Pat Barnes has a new poetry book!
Pat was originally featured on my What, Why, How blog series in March 2019. With the publication of her new poetry book, I decided to reblog her feature to include updated information.
Cup of Home
Cup of Home was published by Kelsay Books in 2019, but due to COVID-19, Pat recently had her book release part to coincide with an exhibit of her artwork at the Color | Ink Studio Gallery in Hazel Park.
You can view some of the art here or schedule an appointment with the gallery to see the exhibition until September 25, 2021.
Cup of Home is a salty, often humorous, ribald and tender collection. Pat does a masterful job of wordsmithing using language, rhythm, and concrete imagery that engages all the senses:
Syrian Ashes
The grandmothers’ language was lies,
but all the children spoke cinnamon
and danced like whirligigs in rooms empty of echoes.
One grandmother ate olives and anger.
One burned sandalwood and memories.
Laughter belonged to another family,
but the children stole small pieces
and hit them in their pockets
along with ragged nightmares.
Olive grandmother found them
when she did laundry.
She gave them to sandalwood grandmother to burn.
Of course, Pat’s art graces the cover.
You can purchase Cup of Home here. A poem from the collection, “This Man’s Winter,” can be read at Verse Daily.
And here is Pat’s original What, Why, How:
What:
I make art and write poetry. My art is usually mixed media. I like to draw and paint on top of screen prints. A few years ago I picked up a pair of scissors and found my niche in collage. I love to cut stuff up and reassemble it into something else in which the whole expresses or suggests more than the parts did on their own. I discovered that there was a strong connection between poetry and collage.
When a poet juxtaposes unexpected language something new is created. Sometimes an insight into the relatability of images not usually associated with each other opens into a fresh insight and appreciation.
Why:
This approach to the creative life keeps my eyes open. I am always looking for an image in language or pictures that could become a symbol or metaphor for something else, if it were placed in an unexpected relationship. I often find my art’s ingredients in the works of others: magazines, books, brochures, newspapers, old photos . . . The challenge is to extract and modify the finding into a new piece. I am grateful to those who provide the snippets and scraps which become my building blocks.
How:
In my studio there are about twenty works in progress. Sometimes I see a piece of something that I just know will belong somewhere but I don’t know where yet. I cut things out, sort and store them by categories and wait to find those images’ kindred spirits. The poet and collagist creatively assembles. There is a lovely freedom in allowing yourself time. When I make art or write I know that I don’t need to finish right away. In fact I may lose richness in the rush to complete.
Bio:
Pat Barnes is a native Detroiter with a solid appreciation of the city’s lively communities of artists, writers, storytellers, puppeteers and musicians. As a writer, she is an active member of Springfed Arts, The Poetry Society of Michigan and Downriver Poets and Playwrights. Her artwork has been displayed at Art Ambience, The Downriver Council for the Arts, Alpha Art Gallery, River’s Edge Gallery, and Swords into Plowshares. Her poetry has won first place in contests sponsored by: Word and Sound International, Poetry Society of Michigan, Arizona Poetry Society, Illinois State Poetry Society, Ohio Poetry Society and the Midwest Conference of Writers. She has produced two chapbooks: Alucinor and A Village of Acrobats.
Her latest book of poetry is Cup of Home, published by Kelsay Books.
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Linda K. Sienkiewicz is a writer, poet, and artist.
Learn more about her multi-award winning novel, In the Context of Love.
Learn more about her picture book, Gordy and the Ghost Crab.
Learn more about her poetry chapbook, Sleepwalker
Visit LinkTree for all Linda’s social media links.
Wow…what beautiful artwork, Pat. I’ve worked with students this year combining collage and poetry. One group made collages and poetry representing their lives and backgrounds. Another wrote memoir and created a collage for the most impactful day of their lives. Art and poetry are a natural marriage that I love. I’ll be checking out your work. I am writing a book of poetry about my family history back to the 1700s. You’ve given me the idea to make a collage for the cover. Thank you. And thank you, Linda, for another wonderful glimpse at a local artist-poet.
Marvelous! You are so talented and find joy in your art and poetry. Have fun as you move forward. Mary Lou
I was in a poetry workshop with Pat when her book came out in 2019, but I didn’t know she did collage too. Lovely!
Yes! Amazing work, too… so intriguing! Thanks for reading, Kristin.