Thought for the Day

You can never

persuade one person that another

is a liar. People prefer the liar.

~ Fanny Howe

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Quoted from Fanny Howe, "Passage" in Come and See (Graywolf Press, 2011), page 27

Fanny Howe, Award-Winning Poet, Novelist, Short Story Writer

Interviews with Fanny Howe at BOMB (2018), divedapper (2016), LitHub (2016), and The Paris Review (2016)

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

David Ehrlich, Singing for My Supper*

© David Ehrlich

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

We are in summer's fullness, and that means we're celebrating our annual Dog Days Artist Watch at Escape Into Life. This month's feature presents the work of fine art photographer David Ehrlich, whom I've had the pleasure to meet and watch in action with his subjects.

David, who got a start in photography at age 13, operates a portrait studio in Arlington, Virginia.

Today's Artist Watch column showcases eight images from David's portfolio of dog portraits, as well as a brief Artist Statement and a biography. Make a point to see all the images for the column and then head over to David's Website (it links to his Dog Art Gallery) for more treats that will take your mind off August's heat.

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* The captions given to David's images are my own (with his permission).

Thought for the Day

To watch a heart being emptied

of trust and desire is to see something

elemental: not a worm's turning

but a tide's. [. . .]

~ Sam Willetts

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Quoted from Sam Willetts, "You and St. Kevin and the Birds" in New Light for the Old Dark (Cape Poetry, 2010), page 48 (The collection, Willetts's first, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize, the Costa Prize, and the T.S. Eliot Prize.)

Sam Willetts, English Poet

Sam Willetts Profiles at Next Generation Poets 2014 (Poetry Book Society) and Poetry Foundation

Sam Willetts Interview at The Guardian

Saturday Short

Film Poster

Inspired by Andrew Solomon's excellent book Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity (Scribner, reprint 2013), the documentary of the same name currently is making rounds in theatres across the country. An IFC Films production directed by Rachel Dretzin, the documentary offers an insightful look at "exceptional" children and the challenges they present to their "ordinary" families.

Here's the official trailer:

IFC Films on FaceBook

Book Spine Poems

Following are 18 collections of poetry, some published this year, whose titles are revealed in book spine poems. The author of each collection is noted, line by line. (Links are to the books available on Amazon or through the publishers.)

1

A Spell to Bless the Silence
Long Love
Esperanza and Hope

Line 1 John Montague
Line 2 Judith Barrington
Line 3 Esperanza Snyder

2

If You Have to Go
Box
A Memory of the Future

Line 1 Katie Ford
Line 2 Sue D. Burton
Line 3 Elizabeth Spires

3

A Quarter of an Hour
Of Marriage
Beyond All Bearing

Line 1 Leanne O'Sullivan
Line 2 Nicole Cooley
Line 3 Susan Delaney Spear

4

Pulling Down the Heavens
Strong-Armed Angels
Secure Your Own Mask

Line 1 Barbara Bloom
Line 2 David Allen Sullivan
Line 3 Shaindel Beers

5

bury it
Anything on Earth
Invented by the Night

Line 1 Sam Sax
Line 2 Ken Weisner
Line 3 Len Anderson

6

Forgive the Body This Failure
Someone is Breathing
During the Music

Line 1 Blas Falconer
Line 2 J. Morris
Line 3 R. Soos

Thought for the Day

The past is set in daylight, and it can become a torch we can carry 

into the night that is the future.

~ Rebecca Solnit

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Quoted from Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities (Haymarket Books, 3rd Ed., 2016), page xxvi

Rebecca Solnit Website

Thought for the Day

Loss is the self emptying back into silence.

~ David Wevill

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Quoted from David Wevill, "In the Jardin des Plantes" in A Christ of the Ice-Floes (Macmillan, 1966; Tavern Books, 2016), page 83 (Wevill is a marvelous poet but, I would hazard, largely unfamiliar to many readers of poetry. The Tavern Books reprint offers an excellent first-experience of his work. Also see the reprints of Wevill's Where the Arrow Falls and Collected Translations, both part of Tavern's The Living Library; see, in addition, To Build My Shadow a Fire: The Poetry and Translations of David Wevill (Truman State University Press, 2010), edited by Michael McGrieff.

David Wevill, Award-Winning Poet, Translator, Editor, Retired Teacher (University of Texas at Austin)

Thought for the Day

. . . community builds when a kindness is given

and a voice is heard, and when something is built 

together that can't be built alone.

~ Mark Nepo

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Quoted from Mark Nepo Interview, "A Conversation with Mark Nepo About His New Book, More Together Than Alone: Discovering the Power and Spirit of Community In Our Lives and in the World" (Atria Books, July 17, 2018) 

Mark Nepo, Poet, Spiritual Writer and Guide

Mark Nepo on FaceBook

New Artist Watch Feature at Escape Into Life

Mark R. Pugh, Boy at the Edge of the World, 2018

Oil on Panel

30" x 48"

© Mark R. Pugh

PLEASE DO NOT COPY IMAGE

I'm delighted to introduce in today's Artist Watch column at Escape Into Life the award-winning painter Mark R. Pugh.

Born in Utah, Mark, who holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, works full-time as an artist. Instructed in art at the Bridge Academy in Provo, Mark has developed a style that, in his words, draws from both realism and surrealism to create a dreamlike aesthetic. His work continues to betray his early interests in, indeed a passion for, fantasy and illustration.

In addition to showcasing nine images of Mark's strong work, today's Artist Watch includes Mark's Artist Statement and a brief biography. Enjoy!

Thought for the Day

. . . When you build a wall between yourself and others,

you are basically saying that you have stopped listening

and seeing. You have cut off contact. And how can there

be understanding without contact?

~ Helon Habila

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Quoted from Helon Habila, "The Separation Wall" in Kingdom of Olives and Ash: Writers Confront the Occupation (Harper-Perennial, 2017), Edited by Michael Chabon an Ayelet Waldman (This is an excellent, eye-opening series of essays.)

Helon Habila, Award-Winning Novelist, Editor, and Publisher (Cordite Books) of African Crime and Detective Stories

Helon Habila's books include Oil on Water, Measuring Time, Waiting for an Angel, and, most recently, The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria.