Poetry and Art

Matisse's The Open Window

I was recently invited by poetry editor, Kathleen Kirk, to submit some poems to Escape into Life. This was a double pleasure: first, because it's always nice to know that someone wants my work, and two, because this was my introduction to a lovely online journal. This journal combines visual art and poetry, a combination I like a lot. The journal includes several different categories of art: drawing, photography, painting, collage. It also includes art videos, film shorts, and movie trailers as well as music and music videos. You will also find art reviews, essays about art history, some fiction, and some interviews.

And then, of course, there's poetry. Each poetry feature is enhanced by a painting. My four poems are "Temptation by Water," "You Offer Lychee to Your American Friends," "The Fruitful Woman," and "The Summer He Left." Since "Temptation by Water," the title poem of my new book, is based on Matisse's painting, "The Open Window," the art editor selected that piece to go with my poems. I'm very happy with that pairing. Please pay my poems a visit.

Then drop by the Poetry Library where I'm joined by such poets as Leslie McGrath, Nin Andrews, Nicelle Davis, George Looney, and Peter Davis. Be sure to also check out the other categories. You'll find much to delight you.

Additions to the journal appear to be made on a rolling basis, and there does not seem to be a submission process.

Grace Cavalieri recently steered me towards another gorgeous online journal that combines poetry and art, Poets and Artists. This is a downloadable pdf format, which I'm not crazy about for plain old poetry journals, but the format ideally suits this journal because of the visual element. As I turned the pages, the word "exquisite" kept coming to mind.

The journal is published by Didi Menendez who says, "Publishing to us is an art form and the process of publishing your work means as much to us as your art and poetry mean to you." That lofty intention is fully met. The journal is published 8-12 times per year. Each issue can be enjoyed online for free. If you want a hard copy, there's a fee for that. Several issues feature a poet on the cover. That poet is then interviewed by Grace Cavalieri, and the audio interview becomes part of the issue.

Submission guidelines for poets and artists are at the journal site.

As you visit each of these journals, I'm sure you'll want to bookmark them and return often for the poetry and the art. You might even get some new poems stimulated by the art.

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