Stark: an anthology of poetry and photography

Now reading.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:07:01 +0000

We’re now reading through the submissions.

Hope you submit!

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:58:07 +0000

Today is the last day for open submissions for the premiere issue of Stark. The poets that have submitted are all intrigued and excited about this project. It should be a fantastic book. Wouldn’t you like to be part of it?

Submit your best poems here.

About the nude thing.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:15:12 +0000

Why nude photos? As poets, we tend to bare our souls in our work, no matter how much care we take to cloak the nakedness in metaphor. Our bodies are as beautiful and human as our words. We are our bodies and we are our poems. Stark is about seeing the body and the poem as one.

Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together with the delicate, tough skin of words. ~ Paul Engle, February 17, 1957, New York Times

The body always expresses the spirit whose envelope it is. And for him who can see, the nude offers the richest meaning. ~ Auguste Rodin

Many fine poets, ones who have no qualms about getting up in front of an audience and reading or performing intensely personal poems, when approached about contributing to Stark, have recoiled. Comments have been made implying that to expose one’s body is somehow cheapening, both of our poetry and ourselves. It’s a shame we carry so much shame about our bodies.

I am a mother, born a year after that Paul Engle quote was printed. My body has carried, birthed, and breastfed three children, now all adults, and it shows. My body and I have been friends at times, and at others, enemies. I’ve never felt “beautiful” in the traditional way our culture seems to bestow that word. But “traditional” beauty is not what Stark is about.

Submitting to Stark is a choice. There is no right or wrong choice. We celebrate all poets, and are delighted in the opportunity to examine the boundaries of who we are as poets and the definition of what constitutes self expression.

Deadlines in the real world.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:34:12 +0000

We changed the deadline to get work in to January 1, 2012 from December 1, 2011 because the weeks just seemed to be moving too quickly. Some general life, and death, events got in the way. When you need to, you move deadlines. We’re hoping we don’t have to move it again.

A general call should go out on the CRWROPPS list soon. I tried the “Notes” feature of Facebook to send out the submission call to various poets. We’ve passed out flyers at a poetry event.

But it is the holidays. People are busy. Submitting to Stark may not be at the top of their list. Ha! But this is a very cool project, and we’re hoping folks will be interested enough to put off their shopping for a few hours and send some poems.

In the next post, the topic of ”nobody wants to see my naked body” will be considered.

Live but no visitors yet.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:54:55 +0000

The other day the duplicate “Home” tab was fixed. This blog/website is now “live.” But since I haven’t gotten word out, there hasn’t been any visitors. Will have to remedy that this weekend.

Always delays.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:48:25 +0000

The day after my last post, our part of New England was hit by a nor’easter that dumped close to a foot of snow and brought down trees and power lines all over. I was without power and/or internet for close to a week. Two weeks went by before the Stark staff could meet. This is a work-in-progress. And at this point in time, a labor of love.

Today I’ve been trying to figure out how to not have duplicate pages without having to go back and start all over. I am meeting with a friend who is familiar with WordPress this coming week. Hopefully I’ll get my many questions answered.

About to go live.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:15:08 +0000

A month has flown by. I’d hoped to have this “live” before now. Learning as I go.

Reviving a project.

Robin Elizabeth Sampson — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:07:04 +0000

Stark is a project that was begun in 2003. A poetry journal with a difference. Each issue would not only include fine poems from a wide range of poets, but each poet would sit for a nude photography session and one or more of those photos would be included. Also, the poet would write about the experience and that brief piece would be included.

Poets submitted work and were selected. They sent more work. But before the photo sessions could begin the project was shelved due to life/death issues. Time passed and eventually the Editor decided she was ready to revive the project.

This blog will be about that process.