May 29, 2020

From The Magic Theatre: Social Distance

Poems Inspired by the Pandemic

Isolation
…late at night, I sneak out
In my dreams, drawn toward a gleaming field of green.

Compassion
…In the distance, down the hill, cherry blossoms billow like snow.




From The Magic Theatre Poets Meetup Group
lines by Anne Pellicciotto, Founder of SeeChange
and photo by Jan Claire

May 26, 2020

Poetry on the Web: Lunar Poetry Podcasts

Lunar Poetry Podcasts 

Lunar Poetry Podcasts is a site founded by poet, David Turner in South East London — “proudly working class.”
A Poem a Week

“The producers of Lunar Poetry Podcasts bring you a poem a week, taking you back to the simple joy of having a poem read to you… [and] provide a mixture of new poems, old favorites, current LPP features, and guest poets reading their own work.”


The Writing Process

“A series of discussions, interviews and live recordings with poets from the UK and abroad… [examining] the writing process.”




Quotations from David Turner
and photo by Francesco Alberti on Unsplash

May 21, 2020

Figures in Poetry: Ophelia

Figures in Poetry: Shakespeare's Ophelia

Her lifespan was a drop of quicksilver.

                             ~ by Alan Britt
                               from "Myth of the Baker’s Daughter"



Karen Elson on Millais' Ophelia
"Karen Elson compares her own experience of modelling with that of Pre-Raphaelite muse Elizabeth Siddal, Millais' long-suffering model for Ophelia."




Lines quoted in "The Poet and the Poem" Audio Podcasts
and video from Tate youtube channel

May 18, 2020

Of the Future

Taxonomy of History

…There are three even less reputable branches of History:
The History of the Future
The History of What Might Have Happened
The History of What Never Happened

…young weeds that sprout from drenched soil and spew outlaw
seeds





Lines by Ethan Goffman from The Music of the Aztecs
and photo by Jan Claire

May 15, 2020

Poetry Reading, John MacDonald

John MacDonald reads from "Small Gods"…
The Music of the Aztecs by PonyOneDog Press




Video by Ethan Goffman from The Music of the Aztecs Launch Party 
at the Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland

May 14, 2020

A Day to Fill

Tapachulteca

…Morning came, a day to fill with
Mayan majesty in ruins. Playing hunches,
We boarded the second bus, and setting out
Passed the birds in parti-colored plumage…


Who cared for time and timeless architecture,

Just one word, my darling…





Lines by Reid Baron from The Music of the Aztecs
and painting by artist Carolyn Taylor

May 6, 2020

Poetry Experiment

The Veil Between Worlds

From the Introduction to the Poetry Anthology, The Music of the Aztecs
"This book can change your life. This is a book of poetry and poems can do that. If reading a poem can leave you in a state of heightened mindfulness, it can also increase your understanding of yourself. A poem can even further your personal growth. A good poem can contribute to spiritual development…

Poems exist in a Jungian matrix…

Each person has… keys to interpretation, and one of the values of poetry—perhaps it’s greatest—is that by its mere existence we are forced to look to our own keys, whether or not we ever apply them. A key to interpretation is like a gate to the unconscious… 
Keep in mind the techniques for understanding poetry as you browse through this book, then go back and read it again. Ours is a world on a tightrope, strung between other worlds. Poems are written on the veil between worlds, and where they are, the veil is a little thinner."
                                              ~ David B. Churchill




Photo by Jan Claire 
and writing by David B. Churchill, Editor of The Music of the Aztecs from PonyOneDog Press


In the Beginning

Poet You constellate the myths, O royal oracle of archetypes. Photo and poem by Jan Claire

PonyOneDog