evening we have a very special Zoom workshop at The Ekphrastic Review- delving into the history of collage in art, and creative writing exercises with various collage art prompts, to fire up your imagination and take your writing practice in unexpected directions. I've put together a wonderful journey of images and ideas. As a collage artist myself, this one's really special to me and I can't wait to share all of this with you! Join us. Lorette https://www.ekphrastic.net/ekphrasticwritingworkshops.html
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Early Wednesday Evening It’s been a long day. Mr. Brickman snapped when I was too slow with his coffee; typing for eight hours left my intellect untapped, as usual; the other girls were sniping and spreading silly gossip. Then the train was late and crowded—I stood up, beside a sweaty man—and my feet are in pain from these darned shoes. I’ll find more pain inside this door, despite that warm light and that plush red chair, but even gravely ill, my James will greet me with a smile. Still, I won’t rush right in; before the evening makes its claims, I’ll stand a moment in this dark doorway to take a few deep breaths and shed the day. Summer Porch It looks so perfect, doesn’t it? My house, my porch, my chair, my book, my dress—but take a closer look. Both house and body have been knit too tightly. In the symmetry of arm and architecture, hard- won compromises strain to guard against collapse. Stability became my prize when I could win no other—faithful husband, child to love—and so I’m reconciled to night air on my desperate skin, to peace like glass. From where I sit perfection’s mostly counterfeit. Night Stories So many lighted windows—I had thought that no one else would still be up. I ought to be asleep myself—I have to work tomorrow—but more mysteries still lurk in that thick book I took to bed, and out my window, also. Curious about those lights, I’ve left my bed to stand here gazing at them—and someone might stare back, appraising my half-dressed self, but even so, I’d rather not close the curtains. I’ll stay here and gather some stories that might rival what I’ve read. The book’s not bad, but I got out of bed to ponder other intrigue, so I guess not good enough. And also, I confess that I’m just nosy; now and then I wonder what keeps my neighbors up, what stress they’re under, what fun they might be having. I invent some possibilities, an incident or two, link people up and down a hall. The brightest window’s partiers might call their next-door neighbour (where the shade’s pulled low) to ask for ice; and she would like to know a little more about the man downstairs, who always nods and smiles at her, and wears expensive suits—but now his window’s dim, his lost job and his scotch absorbing him. Rage lights one window, as a couple fights, vision another, as a poet writes. Jazz riffs float out from someone’s stereo— too loud for this hour—but it’s apropos, a smooth sound for my stories’ noir-ish track. It’s after one a.m.; I should go back to bed, and let the tunes accompany the thriller I’ve been reading—probably improve it. I voraciously consume these lurid potboilers; my narrow room recedes, in one way or another—pale beside the printed fiction or a tale that I’ve made up myself. We both play fast and loose with facts—we both distort the past, revise the present—but reality should make way sometimes for a fantasy. And when at work tomorrow it’s not plot that thickens, only boredom, when I’ve got to finish that report right now!, I’ll grin, a little smug because of where I’ve been: these worlds where right now! means go get the ice! or get the bad guy!, where being precise means life or death or how much scotch to pour, where love or danger lives on the ninth floor. I’ve been to worlds my boss has never seen and followed lives he’ll never know. Routine may occupy the day—I can’t rewrite those lifeless hours—but stories rule the night. Jean L. Kreiling Jean L. Kreiling is the prize-winning author of three poetry collections: Shared History (2022), Arts & Letters & Love (2018), and The Truth in Dissonance (2014). She is an Associate Poetry Editor for Able Muse: A Review of Poetry, Prose & Art and a longtime member of the Powow River Poets; she lives on the coast of Massachusetts. Kisses at the Espresso Bar: Ekphrastic Prose Poems Kelsay Books, 2021 The Ekphrastic Review was delighted to talk to Anita Nahal about her latest book, Kisses at the Espresso Bar: Ekphrastic Prose Poems. Lorette C. Luzajic, The Ekphrastic Review: What moves you to write about a particular artwork? How do you choose the art that you will write about? Anita Nahal: I am drawn to artwork that speaks to me emotionally. One with which I can immediately connect at a deeper cerebral level. Something about it is unique, unusual, not simple, because life is not simple. Therefore, one from which I can derive esoteric or unknown or unimagined meanings. Yet, not abstract art. It could be either hyper realist or surrealist. Those are the kinds of artwork that move me to write. Tell us about what the ekphrastic process is like for you. How long do you spend with an image? Where do you work? Do you write in a single burst, or return to the artwork and your poem continually? Ah…many lovely questions! Well, once I see an artwork that appeals to me, I am desirous of writing down my thoughts and words quickly lest I forget them! However, after the initial outpouring, I marinate over the image and my words and its possible that a whole new set of words might emerge. So, it’s never in a single burst! Also, I like to revise my poems a lot. Long after these are written or even after these are published!! The best time to write for me is very late at night or very early in the morning, either in our study, or sitting near a window looking out or snuggled in bed. However, some of my best poems have come suddenly and sitting in the thick of everything at a coffee shop! When folks come to know that I am an avid yoga practitioner, they ask if I meditate. I suppose meditation is a natural corollary to yoga, or to being from India. In any case, my response is, no, I don’t meditate. At least not in the traditional sense. Sitting at a coffee shop, with music on, with folks talking, in the midst of noise if I can pull myself in and focus on writing poetry (that I end up really loving), that is meditation for me. I also end up writing poems when I am cooking and listening to music at the same time! There’s something delicate, subtle, and indeed valuable to the human body about preparing food to be eaten (especially for others) and jamming alongside to my favourite music helps me to focus on my thoughts and words. Also, something about multitasking gets me going in more than poetic ways. I work best under pressure and doing many tasks at the same time. I’m honoured that you chose several of my own artworks to write to and feature in this book. How or why did my mixed media works inspire you?’ Ah, see, life is an amalgam of mixed elements, people, situations, thoughts and therefore, your eclectic, mixed media works struck a meaningful chord in me. I could see things beyond what was obvious as your artwork is very reflective and insightful. And I could see mixed art elements of varied kinds in your paintings which I found very intriguing. Your art gave me the opportunity to further explore the layers and dimensions of life. Your art also meanders in the realm of surrealism, an art/creative form that I find most captivating. What kind of art are you most interested in, as a writer and in general? I am most interested in two art forms that lie in extremities, the hyper realist, and the surrealist. The seven artists whose creativity is displayed in my book alongside my poems, including yourself, display a range of art from hyper realism to surrealism. In hyper realist art I find reality staring at us in its basic raw form and in the surrealist, I can imagine that which is not there in reality. Mind you as a weaver of words, both in hyper realist and surrealist art, I can conjure up or dream or wish for anything. Generally, in life as well, I am most interested in these two art forms, hyper realist, and surrealist. Realist art has many critics who find the very fact that it's realist as not art. However, I believe realism assists humans in remaining grounded in normalcy, which is critical for day-to-day survival, physically and emotionally, not to forget, professionally and financially. Andrei Tarkovsky said it eloquently when he explained that “Art is realistic when it strives to express an ethical ideal. Realism is striving for truth, and truth is always beautiful. Here the aesthetic coincides with the ethical.” And then, surrealist art stands as its alter ego by tempting humans to escape into other worlds and realities that the human mind is not aware of or capable of accepting. It can be dark, scary, and unattainable. It can also be very beautiful, calming, and reachable. It depends upon who is viewing whom or what. Says, Frida Kahlo, “Surrealism is the magical surprise of finding a lion in a wardrobe, where you were 'sure' of finding shirts.” Your poems widely reference a range of cultures and cultural influences, from art to religion to popular culture, from many backgrounds, making each poem almost a kind of collage. Tell us about your curiosities other than visual art, and how they inform your writing. Thank you for saying so! I am very glad you got that from my poetry! I was raised with an acute awareness and recognition of the precious benefits we can secure from diversity and inclusion. So, when I write, my mind and thoughts go to different societies, geographical locations, popular culture and historical sites or artifacts to find connections and symbolism which I then employ in my poetry. I also chose and seek on purpose, to find examples from varied cultures so that my poetry reflects the inclusive notions in which I inherently believe. Sometimes I research and find those nuggets of cultural symbolism, in other cases my memory helps me in recalling something. How does your Indian American heritage inform your poetry and your aesthetics as a writer and a woman interested in the visual arts? You know it’s very special that some of us get to travel to different places from early on in life and keep travelling in our adult years as well. Our parents took my sister and I with them wherever they could. Influenced by that pattern of upbringing it was but natural that I too started taking my son abroad or elsewhere within the country from his young age. Being an immigrant who believed in integrating the best of both worlds, I tried my very best to learn from both the dominant cultures in my life—Indian and American. Just travelling, and being an immigrant changes a person significantly and impacts the way we think and do. On top of that I am a writer and a woman and a single mom. All those myriad layers of my identity have shaped me, which I’ve attempted to share in my poetry as well. My hope is that someone reading my poetry will find themselves in its lines and nuances. Therefore, my poetry is written, I think, in a way that can be universal. I write with the intent to share my Indian, American, female, single mother experiences surrounded in a gamut of universal experiences governing or molding and influencing humanity. At least that’s my hope. How does this collection of poetry differ from your previous books? What does it share with them? So, thematically, all my four poetry books published between 1988-2022 somehow or the other bring out the injustices, myriad “isms”, double standards, duplicity, conceit, ego, and other similar tendencies that are inherent human traits. Structurally, this collection is entirely composed of poems inspired by art in some form, be it mixed media, sculptures, paintings, graphite pencil drawings, quilt work and so forth. Also, all the poems in this book are prose poems like those in my third book, What’s wrong with us Kali women? (2021) and to some extent in my second book, Hey, Spilt milk is spilt, nothing else (2018). The second (Hey…) and my first book Initiations published 34 years back find similarity in the sense that some of the poems in both are short and free verse. This book, Kisses at the espresso bar, and my second book, (Hey...) share another characteristic. I converted pictures in to pencil line drawings for each poem in the Hey… book. And of course, the last book, Kisses… is entirely ekphrastic. I am a visual learner and have always been interested in depicting my poetry. What’s next for Anita? A long break lol! I feel a sense of inertia and have not felt like writing poetry for over a year now. I have written just a handful when some folks have persisted that I write for journals they edit or anthologies they edit. I feel I have poured out my emotions sufficiently on several themes related to injustice. I don’t see humans changing or societies improving. So, as a writer I feel a sense of malaise at my inability to change the world. Also, perhaps because I am a creative person and I am very sensitive, I observe the jealousies and extreme negative competitiveness among writers and that saddens me and prevents me from writing these days. Though of course even if I can positively impact one person, I am happy with that since it could lead to a domino effect, I hope. I recently completed the 16th revision of my first novel. I have been sending it out to agents and publishers. Already, I’ve had double digit rejections which is okay, it’s a normal process of writing and sharing. If it doesn’t get accepted, I will probably write another novel, some magic related or surrealist kind of novel. Let’s see where those thoughts take me. ** Scroll down to read selections from Anita's book. Visit Anita online to learn more about her and her work. Selections This poem also appeared at YapanChitra. This poem also appeared in Kaleidoscope Anthology. This poem also appeared at Cathexis Northwest Press.
The Wrestlers Intimacy hovers, poised at the point of a knife: the artist's decision, skilful incision, will shape the outcome of this skirmish. When a scuffle breaks out among boys who knows where it will end. No easy brush strokes; each cut made with purpose. Each thrust of the knife a new thrust in their struggle. Each twist of the torso a deep violation, a mute exhortation, a tentative knowing. Interwoven, interlocking, grasping and gasping, panting and rasping, poised on the cusp of success, almost basking, then a plunging, sudden lunging, interlinking, almost sinking. Blood runs deep. It's thicker than water. They grapple and tussle, inextricable tangle, convolution of limbs, a contortion, a wrangle. Caught up with each other in search of a brother. Julia Duke This poem was first published at London Grip New Poetry. It was also published in Conversations, (Dempsey & Windle, 2021.). Julia Duke is a writer of poetry and creative non-fiction, inspired by the landscape and people of England, Wales and the Netherlands where she has made her home(s). She is a lover of nature and of artworks, of quirky ideas and connections of all kinds. Ekphrasis gives her the opportunity she needs to express her love of both art and storytelling. Her first poetry pamphlet Conversations was published in September 2021 by Dempsey & Windle. It takes a look at our successes and failures in the search for intimacy, including a number of ekphrastic poems to explore the theme. Keep Going A leader speaks as if the soul to hearts that fear would else cajole into retreat that has no end and leaves no sovereign fence to mend where tyranny has overrun the liberty that once undone will hence forever be repressed where land long owned is dispossessed and broken will becomes despair that faith no longer seems to bear so haunted by the echoes heard of despots to whom they've deferred and those who stayed the course and fell... ...for those who stopped to rest in Hell. Portly Bard This poem is from Thinking Inside the Box: the Undrawn Art of Poet's Heart, a collaboration between Portly and Lorette, featuring more than 100 sonnets inspired by the collage art of Lorette C. Luzajic. Click here to get a full colour paperback or hardcover on Amazon, or use the button below to get a digital copy. Your purchase supports this journal, thank you. If you would like a free digital copy instead, send a request to theekphrasticreview @ gmail. com and we will send you a complimentary copy. Our desire is that anyone interested in this collection will be able to read it. Portly Bard: Old man. Ekphrastic fan. Prefers to craft with sole intent of verse becoming complement... ...and by such homage being lent... ideally also compliment. Thinking Inside the Box- the Undrawn Art of Poet's Heart
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Thinking Inside the Box- the Undrawn Art of Poet's Heart is a collaboration of words by Portly Bard inspired by the 12x12" signature square artworks of Lorette C. Luzajic. It is a full colour file featuring the art, the poetry, as well as a dialogue between Portly Bard and Lorette on ekphrasis, writing, and looking at art. Avatar I can’t believe my eyes. On my computer screen is a well appointed virtual sales room with stylish furniture highlighting a painting, designed to show me how well it would underscore the elegance of my home. The painting is Avatar, by Henry Lintott, painted in 1916. Four angelic figures bear upward the body of a soldier struck down in the Great War. It is said that the painting brought great peace to British poet and infantryman Wilfred Owens who came to visit it often in 1918 during his recuperation from battle shock in Craiglockhart hospital nearby. This was just before he was declared healed, and sent back to the front. Owen was killed in the trenches, one week before Armistice was declared. I think of Marines, dying in the Vietnamese mud, dying before me on my own evacuation flight, dying later in the VA hospitals, and sometimes later still, dying at home by their own hand. Kendall Johnson Armistice Day “Do you believe in ghosts?” The child looks at me for truth. I can speak to the fears, but not to the question, for I know some ghosts too well. I see them emerge from behind parked cars. Whole families follow me from tunnels of Vinh Moc. They call to me at night from free-fire zones, stranded on jungled beaches, from faces I never saw. Their shadows reach for me from stretchers and drip bags, and piles of too-late bandages. Prescribed rituals and beliefs, incense burnings and magic spells: all hollow songs against darkness Kendall Johnson These poems first appeared in Wordpeace. Kendall Johnson served with the US Navy in Vietnam. He is a painter, and author of Fireflies Against Darkness (Arroyo Seco Press, 2021), Black Box Poetics (Bamboo Dart Press, 2020), and Chaos & Ash (Pelekinesis, 2019). His catalogued collection of desert paintings and cherita poems Melting Into Air (Sasse Museum of Art) is forthcoming. The Best Microfiction series was founded by Meg Pokrass and Gary Fincke, with the first anthology in 2019. The anthologies celebrate the smallest stories and the literary journals that publish them. Publications can nominate six stories per year, and the editors and judges choose what they believe to be the best of the genre.
A big congratulations to our Best Microfiction nominees! ** Spiccato, by Mikki Aronoff https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/spiccato-by-mikki-aronoff ** Horacio At My Door Again, by David Belcher https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/horacio-at-my-door-again-by-david-belcher ** The Year I Went Without Doing Battle, by Mark DeCarteret https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/luristan-bronze-ekphrastic-responses ** Or How Could We Ever Be Able to Resist Such Likeness? by Hedy Habra https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/two-prose-poems-after-juanita-guccione-by-hedy-habra ** Foal Filly Mare, by Bayveen O’Connell https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/olexandr-murashko-ekphrastic-writing-responses ** Ranko, by Fran Turner https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/ranko-by-fran-turner This week, readers will enjoy digging into the archives to enjoy a feast of art, language, feelings, imagination, and new experiences. With these writings, we are never alone. ** My Last Can of Tomato Soup, by Gayle Moran When is a can of tomato soup more than a household object? When it’s the subject of this poem, every line takes you deeper. https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/my-last-can-of-tomato-soup-by-gayle-moran ** All that is Buried, by Sarah Sassoon I love the line: “So we become cracked earth/racked with reasoning” https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/all-that-is-buried-by-sarah-sassoon ** Montevidean Morning, by Laura Chalar I didn’t want this poem and the feeling of sunlight to end: “light will stutter/into the room, pockmark the wall/with promises.” https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/montevidean-morning-by-laura-chalar ** Unknown, Circa 1910, by Elaine Wilburt Studying the details of this photograph and reading what it inspired really appealed to me, like uncovering a secret or putting together pieces of a puzzle. https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/unknown-circa-1910-by-elaine-wilburt ** The Rondanini Pietà, by Thomas Holahan “His first was so ‘perfect’ so ‘done.’ This so/naked in its faults” https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/the-rondanini-pieta-by-thomas-holahan ** An Ancient Fantasy, by Anna Evas A wonderfully imagined poem. “Purple iris bend to listen.” https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/an-ancient-fantasy-by-anna-evas ** Tama River in Musashi Province by Martin Willitts Jr I love the peaceful perspective of this poem. https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/tama-river-in-musashi-province-by-martin-willitts-jr ** shapes of blue, by McKenna Themm Inspired by The Scream by Edvard Munch, every stanza made me say, yes, this right here. “But the way vodka sauce paints the canvas/of every kitchen I’ve ever danced in” https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/shapes-of-blue-by-mckenna-themm There are more than seven years worth of writing at The Ekphrastic Review. With daily or more posts of poetry, fiction, and prose for most of that history, we have a wealth of talent to show off. We encourage readers to explore our archives by month and year in the sidebar. Click on a random selection and read through our history.
Our occasional Throwback Thursday feature highlights writing from our past, chosen on purpose or chosen randomly. We are grateful that Marjorie Robertson shares favourites on a regular basis. With her help, you'll get the chance to discover past contributors, work you missed, or responses to older ekphrastic challenges. Would you like to be a guest editor for a Throwback Thursday? Pick 10 or so favourite or random posts from the archives of The Ekphrastic Review. Use the format you see above: title, name of author, a sentence or two about your choice, or a pull quote line from the poem and story, and the link. Include a bio and if you wish, a note to readers about the Review, your relationship to the journal, ekphrastic writing in general, or any other relevant subject. Put THROWBACK THURSDAYS in the subject line and send to theekphrasticreview@gmail.com. Let's have some fun with this- along with your picks, send a vintage photo of yourself! We are Making a New World "This way, candidates, get your virtual space passports and vaccination records ready. This way to board the shuttle. First stop is the moon base where you'll be allocated your prospecting plot, then onto New Gaia, the fully terraformed, upgraded earth 2.0 style planetoid." "We've thought of everything. Its orbital position has been engineered so that it has all the very best of 'original Earth' planetary conditions but without any of that old school pollution, drought and pestilence. With our gene-editing technology you don't have to worry about aging or the D-word, which has been completely eliminated. Join the rest of the elite new generation of ex-earthers already making a success of mining and exploiting New Gaia's unlimited opportunities." The young pair Blaize and Cassian looked at each other as the tannoy looped back to the start of the spiel. All of that had been in the brochures that marketed the pioneer programme. They'd signed up together, which was unusual. Couples weren't really encouraged, as there was no need for procreation and Artificial Intelligence bots met most companionship needs. Restorative medicine meant no-one got ill. There were no deaths, hence no need for births. These two however brought unique and complementary skills and the selection board saw there was potential in that. They exhibited physical strength and high IQ in a kind of yin-and-yang arrangement but were somehow stronger together. Each met minimum criteria for both attributes and those particular bars were set high. Blaize excelled as the brawn, if that was an appropriate term for someone certified with genius level intelligence, but Cassian's academic achievements easily eclipsed Blaize by an order of magnitude. They waited their turn at the upload point, where for the millionth time it seemed their credentials would be checked again. Retina scans, rudimentary DNA analysis and validation of academic achievements one more time. The New World Corporation had learned the hard way that unscrupulous individuals who failed to meet their criteria could bribe their way aboard even at this late stage in the early days of extra-earth colonisation, so now they didn't take any chances. Cassian sighed – alongside their cool-headed rationality they had an artistic sensibility. As they stood with Blaize looking out over the panoramic view from the spaceport upload deck they took in the blasted trees, the smoggy, murky skies. It was hard to feel sorry to be leaving the man-made destruction and desolation behind, but Cassian felt a pang of homesickness, more for their romantic idea of 'original Earth' than this mutilated reality. Blaize, noticing this small hesitation, gave Cassian a small pat on the shoulder. This managed to convey more than words ever could. They both knew on an intellectual level that the planet was in terminal decline. There was no real choice, either stay in an ever more fragile subterranean existence or join this endeavour and go off-world. "Chin up!" Blaize finally said. "Remember, we are making a new world. We won't make the same mistakes again. New Gaia, here we come!" Emily Tee Emily spent her working life making numbers sing and dance. These days as well as writing poetry or flash fiction she volunteers with a heritage organisation. This allows her to spend time with historical artefacts and she meets a lot of interesting visitors. Emily is a relatively new writer and has appreciated the encouragement of having work selected in several Ekphrastic Review Challenges and has pieces published in print elsewhere. She lives in England. The Pushcart Prize is an annual anthology celebrating small press literary excellence, founded in 1976 by luminaries including Anais Nin, Joyce Carol Oates, Bill Henderson and Ralph Ellison. It is an exciting annual ritual for small press print and online literary journals to nominate six works. The Pushcart team then selects from our nominations. The anthology is distributed by W. W. Norton and Co.
Congratulations to The Ekphrastic Review's nominees for the 2023 Pushcart Prize. ** At the Museo Nacional, by George Franklin https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/at-the-museo-nacional-by-george-franklin ** Wakizashi, by Linda McQuarrie-Bowerman https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/luristan-bronze-ekphrastic-responses ** Pampushky Dreams (five monokus), by Anita Nahal https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/olexandr-murashko-ekphrastic-writing-responses ** The Deer, by Lynn Pattison https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/the-deer-by-lynn-pattison ** Credo, by Christine Stewart-Nuñez https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/credo-by-christine-stewart-nunez ** Shared Roots, by Alarie Tennille https://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-challenges/jo-zider-ekphrastic-challenge-responses |
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