The Summer of Editing Ends with the Butterfly and Edgar Allan Poet

My poetry had to take second place to my music history passions. I finally agreed to edit the second version of William Smialek's Chopin - A Research and Information Guide, first published by Routledge in 1999 and by now the fourth most popular book on Chopin in the world. The trouble is that Chopin research has grown exponentially since that time, so it is crucial to keep it up to date. This is why for the last two months, I wrote nothing but book records, with ISBNs,  ML signatures, page numbers, contents, and descriptions for over 1000 books and articles about Chopin. Fun! This explains my long absence from this page.

POETS ON SITE PRESENT SUSAN DOBAY'S MADAME BUTTERFLY PROJECT

I had fun with poetry, too. The anthology-in-progress by Poets on Site dedicated to Susan Dobay's Madame Butterfly project has resulted in a wonderful event last week. Japanese poet Mariko Kitakubo graced the halls with the poetry in Japanese and English. Other poets read their work published in a chapbook "Madame Butterfly" edited by indefatigable Kathabela Wilson.

The Scenic Drive Gallery in Monrovia was the site of this artistic feast on September 13, 2014, and it was not only decorated with the amazing art of Susan Dobay, inspired by Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly, but also allowed us to watch her Visual Interpretations of Music, inspired by Butterfly.

You can watch it here (if it works), if not go to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IHDZsLzdpA




The artwork was previously on display in a solo show by Dobay at the Shumei Center in Pasadena, but the airy interior of the gallery with its white walls and diagonal shafts of sunlight served it very well, indeed. Our group included Rick Wilson who accompanied the poets on Japanese shakuhachi and Kathabela Wilson with Mariko Kitakubo played Japanese percussion. It was a truly inspired and inspiring reading.  A great chain of inspiration: story - music - opera - artwork - visual interpretation of the art - poetry - performance...

AN ART-INSPIRED ANTHOLOGY, EDGAR ALLAN POET NO. 2

As if one amazing poetry event was not enough, I got a notice from Editor Apryl Skiles that she finished the work on the online free version of the second Edgar Allan Poet Anthology. I'm honored to have a poem about two paintings by Vincent Van Gogh in this astounding volume ("The Alchemist Tree in Winter"). You will love it even more, as you will be turning the pages of this amazing treat!

http://edgarallanpoet.com/Edgar_Allan_Poet_2.html

And here's the Editor's Introduction and the List of Poets.  What a great artistic community!

INTRODUCTION

Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, literary critic, storyteller, and poet who left this realm October 07, 1849. Since his tragic and mysterious demise this literary recluse has become an iconic historical figure. Is this because his writing was so remarkable or because the idea of Poe and what he presented to readers is that of intrigue and mystery, or a touch of both?

Many readers may say that his storytelling far exceeds the merit of his poetry. Those who are widely familiar with his work would consider that a fair argument. Those less familiar with his extensive collection of work may “Quoth the Raven, Nevermore…”, but then there are poems such as “Alone”, written with such timbre and cadence they become a songful hypnotic.

Literature has evolved with its readers, and poetry in particular has swayed from traditional meter, and rhyme, towards a more contemporary free-verse or prose to a great degree. However, the world seems to be gravitating toward a new era, an era of poetic renaissance.

It is the intention of the Editor to carry on the celebration of literature, and art as a whole. Poetry exists in all creative mediums, it is the atom of all art. It is the very foundation of inspiration, whether derived from words, images, or music. Once this realization is presented in any form, all things are possible.

The literature and art contained within this collective are chosen to present to the reader a wide array of voices and visions based on the themes of music, art, and philosophy. Sincere appreciation is extended to Colleen McLaughlin for the beautiful painting “Cello, my Love”, which truly pulls together these themes with the very emotive expression of the muse and the bold, melodic color palette.

In addition, this collection includes poetry, prose, short fiction, and artwork by artists, and writers from all edges of the world. While this collection as a whole is one created in heart-fire, it would not be complete without sincere gratitude to the following individuals: Alexis Fancher, Angel Uriel Perales,Barbara H. Moore, Danny Baker, David Imapoet McIntire, E. L. Elazar Larry Freifeld, Hank Beukema, JR Phillips, Lois Michal Unger Freifeld, Marie Lecrivain, Martin Willitts Jr., Rick Stepp-Bolling, Chicory Poetry, and never lastly, Will Crawford.

Please visit www.EdgarAllanPoet.com for more on these and other prolific contemporaries.

Alexis Fancher
adrian ernesto C E P E D A
angela consolo M A N K I E W I C Z
angel uriel P E R A L E S
anne T A M M E L
annette marie H Y D E R
april michelle B R A T T E N
b.j. B U C K L E Y
barbara h. M O O R E
bryan S T O R Y
carl S C H A R W A T H
carolyn Z I E L
catfish M C D A R I S
cindy W E I N S T E I N
colleen M C L A U G H L I N
cristina U M P F E N B A C H - S M Y T H
daniel n. F L A N A G A N
danny B A K E R
david f. M A R S E E
david M C I N T I R E
debbie L E E
diane D E H L E R
e.l. F R E I F E L D
eli S P I VAK O V S K Y
emily F E R N A N D E Z
faith M I N G U S
felix A L V A R E Z
francesca C A S T A Ñ O
gabor g. G Y U K I C S
gordon H I L G E R S
heidi D E N K E R S
hélène C A R D O N A
j.r. P H I L L I P S
j.t. W I L L I A M S
jan S T E C K E L
janet S N E L L
jesse M I N K E R T
jonathan T A Y L O R
joseph S A L E
judith S K I L L M A N
kevin m. H I B S H M A N
leanne H U N T
leila a. F O R T I E R
lois michal U N G E R
lynn B R O N S T E I N
maja T R O C H I M C Z Y K
marian W E B B
marie L E C R I V A I N
melissa S T U D D A R D
micheál Ó C O I N N
michael wayne H O L L A N D
michael F O L D E S
raquel R E Y E S – L O P E Z
rich F O L L E T T
rick S T E P P – B O L L I N G
rizwan saeed A H M E D
scott c. K A E S T N E R
steven H A R T M A N
susan m. B O T I C H
terrence S Y K E S
thomas K E N T
tomás Ó C Á R T H A I G H
tom P E S C A T O R E
tony M A G I S T R A L E
william C R A W F O R D

Poets on Site at the Colonnade Gallery in Pasadena

Tim Callahan reads, Mira Mataric, Maja Trochimczyk and Hans Zima listen, Colonnade Gallery, Pasadena, March 2, 2013.

On March 2, 2013, Poets on Site and artists gathered at the Colonnade Art Gallery in Pasadena (2421 E. Colorado Blvd.Pasadena, CA 91107), for the Opening Reception and Poetry Reading for this month's exhibition, featuring, among others, artists Kathabela Wilson, Debby Prohias, Galen Young, Robert Stewart, Ron Pettie (gallery owner), and Hans Zima.

Poets on Site included, in person, Tim Callahan, Taura Scott, Bryan Story, Mira Mataric, Pat McClelland, Debbie Kolodji, Robert Stewart and Kathabela Wilson, as well as off-site poets who sent their work from around the world: Billy Howell-Sinnard, Joan Stern, Sheila Windsor, Veronika Zora Novak, John Daleiden, Pauline Dutton, Vivian Lee, Gary Blankenship, Chris Dominiczak, Josie Hibbing, Willie Bongky, Erika Wilk, Brian Zimmer, Michele Harvey, Dalton Perry, Richard Dutton, Tomislav Maretic, Gerry Jacobson, Pat Geyer, and Jonathan Vos Post. The readings were accompanied by Rick Wilson on Native-American flutes from his astounding flute collection.

I selected three pieces to write about: a photo collage of Yosemite Falls and Cactus Flower by Debby Prohias, a Camellia by Galen Young, and a Death Valley photo by Hans Zima. Debby was so delighted with having a poem written about her piece, that she gave me a camellia! It decorated my lapel in some pictures taken right next to her artwork.

Debby Prohias listens to "Flower Falls" by Maja Trochimczyk

Flower Falls

by Maja Trochimczyk

If stars grew on rocks

And hills flowed with
Liquid light and honey

Would we still doubt
The life force asleep
Inside black basalt stone

Dancing in crisp verdant air
With a sycamore leaf, falling
To awaken in the roots

Of the roots beneath
The earth's surface, filling 
Our veins with sunlight

Yosemite Falls and Cactus Flower by Debby Prohias

She then commented about my poem, Flower Falls, being “such a beautiful way of expressing the feeling of being present in Yosemite and the discovery of a flower that came to open in our backyard.” The flower was that of an elusive night-blooming cereus, a nocturnal miracle, rarely seen, and made even more magical by Debby’s photo collage. The camellia blossom proved to be quite useful in the second poem I read, since the Camellia by Galen Young was not on display. While the camelia I got was pink, my poem may be illustrated with a picture of a white camellia, that I took at Descanso Gardens this spring.

White Camellia by Maja Trochimczyk

Asleep

by Maja Trochimczyk

in the corona

of white petals

gold treasure

waits for its fruit

dark green leaves

color the air, drop

onto the sidewalk

tired of sunlight

the smoothness

of petals shelters

a dream always

blooming within

I followed my reading of this slow, misty and sensuous poem with one filled with joyful exuberance. The contrast between Rick Dutton's work and mine, and the shifting mood of the readings perfectly illustrated the essence of Poets on Site work: creative encounters of different poets with the same artwork and the richness of inspiration that the arts may provide.

Nonetheless, I was not happy with the way my other poem for Hans Zima’s photograph did not quite fit the image I saw live. I had written it to a photograph posted online: the desert looked empty and sad, with muted colors waiting for rain and life to awaken. But the rocks of the original photo in the gallery were an explosion of energy and color, under an intense turquoise-sapphire sky. This is why it is so important to go to exhibitions and see the artwork “live” – in its original form. What’s online “blah” in real life is “aha!” (The same rule is applicable to live concerts, especially with acoustic instruments).

Dissatisfied, I wrote another poem for Mr. Zima right then and there, to another photo from Death Valley. It showed a broad panorama of red sands leading into distant, dark blue mountains, shrouded with mist. The intense hues of this unusual landscape resonated with a feeling of timelessness that, coupled with the Death Valley name, resulted in a spiritual inspiration. Hans was very happy with the poem and commented: “I was amazed how you could create such a beautiful work of art in just a few minutes.” I answered that it “wrote itself” and I just transcribed it. It is a good poem for the awakening of the spring and the Easter season.

Death Valley Sunset by Hans Zima

Death Valley Sunset

~ inspired by a landscape photo by Hans Zima

now it ends

we've come to the edge

the last bush, the last drop of water

it's over....

the red sands wait, immobile

sinking into crimson

darkness

whale bones of white rocks

poke through 

it's over...

it's time for the dark to claim us

exhausted

on the arid, salty plain

we'll walk and walk

for forty days, to the other edge

of Death Valley

we will cross shadows, enter 

misty mountains, sparkling streams

and sunrise

hidden, alluring, they call to us:

"come, come along,

do not fear"

we will reach beyond  

rest in the lapis-lazuli expanse

of new-born sky

© 2013 by Maja Trochimczyk

Debbie Kolodji, Rick Wilson, Kathabela Wilson and Maja Trochimczyk at
the Opening Night at the Colonnade Gallery in Pasadena.

______________________________________________

The Colonnade Gallery Opening Night was one in a series of recent Poets on Site poetry events that included also a wonderful reading for Susan Dobay's Impressions of China at the Altadena Public Library on February 9, 2013 (where I read poems written to Dobay's images of a bride and three old women).

Another poem  of mine written to that series of Chinese travel impressions was published in the Quill and Parchment poetry journal (March issue). It welcomed spring in a light-hearted mood, with "A Skipping Lesson." The poem is accompanied by the image by Susan Dobay that inspired  my work and by four tanka by Poets on Site: Kathabela Wilson, Erika Wilk, Pauline Dutton and Huang Yiwei. 

Sharon Hawley, Joan Stern, Susan Dobay, Rick Dutton, Rick Wilson, Taura Scott,  Bryan Story, Kathabela Wilson, Just Kibbe, Pauli Dutton, Erika Wilk and Maja Trochimczyk at the opening of Impressions of China by Susan Dobay, Altadena Public Gallery, February 2013.

Finally, Poets on Site and friends met at a Poets' Cafe Listening Party at Kathabela and Rick's Salon in Pasadena on February 21, 2013. The reading there featured Kathabela Wilson, Susan Rogers, Neil McCarthy, myself and Mira Mataric - five poets featured by Lois P. Jones at Poets Cafe. Our interviews are now found on Tim Green's website.

Maja Trochimczyk with Kathabela Wilson, reading "The Music Box" at the Poets Cafe Listening Party, February 2013.

I read my "Music Box" (with a music box) that was specifically requested by the host of the Radio Program whom we could hear, during the KPFK fundraising drive, while collecting funds to help poetry on air "live long and prosper."

Mira Mataric, Kathabela Wilson, Susan Rogers and Maja Trochimczyk,
Poets Cafe Listening Party at the Wilson's Salon.

And if that was not enough, my article on Polish Folk Dance movement in America and its paradoxical inspiration by a Stalinist genre has appeared in the Cosmopolitan Review, a journal dedicated to Polish culture in English. This article resulted from a book I published in 2007 on Polish Dance in Southern California; another, fully annotated version of the article appeared in the Polish American Studies (available on JStor.
________________________

The camellia photo (c) 2013 by Maja Trochimczyk, other photos courtesy of Kathabela Wilson.

Poetry Audio Tour of the Pacific Asia Museum

When you are tired and have a headache - write a poem. When you are happy you do not know what to do with yourself - write another poem. When you look at a beautiful piece of art - write a poem again. Then, burn the first poem, hide the second, and record the third...

This is how we - over 30 California poets - have created the amazing new Audio Tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena.

This Poets on Site Project was created under the guidance of the Museum's Education Director, Amelia Chapman, and thanks to the good graces of the indefatigable poets and artists, Kathabela and Rick Wilson - who organized, coordinated, and recorded the entire set. The poets have completed describing over 50 artworks from various Asian countries that are currently presented at the Museum. Their voices are accompanied by Rick Wilson who plays some of his amazing flutes from around the world. The instruments are named after each poem on the recordings.

All the poetry stops are now uploaded by the museum and can be heard on the phone from anywhere! How to listen? First dial 626-628-9690 then the number and the number sign, #.



The exhibition and the audio tour stops are divided into several categories, as follows:

The Art of Daily Life
• Tibetan Rug - Nora DeMuth, Sharon Hawley 404#
• Tibetan Table - Kath Abela Wilson, Monica Lee Copland 405#
• Rhini Horn Cup - Kath Abela Wilson Pauli Dutton 406#
• Thai Bowl - Constance Griesmer 407#
• Thai Bottle Vase - Constance Griesmer 408#
• Vietnam Charger with Myna Birds - Constance Griesmer, Pauli Dutton 409#
• Bilim (Bilum) Bag - Taoli-Ambika Talwar, Erika Wilk, Mira Mataric 410#
• Ink Box and Stand - Taura Scott, Kath Abela Wilson, Pauli Dutton 411#
• Horseshoe Chair (China) - Pauli Dutton, Alice Pero 412#


The Beauty of Nature
• Eagle in a Snowstorm - Sharon Hawley, Chris Wesley, M. Kei (read by Just Kibbe) 415#
• Persimmon and Pine Trees by a Stream - Christine Jordan, Erika Wilk, Deborah P Kolodji 416#
• Plum Blossoms in the Moonlight - Nora De Muth, Janis Lukstien, Kath Abela Wilson 417#
• Mt. Fuji in Clear Weather - Kath Abela Wilson, Nora DeMuth, Liz Goetz 418#
• Landscape after Snowfall - Ashley Baldon 419#
• Ducks and Lotus - Christine Jordan, Ashley Baldon, Deborah P Kolodji 420#
• Monkey Performing the Sanbaso Dance - Mira Mataric, Just Kibbe 421#
• Origins of Life (Korea) - Janis Lukstein, Sharon Hawley, Taoli-Ambika Talwar 422#


Wisdom and Longevity
• Yam Mask (New Guinea) - Cindy Rinne 426#
• Incense Burner - Nora DeMuth 427#
• Fukurojin - Nora DeMuth 428#
• Shou (Longevity) - Richard Dutton, Ashley Baldon, Joan Stern 429#
• Canoe Prow (New Guinea) - Cindy Rinne 430#


Religion and Faith
• Bodhisattva in Yab-yum Embrace - Genie Nakano 435#
• Vishnu and Garuda - Ashley Baldon, Christine Jordan 436#
• Daoist Priest Robe - Nora DeMuth, Pauli Dutton 437#
• Buddhist Five-point Crown - Genie Nakano, Mira Mataric 438#
• The Goddesses Durga and Kali Fighting the Demon Hordes - Pauli Dutton 439#
• Kensui (waste water bowl) - Peggy Casto, Kah Abela Wilson 440#
• Le Genie San Noms. Corée - Mel Weisburd, Monica Lee Copland, Joan Stern 441#
• Bodhisattva (Tibet) - Sharon Rizk, Nancy Ellis Taylor 442#
• Yamantaka Mandala - James Won 443#
• Bodhisattva (China) - Susan Rogers 444#
• Buddha (Pakistan) - Maja Trochimczyk 445#
• Seated Buddha (Korea) - Susan Rogers 446#
• Lohan and Attendant - Radomir Vojtech Luza 447#
• Goblins and Ghosts - Liz Goetz 448#


Status and Adornment
• Courtesan Reading a Letter - Deborah P. Kolodji, Monica Lee Copland 450#
• Kogo (Incense Box) - Sharon Hawley 451#
• Netsuke: Mask of Danjuro - Mel Weisburd 452#
• Netsuke: Pomander - Mari Werner 453#
• Netsuke: Horse - Joan Stern, Mari Werner 454#
• Gau (Protective Amulet) - Maja Trochimczyk 455#
• Female Figure - Mel Weisburd, Beverly M. Collins 456#
• Prince (India) - Kath Abela Wilson, Genie Nakano 457#
• Charger (Celadon) - Alice Pero 458#
• Charger (Qilin) - Mel Weisburd 459#
• Marriage Bowl - Rick Wilson 460#
• Earrings with Crab Motif - Susan Rogers, Nancy Ellis Taylor 461#
• Pair of Sleevebands - Erika Wilk 462#
• Pair of Bound-Foot Shoe - Chris Wesley, Taura Scott, Nora DeMuths 463#
• Ji-fu (Man’s Semi-formal Court Robe) - Maja Trochimczyk, Mari Werner 464#
• Head Ornament (New Guinea) - Cindy Rinne 465#



___________________________

I wrote three poems for this exhibition and like the most "A Box of Peaches" (no. 455#), but its "thanksgiving" theme makes it more suitable to the month of November. Of the other two, "An Embroidery Lesson" focuses on an ornately decorated courtier's robe, called Ji-Fu. The same robe has also inspired Mari Werner to write about embroidery. Here is my poem.

An Embroidery Lesson

Tonight we’ll count the clouds
The blue splendor of courtier’s robes
Awaits them

We’ll take a long silk thread
And wrap it with a filament of gold
Until it shines like ocean sunrise

We’ll catch the bright flames of the fire
Of red-eyed dragons that prance
And snarl on the hem

Their talons stretch towards a mandala
Resting above cobalt swirls
Of midnight rain

This, an unspoken secret
The serpent eats its tail
The end is the beginning

Look, it moves across the sky
Chasing a flock of gold-rimmed clouds
Let’s count them



___________________________

Rick Wilson improvised on the following flutes from his personal collection:

Japan: A shakuhachi was used to accompany poems about Japanese
objects. The instrument is a little over 21 inches long and made of thick, heavy bamboo. It is held vertically and sounded by directing the breath towards an straight edge carved out of one open end. The instrument is very expressive.

China: On the recordings of poems about Chinese objects, a xiao was played. This instrument is held vertically and has a notch carved in one end. It is made of bamboo; it is lighter than the shakuhachi, but longer. It has a mellow sound.

Korea: A Korean danso was played for the poems about Korean
objects. This instrument is a notched end-blown flute like the xiao but is smaller and higher pitched.

India: The bansuri is a bamboo flute played transversely (horizontally) in India and nearby regions. A large bansuri of the type played in Northern India was used to accompany poems on objects from this nation. The instrument is mellow sounding and is played legato with frequent portamento.

Tibet: A small transverse flute made in Nepal, a type of bansuri, was used for poems on Tibetan objects.

Vietnam: A small transverse cane flute purchased in Hanoi, a sao truc, was played for poems on pieces from Vietnam.

Indonesia: A suling, a traditional flute from Bali, was played on the recording of poems from Indonesia. This flute is a an example of a duct
flute, which produces sound like a recorder or whistle.

Thailand: A wide-bore recorder was used as a substitute for the Thai khlui,a duct flute, on the recording of a poem about a bowl from Thailand.

New Guinea: Flutes are not common in Papua New Guinea, and a bamboo mouth harp made in the Philippines is played, in lieu of the traditional bamboo models found in the former country, for the poems on New Guinean pieces.

________________________________


At the end, though, Rick Wilson switched from music to describing his beloved wife in a poem inspired by The Marriage Bowl (460#)- comparing Kathabela to an elegant, golden, and magical dragon. She recently celebrated her birthday, and I honored her with a little birthday-wish poem, also describing her magical abilities:

For Kathabela

Hail to the Queen of Many Hats!
The Sprite with multicolored notebooks
collecting treasures, pictures, smiles.
Let's laugh with the pixie sprinkling magic dust
on each minute and gesture. Let's hear
the weaver of words, spinning poems
out of tea cups, necklaces and clouds.
Long live the Queen of Pentacles,
presiding on the Throne of Earthly Riches
over her court of jesters, knights, and lovers.
Let's praise the wisdom of a sage,
the charm of a dancer,
and the devotion of a whirling dervish -
hidden in her secret name, revealed
in the kaleidoscope of her art!



__________________________

The pictures are from Japan (Kathabela and Rick Wilson), from the courtyard of the Pacific Asia Museum (with Erika Wilk, photo by Kathabela Wilson), from recording sessions at Kathabela and Rick's salon in Pasadena, and from another exhibition of Poets and Artists at Susan Dobay's Scenic Drive Gallery in Monrovia (at 125 Scenic Drive, by appointment only).

Invited to contribute to the Poets and Artists Exhibition, I made two collages, one with a digital art piece and four "klosy" of wheat, illustrating my poem, "Tiger Nights." I made and framed this collage as a gift for Kathabela's Birthday (it is above her head in the photo). So here's a poem and an artwork, as a tribute to the spiritus movens of the Poetry Audio Tour at the Pacific Asia Museum.