“My Mother Was a Dancer and She Never Looked Back” by Luigi CoppolaPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Belle of the Ball” by Vasu Tolia. “My Mother Was a Dancer and She Never Looked Back” was written by Luigi Coppola for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the editor, Timothy Green: “This poem is just flawlessly beautiful. A single sentence—14 lines including the title—flowing seamlessly down the page without a single misplaced word toward meaningful revelation. Don’t turn your head or you’ll miss it.”
“Self-Portrait” by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr.Posted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019: Artist’s Choice
Image: “Belle of the Ball” by Vasu Tolia. “Self-Portrait” was written by Rodrigo Dela Pena, Jr. for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, January 2019, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Comment from the artist, Vasu Tolia: “I felt like ‘Self-Portrait’ recreated the magic I had felt conceiving and creating this painting. The way this poet captures the lines depicting the blur and sharpness and describes the hues of the paints so vividly in simple words touched me the most. The poise, purpose, and dilemma in this woman’s mind are also beautifully blended in this poem. It opened my eyes to the notion that unconsciously, I was portraying a version of myself.”
“Shell Thick and Her Own Planet” by Angie MasonPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, December 2018: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Untitled” by Kari Gunter-Seymour. “Shell Thick and Her Own Planet” was written by Angie Mason for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, December 2018, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the editor, Timothy Green: “My favorite ekphrastic poems are often those that spin the image into an entire world, and Angie Mason manages to do that here in just eighteen slender lines. As in the photograph, we never see the couple whose life as a pair revolves around the planet of the egg, but we can feel the weight of what’s coming. And those line breaks! Each turn is a new crack. The free verse is still verse.”
Ekphrastic Challenge, December 2018: Artist’s Choice
Image: “Untitled” by Kari Gunter-Seymour. “Substance” was written by Peg Duthie for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, December 2018, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Comment from the artist, Kari Gunter-Seymour: “Full disclosure: I was secretly hoping for a poem that was not so obviously about an egg or the carton, or for that matter a womb or chicken. Maybe a poem that discussed texture or extremes of angle and light, as those topics often come up in conversation about this image at exhibitions. A poem that was not above roaming beyond the edges of the photograph. ‘Substance’ does all that. It dances me in and out of the frame, asks the timeless question, discusses each element so cleverly ‘a creamy complexion—,’ ‘the coarse-and-homely,’ the ‘graying angles and curves’ and lands so solid ‘… a tested cradle/ the invisible hands …’ I could go on and on. Brava!”
Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2018: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Eat Me” by Nicolette Daskalakis. “The Happy Game” was written by Sean Kelbley for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2018, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the editor, Timothy Green: “’The Happy Game’ is so imaginative I don’t think even kids could have invented it. The world of these 21 couplets is so rich in detail it feels as though you could walk right in—even the supporting characters seem real, as much as I hope they aren’t. It’s a poem that could have been a screenplay—all in a two-minute read. There were a lot of excellent poems submitted this month, but none more memorable.”
Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2018: Artist’s Choice
Image: “Eat Me” by Nicolette Daskalakis. “Placebo” was written by Jill M. Talbot for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2018, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Comment from the artist, Nicolette Daskalakis: “It was difficult to choose just one poem, but ultimately ‘Placebo’ stood out to me because it captured the tone, humour, and critique of commercial culture I had in mind while shooting ‘Eat Me.’ I love that the poet addresses the commodification of ‘cures’ and looks at how our society’s never-ending search for a silver bullet to its ailments has only been amplified by the social media age.”
“Locked Brakes on Blacktop” by Guinotte WisePosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2018: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Hanging Collage” by Courtney Carroll. “Locked Brakes on Blacktop” was written by Guinotte Wise for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, October 2018, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the editor, Timothy Green: “There’s something delightful in the contrast between the no-nonsense trucker and the surreal scene he’s witnessing, and something mesmerizing about the half-monologue’s voice. As often happens, it was the poem that I enjoyed more every time I returned to it. And the ending, where he spits out his tobacco but misses, is perfect.”
