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Oct. 15, 2009 By Stephen Mead
"Sharing a published Review"

Art and Poetry Combined: Book Offers Moving Example

By Peter N. Jones. Ph.D

Director and Editor: Bauu Institute and Press

(http://www.bauuinstitute.com)

Selected Works: The Poetry and Art of Stephen Mead

The other day I reviewed a powerful poetry book by Jerry Fagnani, noting how poetry can still have a profound impact in today's world. Well, that got me to thinking, what are some other powerful mediums. Visual imagery is one, ranging from painting to photography, from video to film. Coupled with poetry or other narratives, visual images have the power to evoke certain tones or qualities that... More > are then perceived by the reader.

I wanted to find a book that would did this - used imagery with words to create an overall feeling in the reader. Going down my stack of "to read" books, I pulled out "Selected Works" by Stephen Mead. This was just what I wanted. Stephen is an artist and writer living in New York. Working in a variety of visual mediums, including pencil, black and white, acrylic, and oil, Mead incorporates a wide body of original art work along side his poetry. The overall presentation and reader experience is wonderful.

Included in "Selected Works" are the award winning "Heroines Unlikely," "Body as Landscape" and my favorite "Drag." The latter is a series of poems and black and white portraits all centered around the cigarette. Similar to the classic images of Rita Hayworth in Gilda, the portraits in "Drag" utilize the smoke of the cigarette to evoke an image in the readers mind. Coupled with the stirring poetry, "Drag" and other collections in "Selected Works" offer the reader a unique opportunity to see what the author might have been visualizing when he wrote the piece.

I'm glad I pulled this book off my "to read" pile and delved in. The visual imagery coupled with the idiosyncratic prose was completely rewarding. It is these kinds of books that make you constantly hunt for the next great reading adventure.
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Product Details

ISBN 978-0-615-14160-2
Copyright StephenMeadArt (Standard Copyright License)
Edition 2nd Edition w/ISBN for Global Distribution
Publisher Stephen Mead
Published May 11, 2007
Language English
Pages 119
 
Binding Perfect-bound Paperback
Interior Ink Full color
Dimensions (inches) 8.5 wide × 11.0 tall

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