Poems, like flowers, unfold in mysterious ways. Poet Mariann Wizard's 60 personal best reveal surprising details of a complex, engaged life. Deeply personal yet readily accessible, they are by turns funny, erotic, tender, or rabble-rousing, spanning haiku, sonnets, and protest songs. Sixty of Scout Stormcloud's lushly textural photographs of flowers, trees, and other living creatures more thoroughly explore a single aspect of her art and wide-ranging interests, invoking contrasting, complementary notes from the enduring natural world in which we are but guests. Woven together in a generous, full-color volume, poems and photographs become an exuberant tapestry celebrating life in progress.
Wizard and Stormcloud, who both live in Austin, Texas, were born two days apart and have been best friends for half their lives. Passionate but not sentimental, here is the work of two women on a creative roll: balanced, accomplished, and assured. 100 pages, 8.5 x 11" paperbound.
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By quinctilis
Aug 2, 2009
"SIXTY" By Judge Steve W. Russell (Bloomington, IN USA) My interest in this book is that it is about terrain I know in both geographical (SW US; Mexico) and temporal (boomer generation) terms. That interest has been rewarded by both Wizard's word pictures and Stormcloud's photos. "To Austin," more commonly known as "Sweet Suck City," is a classic in some Texas circles and here it is put on dead trees in a more permanent form than the underground press. I wonder if she will now quit writing it? Probably not. It's about a process of creation in tension with destruction that is still going on. It's one of several poems about growth and how it destroyed what made Austin Austin. "How convenient," Wizard says elsewhere, "to live in a city with its own asylum!" I won't dwell on the erotic aspects of Wizard's work here, although I did when I read it. I'm pleasantly surprised at the quality of the photographic reproductions. I've seen... More > Stormcloud's work before and I know she's good but I doubted that the color and composition would come though adequately in this format. Several photos (Misty Grove; Aloe Landscape) beg for more space, but the flowers work very well. How would this book strike someone of another generation from, say, New England? While I like to think beauty is beauty, I can't see this work with any eyes but my own. -- Posted on amazon.com, 10/27/07< Less
"Sixty" I have read and re-read this book, and in doing so, have gained tremendous insight into the mind of a woman I consider a timeless source of inspiration and joy. Mariann's poetry is showcased beautifully with Scout's photography. These two women were bound for each other, it is no wonder their friendship has spanned the years. I look forward to more joint ventures from these two incredibly talented women. I have been a fan of Mariann's for many years, and so her poetry is not new to me. However, this book does contain many things I have not previously seen published. Scout's artistic talents are legend in Austin. A good match, a good read, a good book.
"SIXTY" The interface of poems and images is Utterly Delightful. The images drawn by Ms. Wizard's words are Amazing. I find myself creating tunes so I can sing the poems that are also songs and wishing there was a CD of them to play or a photo-montage of more of Ms. Stormcloud's photos with the songs playing in the background. When does the next collaboration of these women see print????? It can't be too soon for me.
Sixty is a remarkable book, lovely to read for the passion and humanity in its pages. I felt from the beginning when I met Mariann Wizard that we had an emotional connection of some kind. When I read her poetry, I knew it was true. Mariann's poems are personal and speak of a history that I shared in many small ways. Much of what she writes about dates to the 1960's, that period when so many of us in our youthful idealism believed we could change the world. And in many ways, we did (change it, that is). Mariann is still changing the world, this time with her poetry. The words flow, and the selection of Scout Stormcloud's photographs to accompany the poems is perfect. A book with built-in feng shui. This is a book to read to your children, to your lover, or to yourself. It will move any who partake of its riches. And be sure to hear Mariann's poetry put to music on her Web site. You will understand even more fully the human-ness of her words. Mariann and Scout are two remarkable... More > women, two wonderful artists. Richard J.< Less
