~ Video Library ~
The Arithmetic of Nurses by Veneta Masson
Liz Dubelman directed and Paca Thomas provided the animation and score for this VidLit-produced piece. (See VidLit’s “Who We Are” page for bios of Dubelman and Thomas.) Vaneta Masson is the author of two books of poetry based in part on her 35 years as a family nurse practitioner in an inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. Here’s a bio. She doesn’t appear to have a website, but in her Amazon profile, she says:
You can read about my clinic years in two books. The first, a collection of poems (come on you skeptics, give poetry a chance!), is ‘Rehab at the Florida Avenue Grill.’ The second, ‘Ninth Street Notebook–Voice of a Nurse in the City’ contains stories, lessons and reflections from the ragged edge of the real world of nursing and health care.
In 2008, I published a new collection of poems, “Clinician’s Guide to the Soul,” modeled on the pocket-size guides to lab values, drug doses, and treatment protocols I used to rely on during my clinic years. These poems about nursing, medicine, illness and life are meant for professional and family caregivers and all who care about the art and science of healing.
Unknown Bird and Calling a Distant Animal by W. S. Merwin
Another two poems from the production Men Think They Are Better Than Grass by the Deborah Slater Dance Theatre, based on poems by W. S. Merwin. “Unknown Bird” is sung and composed by Carla Kihlstedt and Matthias Bossi. “Calling a Distant Animal” is read by Brenda Wong Aoki. The two featured dancers are Travis Rowland and Wendy Rein.
A Lifetime by Ron Butlin
A complete short film spun from a brief poem by Ron Butlin, part of the This Collection project of poems by Edinburgh poets. This was written, produced and directed by CP Lucas Kao and Charmaine Gilbert; see all the other credits on Vimeo.
Reunion by Joseph Yaeger
The film is “Union,” “An experiment in backward moment suspension” by Sam Molleur, from the This is What We Imagine art and video collective.
Molleur goes into more detail at his blog:
Made this LITTLE SHORT with my dear friend Joseph Yaeger (who lent his words and likeness for this project), the increasingly sunburned walking prophet you can see in this video.
An experiment in “backward moment suspension” that I’ve been dreaming about exploring for quite some time now. It starts with having an entire, linear narrative being played out in a repeating, suspended moment. In this instance, it’s a poem read aloud by Joe. I wanted to make it more dynamic by not just replaying that tiny moment over and over, but actually create a contrasting, reverse effect. Where the linear narrative moves forward along with Joe’s movement, yet his displacement keeps moving him backwards. The effect can be a bit mesmerizing at times, especially if executed just right. I look forward to embarking on another attempt in the future to perfect this and apply it to a much, much longer and more dynamic endeavor.
It’s difficult to wrap your head around at first – but you can check out more of the logistics of how it works HERE. For those who like the mysterious nature of things, sorry. Instead of keeping the process secret, I’d rather share it.
They shot one syllable a time, three times each. Wow.
Haiku: The Art of The Short Poem (trailer)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YjSTwOA-po
Poet Tazuo Yamaguchi has made what looks like a marvelous film on English-language haiku, available from Brooks Books:
Brooks Books is pleased to announce the publication of HAIKU: The Art of the Short Poem, a film by Tazuo Yamaguchi. The haiku cited or read in the film are published in this book/DVD combo as a haiku anthology featuring contemporary English-language haiku writers.
In August 2007 Tazuo attended the Haiku North America conference, where he filmed over 50 hours of interviews and events with contemporary haiku poets, concluding with the HNA head-to-head haiku competition. As Taz writes in the introduction to this book/DVD: “Each poet brought me their wealth of passion, information and knowledge, and timeless insights from their snowball stash they had collected through their life’s sleigh ride of love and interest in haiku.”
How Smokes the Smolder by Todd Boss
A Todd Boss poem directed and edited by Greg Mattern with sculptures by Angie Hagen. Uploaded to Vimeo by the cameraman, Jeff Saunders, who notes that the footage was originally filmed for something else and repurposed by Mattern.
Air by W. S. Merwin
Another section from the production Men Think They Are Better Than Grass by the Deborah Slater Dance Theatre, based on poems by W. S. Merwin. “Air” is read by Anne Galjour.
Night Vision by Eleanor Rees
This is a collaboration between the poet, Eleanor Rees, and the filmmaker, Glenn-emlyn Richards. It was featured as part of the Comma Film/ Version Film Festival 2009 and the Sadho Poetry Film Festival 2009-2010 in New Delhi.
This is evidently the opening poem in Rees’ debut collection from Salt Publishing, Andraste’s Hair, which garnered an endorsement from Carol Ann Duffy: “Eleanor Rees’s first full-length collection introduces an ambitious, experimental voice, vibrantly charged with the energy of city life.” From the publisher’s page, here’s a sound bite from the author and her city, Liverpool:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HMA-q8ePkA
Fairground Man by Annie Clarkson
I haven’t featured too many videos of poetry readings here, mostly because I haven’t taken the time to look for the ones that are well-filmed and edited with a listenable audio track. What I am saying is that at least 90 percent of the poetry-reading videos uploaded to YouTube and Vimeo suck. Here’s a great example of one that does not. It was brought to my attention by Christine Swint, in a post at Moving Poems’ news and discussion blog back in May. Christine wrote,
I’ve read her chapbook, Winter Hands, and it’s beautiful. Her video reading interests me because she first talks about her writing in general, as well as the authors who have influenced her. As she reads, she stands next to an antique lamp with tassel fringe, in front of a wall painted deep red. The sound of dishes clinking in the background gives the reading an immediacy. The filming is good, because normally when a reading is recorded the poet stands on a stage in front of a mike.
I doubt I would ever have a chance to hear Annie read live, so this recording is almost as good as hearing her in person.
For more on the poet, see her page at poetry p f — which includes the text of “Fairground Man.” The video was produced by the U.K.’s Literature North West — not a press, but “a promotional tool for the region’s independent presses and literature organisations.” This is one of 21 videos they’ve uploaded to YouTube.
Landlocked in the Port of Leith by Samuel Jackson
A collaboration between Scottish poet Samuel Jackson and filmmaker Ali Hayes, produced for the This Collection project of videopoems set in Edinburgh, which now has a cool new website. You can read the poem here.
