Gender Issue: The Movie

I've been back in the movie-making business. Several months ago, precisely on October 8, 2010, Nic Sebastian recorded a poem of mine for Whale Sound. This is an audio journal or library of Nic recording poems by a wide variety of poets. The common denominator is that they are all what Nic has named "web active poets," meaning that they have a substantial presence on the internet via blogs, websites, and social networks. That limitation is intended to increase the audience for Whale Sound.

Due to the success of the venture, Nic has now added an audio chapbook component and a blog, Voice Alpha. Voice Alpha is a companion to Whale Sound. There Nic and others discuss the art of reading poetry aloud. Guest bloggers are invited to contribute. Those wishing a critique of their reading skills may contribute a recording. It's all very positive. Nobody gets annihilated. It's also very instructive.

Whale Sound includes an index of all poets recorded, bios, links to the poems, and, of course, the recordings. My poem is Gender Issue, which first appeared in Margie and then in my second book, What Feeds Us, and then online in Poemeleon. I loved Nic's reading and began mulling over how I might get more mileage out of it. I decided I'd use it as the soundtrack in a movie. Nic kindly sent me the mp3 and I went about gathering appropriate images. Here's the result.

Good News

I was delighted yesterday to find that a review of my new book, Temptation by Water, has appeared online in Rattle. To tempt you to read the review, here's the Introduction: "Temptation by Water, Diane Lockward’s fourth volume of poetry, is both fierce and funny. This lively new collection piercingly depicts loss but balances it with wit and genial good humor. Some of Lockward’s poems confront difficult but necessary truths but others are sexy, irreverent and amusing. Despite the heart-wrenching loss of a husband or lover, the poet never feels sorry for herself. Her poems are a pleasure to read, and her talent for the unexpected keeps readers turning the pages." Click here to read the rest of the review by Barb Daniels.

I was also pleased this past week to have a poem, Gender Issue, recorded by Nic Sebastian for Whale Sound. I love these new ways of spreading the word about poetry. I'm particularly interested in the various ways that poets make their work available to readers / listeners. Certainly, Nic's project is a wonderful contribution. At her site poets and poetry lovers can have the pleasure of hearing contemporary poems beautifully read by Nic whose voice and pacing enhance each and every poem she chooses to read. There's an Index and each poet's poem is accompanied by a bio and a link to the text of the poem. Visit the site often. You might also want to sign up for the email notification.

Whales and water. I like that.


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