Hello Muses

Wecome to “The Poet Meets the Muse: A Personalized Poem Project.” This project begain as an assignment for an upper-level art class at Shepherd University entitled “Experimental Practices.”

Would you like to be a Muse and receive your own personalized, handwritten poem?

The goal of this project is to create opportunities for meaningful interaction and memory-making through the act of creating physical installations in various locations where I (the Poet) can meet passersby, engage them in conversation, and write personalized poems exclusively for them.

During these installation events, I will write a unique poem for each individual I meet. These poems will be hand-lettered on fine paper and be of displayable quality.

Interested participants may also request a handwritten poem via email, and will receive a printable jpeg file of their poem, which can then be printed or used in other ways.

I look forward to meeting you, my Muse.

Robert and Christine’s Poem

This is Robert and Christine.

I met both of them at a media event held at CraftWorks at Cool Spring, and had such a great time talking to them about writing, art and history, as well as the relationship and career they both share.

Amber’s Poem

I received a request for a personalized poem from Amber, via a poem “dropbox” that I created. The dropbox had a pocket attached which held small forms -”poem requests”- which could be filled out and then slid into the dropbox. These boxes can be placed in different locations, allowing individuals to request personalized poems privately. Amber shared a bit of her story with me and I was extremely touched by the honesty I found in her poem request. Amber’s life has not been an easy one, and I am honored by her openness and her willingness to trust me with some of the details of her life. This is Amber’s poem.

Lauren’s Poem

I met Lauren at a media event at CraftWorks at Cool Spring last month. Lauren herself is a writer and poet. She drinks tea, plays music, is soft-spoken, and has lovely, dark eyes. Here is her poem.

 

Jennifer’s Poem

This is Jennifer.

Jennifer was one of my sister’s good friends when we first moved to West Virginia (and for that, I thank her). Jennifer would come over to hang out with my sister when my family lived in an apartment above a museum in historic Harpers Ferry. Jennifer and my sister (also named Jennifer) would make little movies with my Dad’s video camera, complete with props and costumes. The two Jennifers made some pretty creative and funny videos. This Jennifer is now married with a little girl, and is perhaps one of the most spiritual women I have met. She’s a seeker, and I like that about her.

Kinsley’s Poem

I was asked to write a poem for a friend’s newborn daughter, Kinsley. Those are her tiny feet below, as photographed by Rachel Kisner.

Sabrina’s Poem

This is my friend Sabrina, when she was tiny, with her Mommy. Sabrina lost her Mom when she was just a girl. Today is the anniversary of her passing, so I dedicate this post to Sabrina, and her lovely Mother. Sabrina has one of the gentlest hearts of anyone I have ever met. I think her Mom would be extremely proud of the woman her daughter has become. 

Memory Book

I have been very interested in making books lately. Here is one of them.