~ Nationality: United States ~

Witness by Lissa Kiernan

A film by Swoon for the poem “Witness” by Lissa Kiernan, recorded for qarrtsiluni‘s Animals in the City issue. This is Swoon’s 11th film for a qarrtsiluni poem. A couple of snippets from his blog post about it:

The track I wanted to lay this podcast in had to be a bit dreamy but also suspenseful and foreboding (with a small hint of mysteriousness) […]

The images had to be lush, but with a hint of decay. I had a vase with tulips, way past their ideal point of freshness. The petals falling gave me the idea for this video…

The first time I watched this, the images Swoon chose to accompany the text struck me as possibly a bit too random. But now they strike me as a subtle but inspired match. And the poem is, after all, directly concerned with how we might view an odd conjunction.

The Barking Horse by Patrick Sheridan

An eccentric and highly enjoyable author-made poetry video by Patrick Sheridan of Paddy Wagon Films.

If I had a white horse, I’d call him Brown Cow, just so I could ask, “How now horse Brown Cow?”

The Barking Horse is a three minute film about a dog named Horse. People have called it inspiring, awesome, confusing, brilliant, moving, and beautiful. You decide.

Paleoacoustics by Forrest Gander

http://vimeo.com/57158868

Forrest Gander‘s description at Vimeo reads: “This video is about Paleoacoustics, traces of the past in the present, poetry, imagination.”

Moon in the Window by Dorianne Laux

http://vimeo.com/66443184

Artwork (for the accompanying poster) and animation are both by Alison Farone of Glyphix design studio.

The 2013 edition of Traveling Stanzas is a collaborative project between Kent State University’s Wick Poetry Center and Glyphix design studio. This series combines the creative talents of KSU Visual Communication Design students with student writers (grades 3–12), health care providers, patients, veterans and professional writers to encourage dialogue about the connection between art and medicine, writing and healing.

Much appreciation to Dorianne Laux who graciously allowed us to us her poem “Moon in the Window” as inspiration for a poster design and poetry animation.

32 Warhol by Dena Rash Guzman

A film by Jerimiah Whitlock. Dena Rash Guzman writes in a blog post:

My poem “32 Warhol” is now a beautiful poem film. A story about childhood, art and hunger, the film was shot by filmmaker Jerimiah Whitlock, and was translated to German and narrated by Hong Kong based poet, editor, and publisher Bjorn Wahsltrom. I am awed by Jerimiah’s vision and production. The result reminds me of director Wim Wenders.

The poem itself was written on a farm in the Oregon woods, where I live, and the film itself was shot and produced in Colorado. The German translation and narration was provided by a Swede then living in Shanghai, China. The world is such a huge and tiny place.

The film made its debut at The Body Electric Film Festival in Ft. Collins, Colorado last month. We have plans to have it screened across the world.

The poem itself, previously published on Ink Node, appears under the title “Life Cycle” in my forthcoming book of poems Life Cycle from Dog On A Chain Press. That will be available in June.

In the post on Vimeo, Whitlock includes the following artist’s statement:

Poetry is traditionally disseminated by the written word or the act of the poet reading to an audience. By creating video poems that not only share the written word but illustrate it in layers of sound, visuals, vocals, and even translations to other languages, the artist hope to help put to rest the idea that poetry is dead. Indeed, it is a form or art that can live as anything from sculpture, to performance, to film. Poetry is one of our oldest known forms of structured communication. Our hope is to see it grow older by bringing it to wider audiences in modern ways. Poetry deserves the eternal life. One day we hope to see an elaborate library dedicated only to poetry in all its modern forms, including shelves and shelves of video poetry. Let no one hunger for verse.

Elegy with Her Red-Tipped Fingers by Tarfia Faizullah

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owN7-06smUc

A high-quality, music video-style poetry film by poet and filmmaker Jamaal May for Organic Weapon Arts, whose chapbook series “was started with the hip-hop tradition of the mixtape in mind.” Tarfia Faizullah‘s poem may be read online in Blackbird.

Smalltalk & Little Else by R.W. Perkins

http://vimeo.com/65023600

“Can we be gratified enough to be less gratified?” asks R.W. Perkins in this outgoing yet introspective new videopoem, made for The Body Electric Poetry Film Festival, which he organized this spring in Fort Collins, Colorado. I imagine it must’ve done a very good job in setting the tone for the festival.

Over drinks, at the end of a very long day, have you ever felt completely alone talking with a group of friends? Smalltalk & little Else explores the inner workings of the mind, while attempting to put on your best face for friends and family.

Shot in Fort Collins own Cafe Vino, a new but notable old town staple, with their stand alone atmosphere, cocktails and tapas. Camera work provided by Andy Carrasco of Studio Carrasco Films.

There Is No Word by Tony Hoagland

A poetry film by Dan Albright and Jordan Meltzer, with an original score by Meltzer. The Tony Hoagland poem originally appeared in Poetry magazine, and this video was featured recently at The Fluid Raven.

THERE IS NO WORD is the official film adaptation of Tony Hoagland’s poem of the same name that explores the subtle, impossible-to-describe experience of a good friendship changing to a mere acquaintanceship.

Here’s what Tony Hoagland has to say about the film:
“your sense of image is beautiful and intuitive, and there’s a sweet rawness to the story telling which seems brave to me; especially when talking about male friendship-so, good for you and thanks for the honor.”

[…]

Made for the 2013 Evelyn Horowitz Video Poetry Competition at Emerson College, Boston, MA.

Poppies In July by Sylvia Plath

This is Little Poppies, a student work by Libby Parfitt and Paris Daley, “based on the naturalistic sculpture and black and white photography of Richard Long.”

I’m sorry but I’ve witnessed what’s under your suburban bruises by Meg Tuite

Meg Tuite reads her poem in this collaboration with Swoon (Marc Neys) for the inaugural issue of Awkword Paper Cut [auto-playing audio alert]. Marc blogged about the making of the film. A snippet:

Something in the combination of her words/voice and these sounds led me back to a movie I used in another video, FF Coppola’s ‘Dementia 13’
I picked out a few scenes and faces and started editing. Looked for the right movements that I could feature as some kind of recurring visual chorus.
In the end I added a layer of lights and colours.

Love? by Julie Gard

Words are a fugitive, ghostly presence in this film by Kathy McTavish. For more poems by Julia Gard, see her website.

Chinatowns by Boey Kim Cheng

http://vimeo.com/64731664

A very short filmpoem about exile and belonging by Laura Wu.