Three Readings from Paging Columbus: Ruth Awad, Joseph Bates, and Adam Clay

Do you know Ruth Awad's poetry? I was lucky to have her read as part of Paging Columbus in February--her work is just stunning.


 Here's Joseph Bates reading from his excellent collection of short fiction, Tomorrowland.



And last, please enjoy Adam Clay's reading. His book of poems, A Hotel Lobby at the Edge of the World, is so worth reading!

"The Shortest Night," by Yusef Komunyakaa

from "A Forest Tale," by Gabriel Isak

The Shortest Night
Yusef Komunyakaa

I went into the forest searching
for fire inside pleading wood,
but I can’t say for how long
I was moored between worlds.
I heard a magpie’s rumination,
but I don’t know if its wings
lifted the moon or let it drift
slow as a little straw boat
set ablaze on a winding river.
I learned the yellow-eyed wolf
is a dog & a man. A small boy
with a star pinned to his sleeve
was hiding among thorn bushes,
or it was how the restless dark
wounded the pale linden tree
outside a Warsaw apartment.
Night crawls under each stone
quick as a cry held in the throat.
All I remember is my left hand
was holding your right breast
when I forced my eyes shut.
Then I could hear something
in the room, magnanimous
but small, half outside & half
inside, no more than a song—
an insomniac’s one prophecy
pressed against the curtains,
forcing the ferns to bloom.

[Image above by Gabriel Isak]

Poem via Poetry, (September 2010).

***

When I read Yusef Komunyakaa's poem, I'm reminded of how mysterious and beautiful poems are. The weary, half-asleep speaker throws lovely and scary images our way--not being able to fall asleep indeed traps us "between worlds." This ending is one of those perfect moments...the insomniac's vision "forc[es] the ferns to bloom." This is a poem of inside and outside, and of a crossing between those boundaries. I hope to carry this poem's music with me today.

 

Bookmarks Links/Bedside Table

"Dusk," by Danna Ray

Currently reading and enjoying:

-The Hourglass Museum by Kelli Russell Agodon (more on this later).

-“Operation Unicorn: Field Report,” an awesomely weird poem by Minal Hajratwala in Granta.

-This article, “Lip-Syncing to the Academic Conversation,” by Sarah Kendzior in Vitae. Kendzior raises some excellent questions about the ethics of placing scholarship behind a paywall.

-The new issue of Split Lip Magazine (edited by Kristina Marie Darling)! I’m so pleased to have five poems in this issue, too.

-The Velveteen Rabbi’s free downloadable Passover Haggadah (a great resource).


Whatcha reading, friends?

[Image above by Danna Ray]

Green Bird

"Intimacy," 2013, by Monia Merlo

Green Bird

Do you perceive the things
happening to you as magic
as an unfolding of truth that
you prod forward A grocery cart
that gathers today’s inventory
this gelato this sequence of words
this pattern of light on the street
as you break it If so you can feel
the buds in their cocoons wiggling
their toes There is no Big Fate
you head toward It is not like
that More like in front of you
croquet hoops An array of them
materializing one by one Mouseholes
to shimmy through And trailing
behind you a tunnel of staples
leading back to your crib To your
green bird your favorite floating
above you in your mobile

       [Image above by Monia Merlo]

Idiosyncratic Routine: Three Process Videos

Idiosyncratic Routine. This is the title of that feminist comic in Chasing Amy, and I’ve always loved the phrase.

I want to apply it to artists. You may know that I’m a little obsessed with process and process videos. I’m hooked on videos that show how artists do what they do, and especially love it if they comment on their work.

Here are three I’ve been loving and thinking about lately.

1.“Meghan Willis: Stitched Fervour,” Tsurubride as seen by Aaron Tsuru

This one showcases the work of embroidery artist Meghan Willis (ask Tsurbride) as she prepares for a show in Columbus. The video is made by her husband, Aaron, who is a talented photographer/filmmaker himself. We get to see her as she selects one of Aaron’s photos, chooses colors and fabric, and paints and embroiders a specific piece. I love Meghan and Aaron (both as artists, and people); it’s so great to see an artist from the perspective of someone so close to her. 

    

meghan willis: stitched fervour - tsurubride as seen by aaron tsuru from tsurufoto. on Vimeo.

2. Process—the painting of “Plastic,” by Robin Eley

The most straightforward video of the bunch, this is nonetheless mesmerizing in Robin Eley’s detail and care. The painting moves from something unrecognizable to something breathtakingly gorgeous. OH, that final product!!!

Process- the painting of "Plastic" from Robin Eley on Vimeo.

3.  “Mark Wagner: Money is Material” by The Avant/Garde Diaries

“For a collage artist, destruction is the first necessary step.” We first hear Mark Wagner’s voice about a minute into the piece, and he drops that enticing phrase into our laps. The directors have made an exquisite short video on this artist—we see a lovely balance of material, process, commentary, and finished product. (Sidenote: I wrote this poem inspired by Wagner’s work back in January).

 

Mark Wagner - Money is Material from The Avant/Garde Diaries on Vimeo.