d. ellis phelps's Blog, page 12
June 19, 2020
“A Kind of Reverence” by d. ellis phelps
Thanks to editor, James Adair, of Voices de la Luna, the premier San Antonio literary arts magazine, for choosing my poem, “a kind of reverence,” for publication in the May 2020 issue. I am honored to be among the region’s finest voices here. Please do consider subscribing to the rag. It’s an endangered treasure.
Here you can peruse snippets from past issues to help you decide to contribute. & here is my poem for your consideration:
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Something important happened to me when I submitted this piece for the food issue. Even though I had the experience I recount here years before, now, having my current sensibilities, and now having not only written it in my own hand-writing inside my private journal pages, but having published it here and in Voices, I find I can no longer eat beef. Further, I am having trouble eating any animal foods with the exception of fish.
See? This is how art changes the world. Does being a pescatarian make me a better person? No. But being true to my honest urges for good whether anyone else thinks it’s good or not, does.
Think about it.
Namaste,
d
June 16, 2020
Guest Artist Sherry Shahan
Watching the World
Since I am a woman who is not well-traveled, I must glean my understanding of women from other lands, other cultures from reading, from movies, & from images like the ones I share here today by guest-artist/photographer, Sherry Shahan. Of her work, Ms. Shahan writes:
I’ve traveled extensively as a travel writer and photographer, often watching the world and its people from behind; whether in the hub of London, a backstreet in Havana, or alone from a window in a squat hotel room in Paris; whether with a 35 mm camera or an iPhone. Other times I get up close and personal with people in their neighborhoods and homes.
[image error]Women Work, Sollier, Spain by Sherry Shahan (c) All Rights Reserved.
Sheltering in place, time stretched while I reorganized 32 archival binders, holding an aggregate of 10,000 slide negatives. The images date back to 1982, a horseback safari into Kenya’s Maasailand that produced my first published photos. Later press trips: hiking a leech-infested rain forest in Australia, riding inside a dogsled during the famed 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska, snorkeling with penguins in the Galapagos.
My photographs have appeared in scores of national and international publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Backpacker, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor and more. Photo-illustrated books for young readers include Dashing Through the Snow: The Story of the Jr. Iditarod, The Sunflower Family, and Feeding Time at the Zoo.
One thing to which these photographs point is that we women, from every country, work. Maybe we sweep or carry water. Maybe we care for children or corporations. Maybe we write or invent or practice medicine or law. But we all work. & all work is good work.
One thing to which these images point is the preciousness of water.
I have water at my fingertips. It is unconscionable to me that many peoples of the world do not.
When I want to cook, I fill a pot with water from the kitchen sink. When I want to water my garden, I pull out the long, red hose and water away. Running a hot bath at the end of the day is a distinct pleasure and one of the tools in my tool-kit for letting go. Every time I turn on the faucet to run a bath, I give thanks that I do not have to carry water. I give thanks for the readily-available abundant supply of water I enjoy and for the conveniences of my privileged life.
In case you want to be part of a solution and help bring fresh water to lacking communities, here is one organization doing good work to make that happen: Charity: water.
So far, I am able to do my own household cleaning, but many times, I have hired help. The day is coming soon when I will need help again. When I bend down onto my creaky knees and try to reach the greasy crevices of my bathtub, I groan in pain. When someone else is willing to do this for me, I am overjoyed.
Maybe you are doing your own housework, too. Maybe though, you are doing a different kind of cleaning: working as a small, independent business owner, cleaning up corporate greed; working as a politician cleaning up the justice system; working as a minister, cleaning up social prejudice; working as a an environmental activist, cleaning up the planet; working as a corporate executive, cleaning up inequitable hiring practices.
However you are cleaning up, keep it up. The work is endless.
[image error]Women Share, Paris, France by Sherry Shahan (c) All Rights Reserved)
Face to Face/Heart to Heart
The content that most affects me today, though, is the women sharing, face to face, heart to heart. I miss this, so much right now: being in the presence of other women, holding a healing space for each other and for the world. Letting it all out. Shoring each other up.
Women friends have held me together, pushed me onward, supported my work as an artist, my work as a woman claiming my own space in my marriage, in the world. Not counselors, though there have been a few of those. Not ministers, though there have been many of those. Not life-coaches or self-help books, though my shelves are full of those.
It has been women. My friends & my spiritual practice have seen me through the conundrums of living. Two women. Face to face. Heart to heart.
Thanks for Ms. Shahan for the presence of your work in the world here today & for giving us so much to consider.
Ms. Shahan holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and taught a creative writing course for UCLA Extension for 10 years. Vist more of Ms. Shahan’s work here.
Donate
If you are enjoying what you find here, please consider giving a gift of gratitude: share with your reader friends, leave a comment below, or donate. Every gift counts!
Namaste,
d
$3.00
image credit: “sing” by Kathleen Tyler Conklin via Creative Commons. Some rights reserved.
June 5, 2020
Seaside Experimental Theatre
[image error]Seaside Experimental Theatre ii by Taylor Gwin
Precariously Posed
These seaside performers navigate the ultimate improvisation: keeping balance. They are, precariously posed, like all human life, like all of us, especially now. They reach & hold. Breathe and wait. Watch for cues. Listen. Move.
& all of this on the jagged rocks of existence in the company of the impetuous sea, wave after wave coming: a never-ending challenge.
& every move they make, reflected by the face of the water, our essence, the witness, the mirror.
The human body, the community of human life, our body of water perched on the earth, on its body, on it’s body of water…
How we sustain each other in a delicate balance. How careful and sure-footed we must be.
Taylor Gwin is an artist local to Springfield, Oregon. She has been a photographer for over ten years but also spends time doing pottery and fiber arts. She was born and raised in the Midwest and recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest to focus on spending more time outdoors and to continue developing her art practice.
We welcome Taylor’s work to formidableWoman & express our deep gratitude for her contribution of these images. How well she captures fragility, effort, and care.
Thank you, Taylor!
If you enjoy what you are finding on these pages, please leave us a note and a gift of appreciation here.
Namaste,
d
June 2, 2020
Call & New Work by Courington, Nagel & Stromberg
buzzing, spinning, sky
Family love, eternal love, love of nature, the existence of love, the mystery of love, space, recollection, tenderness, letting go, remembering, all, all of these echo throughout the tender beginnings of the newest edition of fws: the Renga issue.
I am delighted with how this experimental-lit project is evolving, taking on a life of its own:
…warm wood underfoot/ an old sad song/ roofs and rain falling… how it feels to love someone so much… writes Corey Ruzicano in her lines from what words there weren’t. & in response, Sandi Stromberg writes:
...how it feels to love him so much
his laughter a knock-knock world
of words there are never
enough
when love is a verb...
& Chella Courington adds:
...the father
tall & tan
in drawstring trunks
watches...
evoking for all of us, our own fathers watching, guarding, protecting.
Finally (for now), we read m. f. nagel turning her metaphysical eye to the universe, asking us to "see" [the truth in the stars]:
In the morning
When the stars gather to sing
Look to the sky
And see...
Read, Respond, Write, Share: writing challenge
In case you are just finding this, we are writing a Renga, a form of collaborative, conversation between poets on a theme. Read more about the call for submissions and the Renga form here. But basically, it is a form of call and response poetry with each poet responding to what has been previously written & it’s super fun!
As soon as I select pieces, I publish them so that new would-be contributors can see what’s evolving and respond. In other words, there is no waiting until the deadline.
The time to write and submit is now! Please do & share with your writerly readers!
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& in just in case you want to read what’s already written as of now, right now, here you go!
Namaste,
d
May 24, 2020
#call for poetry: “Renga” lines
It seems readers and writers who have submitted to the evolving fws Renga Issue may have misunderstood how the Renga form works, since they are saying things like, “I’ll submit closer to the dealine.” And since I am ready and happily anticipating reading your submissions sooner than later, here is my attempt to clarify the current call for submissions.
It is Conversation
The nature of the Renga is that of a conversation in which one poet starts the poem and others add to it, in this case, echoing theme and even lines or phrases from previously written lines. It is an evolving, living, dialogue between poets, each responding to and enlarging what has been written, perhaps even making left turns in context and tone along the way.
Traditionally, the form is somewhat different than what we are attempting to do here. Here are a few simple definitions:
Renga: a form of Japanese poetry with linked verses in which one poet writes lines in a poem and then hands it off to the next.
Short Renga: one poet writes the first three lines (triplet) then hands it off to the next who writes a response in two lines (couplet).
Renga Chain: a “sequence of short Rengas composed by two or more authors. The first triplet sets the subject; the succeeding couplet and all ensuing triplets and couplets amplify, gloss, or comment upon the first triplet.
~Lewis Turco, The Book of Forms
Fws’s version is closest to the “Renga Chain,” though contributors are not limited to triplet or couplet lines and may contribute as many lines as seem appropriate but within about 5-10 or so lines.
What is Experimental-Lit?
Well. It’s an experiment! Something I dreamed up. I’ve taught classes in and collaborated in the writing of the Renga and frankly, am fascinated with the form. Following prompts is a super-fun exercise for writers. I love to do it & in this case, the already published poems/lines in the seed poems serve as prompts for the next lines. There is no limit to the directions this piece could take.
Today, to give you an example of what might happen, I’ve written and added a few lines to the evolving work. It now becomes one of the aforementioned “seed poems” and part of the Renga we are writing together. You can read my lines here. But b sure to read the couple of seed poems before my lines so you get the feeling for where my lines have originated.
In case you need more examples, check out Crossing State Lines, An American Renga (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011), written by fifty-four U.S. poets who contributed to the same poem. Wow! It’s really powerful. Here are a few lines by Edward Hirsch to whet your appetite:
The trees lined up along the roads
that veined out in different directions
sometimes divided sometimes united
The fall air bordered on winter
How many state lines did we cross
as we drove across a side country
sometimes divided sometime united
Every state is a state of mind
Every love is a drive
toward a more perfect union
And the next lines by Cleopatra Mathis begin:
And in Vermont--up a twisting hill
the Barrel Man's sign: twenty-five-foot
collage of barrels hooked and joined...
[image error]Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash
Now is the time…
Please do not wait until the “soft deadline” to submit. This. Is. Ongoing. fws will publish your selected work as soon as we read it and love it!
Now is the time. Read the seed poems. Respond. Write. Submit. Help us make this happen with your worthy words!
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Namaste,
d
May 1, 2020
#kids #art #poems & #gratitude
Every afternoon for three-plus weeks my six-year-old grandson from California has called me in Texas via Face Time. He’s out of school, homeschooling under the shelter-in-place order with his two-year old brother and his two attorney parents who are also working-from-home.
Mom, a stalwart, intelligent, fierce, loving mother, created a school corner in the kitchen: pencil cup, clock on the wall, calendar, bulletin board, and of course a daily schedule. I’m on the schedule at 2P EST as “Art!” He calls and we play together.
Meet the paper-peeps (above), all made from re-purposed paper and boxes I’ve found around the house and in my studio: (front L-R) Bug, Funky Monkey & Bob; (back L-R) Russell, Jet-pack, Darla, & Butterfly Man. This burgeoning community of peeps have cousins and friends made by my art-playmate in San Diego.
When he calls, he always has his peeps lined up and ready to play. We invent plays. We read stories, riddles and poems to each other from the books we have on hand. His favorite: 5000 Awesome Facts About Everything. My favorite is from a collection given to me by my parents when I was a child: The Family Treasury of Children’s Stories (Doubleday), especially Book One, a book of rhymes, riddles, poems, and stories. That is, as you can see here, well loved.
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Riddles, too! We love riddles. After I read all of the ones in the Family Treasury Book One, we wanted more so I bought a kindle copy of 101 What Am I Riddles, Vol 2. I love it!
We spend an hour to an hour and a half together-apart daily, even most Saturdays, often engaging in inquiry such as: Why is a jaguar called a jaguar? This led us to Native American naming practices. How does a baby tiger get its stripes? This led us to a discussion of DNA, Deoxyribonucleic Acid, a very long word G-son declined to pronounce and it led us to this fun folktale, How the Tiger Got His Stripes:
Now, we are working on writing his first book of poetry: A Book of Poems (working title, forthcoming as a desktop publication). I give the prompts and act as scribe, he dictates the text. So far we’ve written two: an If Poem and a Point of View poem.
Here are the poem prompts for you:
If Poems
Read this poem by Nikki Giovanni:
if you plant grain
you get fields of flour
if you plant seeds
you get grass…
i planted once
and a robin red breast flew
in my window
but a tom cat wouldn’t let it
stay
“If Poems” by Dellview Elementary School, San Antonio third graders with Ms. D
if you run if you crush a brick
you might sweat you get pebbles
if you run away if you crush an egg
your mama will come find you you get scrambled eggs
i ran away once i got crushed once
but i got lost when my boyfriend broke my heart
Try to write your own “if” poem. It should have three parts that are all connected. Two of the lines should start with "if," and it should have a surprise ending. Write it like Nikki Giovanni, without a title, capital letters, or punctuation.
Point of View Poems: using a voice that is not your own
Think of an animal. Don’t tell us what animal you are thinking about. Now try to think like you are that animal. Write what you would say. Here are some questions and an example poem to get you started.
What do you do?
What sound do you make?
What do you look like?
Where do you live?
What do you know?
Example poem by e. ellis phelps:
eight legs like thin wire cling
silently to the silk i’ve spun
swinging under the eve
waiting for prey.
i know how to catch a mosquito
do you know who i am?
Bliss. That’s the only word for it, well, beside FUN! & gratitude. Extreme gratitude for the technology that makes it all possible, for the time, albeit unfortunately come-by.
In some small way, I hope this post brings you joy and amusing occupation. If you try making paper-peeps or writing poems from these prompts, and you should care to do so, please share them here, in the comment section below. I’d love to see what happens!
May All Beings know healing. May All Beings know hope. May All Beings know peace. May All Beings know Love. May All Beings be relieved from suffering. And so It Is.
[image error]“Rock Maze” by Ashley Batz on Unsplash
Namste,
d
April 25, 2020
new MSSP title: purifying wind
Tada!
I am very pleased to announce the publication of the first anthology of poetry from Moon Shadow Sanctuary Press: purifying wind.
First, I’d like to profusely thank photographer Esther van Overbeek of The Netherlands for her contribution of the cover image. I think it’s stunningly perfect!
Thank you, Esther!
The collection represents forty-three poets from six coutries, many of whom are prize winners and pushcart nominees: Terry Arata-Maiers, Marilyn Baszczynski, Rohn Bayes, Chris Billings, William Blackburn, Anne Bower, Kate Bremer, Wendy Carlisle, Sudhanshu, Chopra, Sean Corrado, Chella Courington, Charles Darnell, Rae Diamond, Linda Ferguson, Frank William Finney, Stuart Gunter, Jean Hackett, Stephanie Harper, Gloria Heffernan, Maria Illich, Liz Jacoby, Patrick Kurth, Alex Leavens, Dotty Le Mieux, Don Mathis, Laurence Musgrove, James B. Nicola, Robert Okaji, Jason O’Toole, Carol Price, Brian Rihlmann, Jean Ryan, Jennier Schomburg Kanke, Linda Simone, Kelly Talbot, Loretta Diane Walker, Akeith Walters, Judith Youngers, Lori Bonati, Stephen Lewandowski, Jim LaVilla Havelin, Sandi Stromberg, and Jaya Stenquist.
The words of this talented group of writers speak of the ordinary as sacred, of death as rebirth, of the wonder and magic of the natural world and of the deeply personal ways in which each engages what is.
Look for forthcoming posts with excerpts and commentary on the palpable prosetry within its pages, but for now, here is Jennifer Schomberg Kanke reading her contribution, In Corn Rows Hidden:
April 17, 2020
new poem up on fws by Donna Faulkner nee Miller
[image error]Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
& the renga has begun!
Check out the new addition and the writing challenge!
April 14, 2020
#poetry call for submissions/challenge!
The Renga Challenge!
Read the “seed” poems in the new fws: journal of literature & art Issue No. 1, Vol. 2, Spring 2020.
Consider the theme: love/tenderness/caring/& hope.
Write lines &/or a whole poem in response to or as a continuation of the last poem(s) published there, preferably using lines from the previous poem(s).
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challenge a poet you know or poets within your social media circles to do the same. Keep track of what’s happening by following this blog or by visiting our FaceBook page!
This will be fun!
Namaste,
d
April 9, 2020
my #poetry LIVE Easter Sunday
I’ll be reading a ten minute segment LIVE on FB this Sunday at 11AM CST. This, at the invitation of a local spiritual community, Celebration Circle, as part of their regular Sunday gatherings, will feature music, words of wisdom, poetry, meditation and fun.
Also, everyday at 5PM, directors Zet Baer and Rudi Harst offer uplifting, LIVE broadcasts: meditation/music/musings to support and encourage and connect us to Sacred Ground. You will find humor, love and community here.
Here’s the link. I hope you can join us.
Blessings of peace and hope to you and yours.
Namste,
d
