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In this week's episode, we have poems by Debra Kang Dean and Jonathan Weinert. One of Debra's poems, "Andrew's Room" is based on a series of paintings by Timothy Harney. This is one of the paintings. You can see more of his work here and watch a video of Harney discussing his paintings here.

Stick around for the after party, in which Amy Watkins interviews an esteemed guest, her seven-year-old art critic daughter Alice Copeland.
 


Comments

Amy

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 01:02:00

In the after party, I asked Alice why she was drawn to a sculpture of a woman with butterfly wings. Her response is classic: with a barely supressed "duh," she says, "Because she's a girl with wings. That's awesome!"

What draws you to a particular work of art? Or a particular poem for that matter?

 

Mistie Watkins

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:06:18

I love the honest, gut response Alice gave. I think it's important to talk about art, and I think it can be beneficial to understand more of the complexities, but at the end of the day isn't that gut reaction the most important part to have?

 

Alex

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 05:23:59

I think what I react to the most are poems that are telling me a story. Not necessarily a narrative poem or a short story that has meter and rhyme but a well crafted poem that conveys a story through the tricks and deceptions that poets use to draw images in my brain without telling me what they are doing. Does that make sense?

 

Teneice

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:19:49

Just lovely. Thanks for sharing, Debra and Jonathan.

 

Jae

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:41:20

Two poet's poets. Thx DKD and JW.

 

Erin W

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 05:23:52

I am usually drawn to art that speaks to some sort of experience I have had in my own life. For example the line in the poem "Felipe" by Debra Kang Dean about an Argentinean accent.

Great interview with Ms. Copeland! Girls with wings are awesome.

 

Amy

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:42:37

I loved that poem, partly for the Argentinian accent. :)

 

Therese L. Broderick

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:16:56

It is great to encounter both Spalding poets Debra and Jonathan! I enjoyed hearing Jonathan's voice again, and I encourage anyone who hasn't yet heard Debra's voice to track her down: her reading voice is striking. Thanks for featuring Debra's tender ekphrastic poem as well as an unusually longish poem by Jonathan.

 

Amy

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 13:48:56

I second all of Therese's comments. I wish we could have worked out the technical difficulties to have Debra read her own poems--she is a beautiful reader. Maybe we can talk her in to reading someone else's some time?

 

Debra Kang Dean

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:30:58

Amy, you are a beautiful reader!

But I certainly would be happy to read someone else's poem some time--maybe one of yours or Jae's?

By the way, as an islander in the Midwest listening to "The Mermaid in the Cornfield," I felt that old lump in the throat rise.

Thanks for the fine work you are doing, as full of good cheer as a rubber duck!

 



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