Poetic License, Zoom Reading August 7

The Poetry Barn of West Hurley & the Arts Society of Kingston have collaborated in creating an exhibit, with readings, of poetry & visual art which is on display at the ASK Galleries, 97 Broadway, Kingston, NY until August 29. A virtual opening was held August 7 & began with a brief overview by Brent Felkner, ASK's Executive Director, of the August Spotlight Exhibition Dennis Connors: A Retrospective, an artist & active member of ASK who passed away in 2019. This was followed by a reading of 14 poets, with online viewing of the visual art their poems inspired from the Poetic License show. Another reading, this one live, in-person, by different poets & artists will be held on August 28 at The Poetry Barn with digital displays of the visual art, I will be one of the readers at that event

The poems were selected by co-curators Lissa Kiernan & Tina Barry; artist/members of ASK picked out poems to inspire them to create a piece, or, in some cases, pieces of visual art in a variety of media. I was honored to have one of my poems, “Writing Crows,” selected for the exhibit & was thrilled to see the visual response by SL Rika, "The Crow Flies." The art work & the poems are on display now at the ASK galleries until August 29, & I am certainly planning on a trip to see it in person. But in the meantime I & you can view Poetic License, & hear recordings of the poets, including me, reading their poems & view the art at the ASK website 

The poems are short, like vignettes, or, indeed, brief pictures, & the art inspired by these poems are in a variety of styles, mostly very colorful, many representational, but not always an “illustration” but certainly ekphrastic — one art form inspired by a work, or works, in another art form. & if you are moved by any of the pieces you can purchase the art at the ASK website.