ekphrasis

Art + poetry can be magical. I've been fortunate to collaborate with a few artists for River City Poetry's covid-era Wichita Broadsides Project (a nice way to spend a pandemic, by community building via technology). Learn more about the phenomenon of ekphrasis here or here. A fun word, is it not?! Thanks to Harvester Arts and Wichita Arts Council for their support.

Artsy selfie at Vertigo.

Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — October
(Also selected for River City Poetry Fall 2020 issue)

CLOUD COMINGLING

Does a bird ever say,
"I'm too tired to fly today"
or does her love just
pick her up, sweep
her into the sky?

—Julie Ann Baker Brin

Wichita Broadside Project
October, 2020 collaboration
with artist Leslie Williams


Printable / full-size (8.5 x 11 in.) broadside:
https://rivercitypoetry.org/cloud-comingling-oct-wbp-2020/ 

FLOURISHING

My inner teacher is babbling
again: "notice form, notice
color" ... "notice you're about
to run into that wall."
Of course, there are always

other voices attempting to
prevent me from hurting
myself but in the end
quite likely only keeping
my soul from growing.

—Julie Ann Baker Brin

Wichita Broadside Project collaboration with artist Leslie Williams

Printable / full-size (8.5 x 11 in.) broadside:
https://rivercitypoetry.org/flourishing-oct-wbp-2020/ 

Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — October

Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — April

[WRITER'S BLOCK HAIKU]

Words will come again
just like the petals of spring
they have their season

—Julie Ann Baker Brin

Wichita Broadside Project

April, 2020 collaboration
with artist Skyler Lovelace 


Printable / full-size (8.5 x 11 in.) broadside:

https://rivercitypoetry.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/sljb_typewriter_pr-1.pdf 

BLIND CONTOUR

Her face folds
into her body,
a glint in the eye
by the knee,
the chair tangled
up in her hair.

Scribble of life,
of looking, learning,
growing; she’s alive
on my sketchpad,
wiggling, knowing
she is marked.

—Julie Ann Baker Brin

Wichita Broadside Project collaboration with artist Honeybee O'Gee.

Printable / full-size (8.5 x 11 in.) broadside:
https://rivercitypoetry.files.wordpress.com/2020/05/blind-contour.pdf 

Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — May

"All Time Exists at Once" — Julie Ann Baker Brin, Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — June, collaboration with artist Brittany Schaar

Printable PDF here: https://rivercitypoetry.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/june-all-time-exists-at-once.pdf 

Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — August, collaboration with artist Martha Wherry

https://rivercitypoetry.files.wordpress.com/2020/08/wherry_brin_final_for_submittable.pdf 

ICT OUTBOUND

From this altitude, the earth:
a cross-section of my body;
every river a vein,
every stream a capillary,
every plot of land a muscle,
or maybe fat.

And I can believe
that a continent could
fit right up next to another,
just like my elbow
loves the curve of my waist
when I stand straight.

— Julie Ann Baker Brin

Previous version as included in Z Publishing’s 2018
Kansas's Best Emerging Poets: An Anthology

Revived in Wichita Broadside Project 2020 — August

Thanks to the artists who collaborated with me and/or inspired me. I really, really, really, really (if you'll permit me to be super poetic about it) enjoyed these projects. If you're an artist who would like to collaborate on future such projects email juliebrin at gmail dot com or find me on social media by searching for my full name ... I think I'm the only Julie Ann Baker Brin so far? (P.S. include some art pics!)

See the page menu at the top for more. And thanks for visiting my portfolio site! —Julie Ann Baker Brin