~ Poet: Shabnam Piryaei ~

June 2020 by Shabnam Piryaei

On 29 April, 2022 by Dave Bonta with 0 Comments - Videopoems
Poet: | Nationality: | Filmmaker: ,

An author-made videopoem by the accomplished U.S. poet and filmmaker Shabnam Piryaei, whose work we’ve featured here in the past, but have gotten a bit behind on — see the mediapoems page on her website for more examples. She evidently prefers to let the films speak for themselves, presenting only credits. Here’s the description for June 2020:

filming:
Taymoor Akinmusire
Shabnam Piryaei

poem:
Shabnam Piryaei

voiceover:
Taymoor Akinmusire

I love the fact that she collaborated with a child on the filming. Such a hope-inspiring, life-affirming piece! And as a typical, language-obsessed poet I couldn’t help but be struck by Piryaei’s choice of someone to whom reading is new for the voiceover, and how for a videopoem that can help satisfy Pound’s famous directive, make it new.

inexhaustible wealths of feeling by Shabnam Piryaei

On 6 January, 2018 by Dave Bonta with 0 Comments - Author-made videopoems
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https://vimeo.com/249761533

The latest “mediapoem” from poet and filmmaker Shabnam Piryaei. In lieu of any other description, Piryaei simply shares the text of the poem:

I can’t mark the first loneliness, the elongated pause, inkless and imagining magnolias. Or the first guilt, terrain of peaches overripe and trespassed with rigid fingers. Or the first haunt, a gas station bathroom swarmed with flies, slack spirits dangling from their mouths. Or the first love, tide of hyacinth, tide of red mud, chorus of elderly song. Or the first love, inebriated child wandering along snowy tracks. Or the first love, holding you by the wrists, shaking you like a bell.

This just appeared in my Vimeo feed yesterday, but I thought it was too good a companion for Friday’s and Thursday’s videos to hold it in the queue.

dollhouse by Shabnam Piryaei

On 17 January, 2012 by Dave Bonta with 0 Comments - Author-made videopoems
Poet: | Nationality: , | Filmmaker:

It’s not often you see such roles as Key Grip, Script Supervisor and Gaffer in the credits of a poetry film! Even better, it still goes in the author-made videopoem category, as Iranian-American poet Shabnam Piryaei is credited as both writer and main director. According to the bio on her website, her print publication credits are as impressive as her film credits. It’s always heartening to see a poet working in film at such a high level of professional expertise.