Friday, December 11, 2015

from seven to SPARK 27

Last week I posted rainforest animal poems by my 7-year-old 2nd graders.  This week I'm leaping forward a few generations to highlight work I did in collaboration with a visual artist through the SPARK program.  This free opportunity to give and receive artistic inspiration is now in its 27th round, and I always enjoy the challenge.  This time I was matched with Aimee Fullman, who's living in London at the moment and who wears all kinds of hats besides photographer!

Aimee sent me two pieces to select from, which I appreciated, so I sent her two poems, and old and a newer one.  Here are our two resulting pairings of photography and poetry.   The first photo shows the George Washington Masonic National Memorial.  It inspired this geometry poem.

 
 
Aimee chose this poem, written from the flipped expression "my eyes flashed before my life," which slipped out of my daughter's mouth one day (probably during a driving lesson).
 



I'm pretty pleased with both match-ups--fascinated by Aimee's response piece and thrilled as always by how effective a prompt can be for me (not to mention a deadline).  I bet other PF regulars participated--find more inspiration at the round-up today, hosted by Tara at A Teaching Life.


14 comments:

  1. I am fascinated by how these images informed your thoughts, words, and even the structure of the poems. It's hard not to look at that foot hanging out of the car. I love how you captured the geometry of the foot.

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  2. A great collaboration, Heidi. I like "sparkling darkling" very much. I've been partaking in the Spark experience for a few years now, and the results are always a surprise.

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  3. Which were the inspiration pieces? Wait. I can guess this one!
    The first image is the inspiration piece, of course. It would be difficult to write so precise a poem and find the exact setting to snap a photo! Love all the connections to the picture...starting with the G is for Geometry!
    I am featuring my Spark 27 today, too!

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  4. Wow. I love them both and how the images inspired your words. I love the contrast in the first one between the block and the curve and your flashing lashes in the second.

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  5. I try to write from Laura Purdie Salas' picture prompts each Thursday & am always surprised at the different responses to the same picture. Love what you did with these, the detail in the first, "the road curves, the mirror curves, roof rounds", and the other thoughtful about self, that ethereal moment imagined. Lovely, Heidi.

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  6. Heidi, these are stunning! "darkling" is one of my very favorite words--and I don't even know if it's a real word. I love the way you took apart and reassembled the phrase "my eyes flashed before my life."

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  7. I love the juxtaposition of angles and curves in the photo and how your poem plays with these! Amy's response captures the essence of your poem so well, even the twinkle and sparkling. What fun! This is something I'd like to try.

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  8. These are wonderful, Heidi! As others have mentioned, I love how the structure of the first poem mirrors the shape of the building, car, and foot. Thanks for sharing!

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  9. Heidi, I like how the art prompted your words. "but for bare air," is a lovely turn of phrase, I like your use of internal rhyme. Your word choice in each poem is inspiring. Thank you for sharing these. Hope you are enjoying your holiday break.

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  10. Thanks for all the feedback, everyone--I'm sure Diane and Jone and Donna would all join me in encouraging you to sign up for the next round in February. And to Joy--I'm sorry to say that I'm nowhere near enjoying my holiday break! I'll be in the classroom until 4pm on Dec. 23 (the day we will literally act out our version of Stone Soup, and have a soup party).

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  11. Yikes! You have to go eight more days? We're out on Friday, so for all intents and purposes (sing-along and cookie decorating and holiday party factored in) we only have four more.

    Not that I'm counting.

    How do you hear about Spark? I want to try it. Maybe even in February.

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    1. I want to try it because your pair of pairings is so amazing! If you hadn't said, no one could ever know which came first, the art or the words! Bravo!

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  12. These are both intriguing poems, but I especially like the 2nd - so magical and lyrical!

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  13. I'm so glad you got SPARK-ED, Heidi. Love both poems, especially that last one. Emily and e.e. would be proud parents. :-)

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Thanks for joining in the wild rumpus!