Black Tongue's New Issue

I have been a fan of S.Marie Clay's Black Tongue Review since I first ran across it. Pairing artwork with poetry, this journal stretches the interpretations of both pieces of the equation.

The new issue went live this week, with poems by Rae Armantrout and Nin Andrews, paired with the artwork of Lara Zankoul and Sophie Lécuyer / Farid Rasulov (respectively). Other featured poets include Maureen Seaton, Molly Bendall, Jane Wong, Kim Kyung Ju, Brittany Tomaselli, and more.

Artists whose work particularly captured my imagination include Omid Asadi (seriously, check this out--he cuts tiny designs out of actual leaves), Ashwini Bhat (a favorite of my husband's), Stephanie Inagaki, Polly Morgan, and Travis Bedelgeuse.

And I couldn't be more thrilled to have my poem "A Metronome is the Opposite of Wind" paired with the vibrant and intricate paperwork of Yulia Brodskaya. Here's a little bit about Yulia:

"Yulia Brodskaya is a highly regarded paper artist and illustrator with a long list of international clients. She uses two simple materials--paper and glue, and a simple technique that involves the placement of carefully cut and bent strips of paper--to make lush, vibrant, three-dimensional paper artworks." See more of Yulia's work and learn about her here.

Advent, by Rae Armantrout

Advent                  Rae Armantrout           from Poetry Magazine, June 2009 issue

In front of the craft shop,

a small nativity,

mother, baby, sheep

made of white

and blue balloons.

                  *

Sky

           god

                      girl.

Pick out the one

that doesn’t belong.

                  *

Some thing

close to nothing

                               flat

from which,

fatherless,

everything has come.

 

 

*******************************

 

Merry Christmas to all!

Armantrout on PBS

Rae Armantrout was recently featured on PBS's NewsHour Poetry Series, with an interview and a reading you can stream at this link. One of the more intriguing things she says is that what an artist brings to society is the urge to not compartmentalize, but to bring disparate elements together. She cites this as a function of metaphor, among other things. She also discusses self-censorship and her tendency not to keep the personal out of her poetry, despite the fact that many readers perceive language poetry as impersonal.

Enjoy!