Inspired by...

This week, feeling inspired by:

Tom Hart’s gorgeous book for his daughter, Rosalie. Read (or order) Chapters 1 and 2 here. Be prepared to be moved. Intensely.

This poem, “Lost in the Forest,” by Amy Gerstler. We discussed it in one of my classes this week. The question came up--is this Red Riding Hood or Gretel? Or some magical combination?

This list of named galaxies, courtesy of Wikipedia (Sombrero Galaxy, anyone?).

This poem, “History of the House Where You Were Born,” by Patricia Lockwood.

Sharon Olds! I saw her read last night at CCAD...it was a beautiful reading (I loved her pieces from Stag’s Leap, especially “What Left” and “Known to Be Left”). She utterly charmed the audience. When she asked the audience for questions, one woman asked a lovely thing....she asked Olds about the endings of her poems, and said that “the endings of her poems hurt [her] heart.” What a sweet and sincere compliment! In response, Olds started with, “You warm my heart.” Talking about poetry can clear away all the small talk, if we let it.



What's inspiring you this week?

Inspired by...

Currently inspired by...

Kjell Varvin’s most recent installations. I’ve been following his work for a long time, and have written about it on the The Storialist (here, back in March of 2010--weird that it was over two years ago!). Here's an interesting interview with him, too.

"The Joy of Burning Down the House," by Ben Schrank (on FSG’s Work in Progress). I love the questions that Schrank asks of writers here: “Why does no one writer want to admit that the process of writing, while often terribly trying, can also be bliss? Are writers trying to keep this secret to themselves?” I completely agree with him--it’s a painful pleasure/pleasurable pain. And it is FUN. We (writers/artists) need to accept accountability for our work and decisions...

Kishi Bashi. Read more on him and his music in my Musical Interlude at Spoonful.

This video on Michael Wolff on living with curiosity and attentiveness. Love this.


The semester is finished, and I’m almost done with grades. I am so looking forward to doing some good "research" (reading, writing, exploring of ideas, finally catching up on blogs) over break! What's inspiring you these days?

This Week, Feeling Inspired by...

The Matt & Kim concert in Columbus (on Wednesday night). Their energy and joyfulness is incredible and completely contagious. In the best way possible, there was a distinctly Sesame Street/singalong feel to their performance (see my blurry photo at the right--yup, those are balloons that they passed out to the audience!). I was reminded of singing songs in kindergarten, when my teacher would point at the students, encouraging us to sing along with her even more loudly, whether or not it sounded good. They also worked bits of hip hop songs into their show, dancing wildly. It amazed me how they managed to be both performers and fans onstage--maybe that’s why the audience responds so exuberantly to Matt and Kim. They honor the power and fun of being a devoted fan by blurring the line between performer and audience. (How would this work at a poetry reading? Could it? Not with the same volume, but somehow....)

This bumper sticker, spotted while driving to work one morning: “Trees are the answer.”  Sound familiar?

This article, “Diamonds Unearthed,” from Smithsonian.com.

This video by Paul Octavious (I love his photography, too). I’ve been thinking lately that one of the most essential qualities that artists can have is attentiveness. This video is a beautiful example of how being present can lead to inspiration.


Ghana In Fog from Paul Octavious on Vimeo.