Poet JC brought her impromptu poetry-writing to the Birds and Bees Fundraiser on Saturday, July 27 during two, 90-minute time slots.
For a $10 fee, she interviewed willing nature enthusiasts and turned what she learned into a poem with a minimum of 3 lines, which the buyer received in file form after the event. All proceeds benefitted PEPtBO in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Use this link to access a poem JC wrote in response to a commission at the event by Tamara Segal:
https://www.facebook.com/324148114673039/posts/718871921867321?s=714679292&sfns=mo
“This tailored poem is a mini-version of the services I provide when I write poetry on commission,” JC explained.
JC only writes on subjects within the bounds of public discourse. There are no returns, and the copyright for each poem stays with JC.
“I just can’t resist the challenge: writing to a subject not of my choosing, suggested by someone whom I didn’t know beforehand, for the most part, to mark a birthday, an anniversary, a special event or person, or in memoriam,” JC admits. “That is why I launched “BESPOKE POETRY” to give me the chance to create new poems or poems to-go this way.”
JC began her love affair with poetry written on demand many summers ago at a showcase for artists, crafts people and assorted others in her neighbourhood. Wearing a lot of sunscreen and with paper pad and pen, she set up a table and offered to write poems for visitors at $2.50 each, the proceeds of which went to a charitable organization. She cannot remember to which one the modest take went that first year.
Though not a big fundraiser, JC found the experience exhilarating. “I used a number of the poems written at that festival in “Fat poems Tall poems Long poems Small,” my ekphrastic book of poems for families and children to which Ottawa artists contributed interpretative illustrations.” Several other poems found their way into chapbooks.
For a couple of years, JC returned to the venue. Each year, the price tag went up by a bit. The final year of her participation, she raised funds for a local hospital.
Then she stopped, overtaken by other writing projects including “Boot Crazy” and later by “What My Grandma Means to Say,” her book and play about Alzheimer’s disease.
Now she has taken up poetry on commission again with enthusiasm. The process begins with agreement on a base price for the poem, which can take the form of free verse or rhyme. The ‘buyer’ pays JC upfront. Then, there’s an interview which can take as little as 10 minutes over the phone or up to an hour face-to-face, where that’s convenient to the parties.
JC considers carefully what she has learned about the subject and writes the poem within the timeframe agreed to in the discussions. The length of the poem can vary depending the subject matter. Once she’s satisfied, she shares the poem and asks for comments as to accuracy only. If there are any factual inaccuracies, she corrects them and then provides a final text.
She asks that the poem not be published without her prior permission and then only with clear acknowledgment as to her authorship.
“I have written about a granddaughter’s graduation from high school on her birthday, the death of a child, a dog who dreams. It’s such an adventure, never knowing where a new poem will begin or to where it will take me.”
The Light Ekphrastic’s November issue features JC’s collaboration with Ron Tobey from West Virginia
JC thanks Editor Jenny O’Grady for pairing her with Ron Tobey and for publishing her two poems, “Luck. Now” and “From Sea to Sea.”
“I am grateful that my work has been favoured a number of times by The Light Ekphrastic (TLE) and that these poems appear during the Journal’s 10th anniversary year.”
Here is the link to their ekphrastic collaboration to paste into your browser: https://thelightekphrastic.com/tobey-sulzenko-november-2020/
“I take joy in writing poetry inspired by works of art and in what is unique about the TLE process. Each artist and poet pair chosen by the Editor receives several offerings from his or her ‘Artner’ from which to select one as the focus of new work.
“For the first time in writing such poems, I received videos, one of which included the voiceover by the videographer-poet. I hesitated. Accustomed to working from a still image or an object, I couldn’t see a way in, particularly because I didn’t want my work to be influenced by Ron Tobey’s words.
“I chose “Days Rise” and received permission from Ron to mute his poem so that I could concentrate upon images in the video. I asked him questions in an exchange of emails before I began to fashion “Luck. Now.” Only after I had completed the poem and sent it to TLE did I allow myself to listen to Ron read.
“After that, I waited to share “Luck. Now.” with Ron until he had submitted his piece in response to my poem, “From Sea to Sea.” While he chose to wait to read “Luck. Now” until when our work would be published, I couldn’t resist watching “Open your Eye” immediately.
“I remain spellbound by the synchronicity between “Luck. Now” and “Open Your Eye.” Each of us, responding to a different work of art by the other, came independently to an alignment that is nothing short of a wonder to me. Ron’s serendipitous choice of the title for his video and the wording of my last stanza in “Luck. Now” provide one example.
“Open Your Eye” misses none of the oceanic emotions embodied in “From Sea to Sea,” right from the video’s first sequences, staccato images and spectral footsteps. In my comments to Ron, I welcomed how the video moves from stark portrayals of loss into sunlight that streams around the construction of a new home in a landscape that welcomes two young people into its embrace.
“My participation in this ekphrastic collaboration has been a privilege and enriched my writing life,” JC concluded.
For information on imagistic poet Ron Tobey: https://vimeo.com/userturin
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