Inspired by the Artist/Mother Podcast’s call to continue forms of creative practice during the daily activities of parenting, I transformed the month of June into a “Mother’s Artist Residency”. Most of this took place on the beach in Galveston, Texas. During the long drive south my twin boys and I talked about the social dimensions of fourth grade, and the likely dramas of middle school. We listened to a This American Life episode about Middle School that had us laughing together and spurred our conversation.
This collection of one word poems is inspired by the lexicon of their world and by close proximity, mine, too. Each One Word Poem follows a strict set of self-imposed rules: I only used my iPhone (v. 13) and the free version of Vixer. The videos are ten-seconds with one word overlayed, set in 24 point Amir (one of two free typefaces in the app) with variable tracking. The word-image relationships are poetic. Sometimes the images are conduits for a feeling I associate with the word (like, “rituals”). Sometimes they’re in opposition (“rules, expectations”). Sometimes they are literal (“forgiveness, routines”). Sometimes a quality of the word resonates with the way the word interacts with the slightly moving image (“promises, betrayals”). “Transgressions” is one of my favorites from this series because the (unplanned and live) audio conveys the mood of the poem, even though it is a recording of human voices who are not present in the visual. The poem created its own transgression during its making. “Expectations” was made in response to the politics of the time. It’s a “phallacy.” It is a phallic image, which, combined with the word “expectations,” and in light of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, creates a paradoxical visual message. The playfulness of the lit amusement park ride contrasts with my expectations for the government to uphold legislation that prioritizes democracy and freedom. Although each poem is an abstraction of a personal experience while working the double-shift of artist and mother, viewers are expected to read and relate to these digital poems on their own terms. All readers are welcome, but I’m especially interested in readers who view this third generation electronic literature series (made for social media with digital tools) while simultaneously parenting.
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