hope

Arc and Hue

admin — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:01:00 +0000

It is deeply satisfying to encounter poetry like Tara Betts’. The widely published poet, author, and Rutgers University creative writing professor bears witness to the true grit of life, including poverty and appearance-based assumptions and experiences that categorize one as other, even among an already marginalized population. These experiences, and the enduring human spirit, are what give color and shape to each life, and it is this thematic material that Betts portrays in her debut collection, Arc & Hue.

Rich in vivid images and musicality, this collection is an authentic portal into the very pulse of life. With the use of repetitive forms like sestina and canzone and the smooth lyrical flow of her free verse, Betts’ poems are imbued with hope, strength, and beauty amid trauma, violence, and the isolation of otherness.

From the weight of death and violence to the vibrancy of moments both ordinary and momentous (lynching, hair care, Hurricane Katrina, lovemaking, pestilence in the slums), each poem is consistently resonant and haunting. Betts can be humorous and playful with form, yet still communicate something substantial, as she demonstrates in “A Survey on Enjoying Verse” and “Neruda’s Email to Slam Poets.” The anxiety and desire of an urban pulse throbs in the strong, sensual language of “Block Party Speculation” and the grief of domestic violence and miscarriage are washed with the power of loving someone new when the narrator stands in the shower with both loss and renewal in “When I First Listened to Billie.”

Arc & Hue crossing my path further fuels my hope that one can indeed maintain awareness of and connection to the world beyond ourselves through the work of poets and artists. A visit to the writer’s blog clued me in to her extensive publishing history—from erotica to live theater to an upcoming young adult novel and a second collection of poetry. Betts is also active in literacy and girls’ empowerment projects, and she has performed her work around the world.

Written by: Matsya Siosal, March 27th 2010

Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration

admin — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:24:00 +0000

By Elizabeth Alexander

Graywolf Press

Elizabeth Alexander’s Praise Song for the Day: A Poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration captures the essence of hope. Alexander unites all readers through illustrations of day-to-day activities. She begins “Each day we go about our business/Walking past each other, catching each other’s/Eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.” This opening stanza illuminates the monotony of daily activities by breathing new life into them. She gives hope life, which President Obama is all about.

Alexander continues her poetic ability by portraying the essence of American hard work: “Someone is stitching up a hem, darning/A hole in a uniform, patching a tire/Repairing the things in need of repair.” She manages to connect all of us through her words and even reiterates this point in her poem when she writes, “We encounter each other in words, words/Spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed/Words to consider, reconsider.”

Her diction invokes rich rhythm and strengthens the impact of each phrase. This is most clear in phrases like “in today’s sharp sparkle,” “brick by brick the glittering edifices,” and “a farmer considers the changing sky.”

The poem is elegantly printed on rich cream paper and features a textured dark blue cover. Gray Wolf was a little too generous with the spacing extending this fifteen-stanza, forty-three-line poem over ten pages. Despite this, the book as a whole captures the hope of January 20, 2009, in printed form—a form that can be passed on for generations.

Written by: Michelle Tooker, May 21st 2009

Bare Hands and Wooden Limbs: Healing, Recovery and Reconciliation in Cambodia

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:18:00 +0000

Directed by Alison McMahan

The documentary is a shocking, consciousness-raising and eyes-opening movie. It is the true story of people living in post-war Cambodia, who try to re-build their country after years of dictatorship and fear. It is shows how they prepare the land to build new houses, how they clean the ground from millions of landmines and, finally, how they managed to make both ends meet. The viewer sees how the people learn new professions to survive and earn the living – some learn how to deal with livestock, some learn how to plough and others make tools. There might not be anything amazing about this if it was not for this particular little town – Veal Thom.

Veal Thom is a town created completely by landmines survivors, who lost their legs, hands or eyes while “meeting” planted landmines on their way to the shop, work or just taking a casual walk. The film is filled with interviews with the citizens of Veal Thom, who tell the stories of their lives and why they decided to join the amputees’ community. Most often reasons for it are lack of discrimination, feeling of unity, support and the fact of not being looked down on or treated as deformed, weird creatures unable to lead independent life. Moreover, people living in the town fought on different sides during the war and what is important now they are able to live next to each other, sharing and learning from one another.

Everyone should see this film for it is touching, beautiful form, and it teaches us how to overcome prejudices, weakness and that it is crucial to believe in oneself. Equality, understanding and cooperation can do miracles and create something amazing, regardless of the circumstances.

Written by: Monika Grzywnowicz, March 31st 2007