Community Spotlight: Images of Obsession from the February Workshop

[image credit: Photo-Karolina Zapal | Collage-Shawnie Hamer]

In February 2021, Languages of Elsewhere facilitator Karolina Zapal asked her workshop participants questions of movement, such as: 

• What are your images of obsession?
• How do you map?
• What and how do you carry?
• To whom do you have something to say?

The result was a collaborative journey, one that took workshop participants through the hearts, minds, creative practices, and plum jars of their peers. We shared moments of intimacy, travel, and family. We discussed cultural and locational struggles, joys, and experiences. And from this collaboration, beautiful art and community was made. Here is just a small sample of that work. 

Interested in taking this workshop? You can rent/purchase the archived videos for an accessible flat rate in the commons starting April 1st!

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"On Fray & Freezing" by Jessica Rigney 

about the artist: 

Jessica Rigney is a poet, artist, and filmmaker. She is the author of Follow a Field (2016), Entre Nous (2017), Within Poetic Boxes (2018), and Careful Packages (2019). Two of her poems, À la Brütt and Grass Began, exist as limited edition, letterpress broadsides by Wolverine Farm Publishing (2016 and 2017, respectively). Jessica was a quarter-finalist for the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry in 2016 and 2018.
The YouTube channel, Jessica Rigney, carries her poetic short films. Her poetic music and voice experiments live at jessicarigney.bandcamp.com. On Instagram she is poetjess, where her imagery and words, as well as announcements for new work can be found. She lives and wanders in Colorado and northern New Mexico, where she films and collects feathers and stones.

Links
Bandcamp:  https://jessicarigney.bandcamp.com
YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/JessicaRigneypoetry/videos
Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/poetjess/

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"Bonsai Kayak" by Thomas A. Thomas

about the artist: ​

Thomas A. Thomas studied with Gregory Orr and Donald Hall at the University of Michigan, where he won both Hopwood Minor and Major Awards in Poetry. He later studied with Matthew Shenoda at Goddard College in the MFA program. His poems have appeared in Anesthesia Review, The Periodical Lunch, Writer’s Digest, Oberon, FemAsia Magazine (link below)and most recently in Spanish translation on Revista Palabrerias (link below). Additional poems are forthcoming in the Spring ’21 edition of The Banyan Review. His full-length book Getting Here, published in 2005, received an Honorable Mention in the 14th Annual Writer's Digest International Self-Published Book Awards. It is available on Amazon and other major vendor sites in paper or electronic format).
 
In the Pandemic year of 2020 he has read for international and inclusive audiences in Cultivating Voices Facebook group, with writers from Ireland, India, Canada and numerous other countries, and was also featured in the 100,000 Poets for Change, Toronto Canada ZOOM event with poets from 4 continents and 8 time zones.

Instagram:  tthomas7828
Facebook: Thomas.a.thoma
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 Links
In A Time - FemAsia Magazine
Trotamundos | 5 poemas de Thomas A. Thomas – Revista Palabrerías (revpalabrerias.com)

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"Against the Bones" by Elizabeth Kate Switaj

about the artist: 

Elizabeth Kate Switaj lives on Majuro atoll where she works at the College of the Marshall Islands and rescues cats. Her second collection of poetry, The Bringers of Fruit: An Oratorio, is forthcoming in 2022 from 11:11 Press.