Posts By Dave Bonta
drylung by Clayton T. Michaels
This is the video my co-editor Beth Adams and I commissioned at qarrtsiluni in support of the soon-to-be-released winner of our 2010 poetry chapbook contest, Watermark by Clayton T. Michaels. James Brush wrote about why he elected to envideo this poem, and what influenced his choice of imagery, at his blog Coyote Mercury.
Watermark was chosen by the noted nonfiction author and naturalist Ken Lamberton, who was impressed by the “wonderfully controlled surreal and mesmerizing quality” of the poems. The print edition is already available for ordering ahead of the official launch on Monday, August 30, when we’ll also unveil online and podcast versions. We’re also running a series of poems from the other ten finalists at qarrtsiluni between now and then, hoping in part to interest other micropublishers in snatching up some of these terrific manuscripts (would that we could publish and release videopoems for every one of them!).
To the Hand and To a Coming Extinction by W. S. Merwin
The two poems that comprise the closing section of Men Think They Are Better Than Grass, the Deborah Slater Dance Theatre production based on poems by W. S. Merwin. “To the Hand” is read by Ellen Sebastian Chang and “To a Coming Extinction” by Peter Coyote — an excellent, if terrifying, choice of a final poem. This is also the only one of the videos uploaded to Vimeo that gives a good impression of the film playing behind the stage during the production.
Bluebird by Charles Bukowski
This is the first time I’ve ever posted a video that doesn’t include the text of the poem in some way, either as type, as subtitles, or in the soundtrack, but this animation by Monika Umba was simply too gorgeous to ignore. The accompanying information at YouTube includes the text of the poem, but here’s another video that incorporates it in the soundtrack, a trailer for a documentary on the poet by Diego Jose Baud:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dynMZa4a_d4
Baud mentions in a comment that the reading is his. I couldn’t find anything to indicate whether this documentary has in fact been released yet. The trailer was posted to YouTube a year ago.
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.
Sharon Doubiago reading from My Father’s Love
A great example of an author-reading video made riveting not only by gripping material and a good reading but also by judicious editing and the inclusion of still photos. This really makes me want to read the memoir.
Hat-tip: the Women’s Poetry (WOMPO) listserv
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.
