Poetry

Poetry is a true challenge for me as a writer, and each small foothold I gain leaves me with a sense of real triumph. What’s been most helpful for me as a poet has been experiencing as many different styles and forms as possible and learning as much as I can from other poets.

In that vein, I have completed several workshops on the ekphrastic form with poet Christine Stewart, in conjunction with the Baltimore Museum of Art. As a result, a poem of mine, “Strange Fruit: How To Sing A Name We Cannot Know,” is featured in the museum’s new audio tour, which launched in January 2009. If you’re in the area, go up to the contemporary wing, and find Alison Saar’s sculpture titled “Strange Fruit”. Hit 339 on your audio tour device to hear scholars talk about the sculpture and hear the Billie Holiday tune, and then hit 3390 to hear me talk a little about my inspiration, see my picture, and hear my voice reading the poem itself. I’m incredibly proud to be featured in such an innovative and fantastic program.

My next adventure in public poetry came in the spring of 2011, when I had a poem accepted in Alimentum’s annual serving of menu poems. I had a lot of fun working on this poem, inspired by my years of waiting tables, and the fourth line is one of my favorites that I’ve written.

In February of 2012, I had two poems published in the light ekphrastic, one I had submitted and another written in response to a painting by the artist I was paired with for the project. This was a new approach to ekphrastic work for me, and I’m very pleased with my two pieces, as well as the painting inspired by my “Chant for Cooks”.

Related articles

• It’s Ek-freakin-phrastic! (wewhoareabouttodie.com)