Dorchester Video Poems
The video poems were a 2012 series designed to highlight a poet's connection to place. Here I wanted to explore Dorchester, Massachusetts as a setting. Each month, I featured poets who lived, worked, or studied in Dorchester, reciting their work at a location they selected as either a direct or indirect complement to their poem. As a form, the video sought to capture the poet, poem, and place in a moment.
Update (July 2017): If you're a Dorchester poet and would like to collaborate on a video poem, send me an email.
Update (July 2017): If you're a Dorchester poet and would like to collaborate on a video poem, send me an email.
MAY 2017
I met Elaine Croce Happnie during a Write on the DOT open mic event at home.stead cafe in Fields Corner. She told me she wanted to make a video poem and I said let's do it. We filmed at the William Clapp House on Boston Street, home to the Dorchester Historical Society of which Elaine's a former president. She toured me through the house, emphasizing the stories of strong women leaders in this community and the nation's history. I'm pleased to share this video of Elaine's poem "Memories in a Dress," which showcases her creativity and character, as well.
I met Elaine Croce Happnie during a Write on the DOT open mic event at home.stead cafe in Fields Corner. She told me she wanted to make a video poem and I said let's do it. We filmed at the William Clapp House on Boston Street, home to the Dorchester Historical Society of which Elaine's a former president. She toured me through the house, emphasizing the stories of strong women leaders in this community and the nation's history. I'm pleased to share this video of Elaine's poem "Memories in a Dress," which showcases her creativity and character, as well.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012
This month's video poem is "Death in the Morning" by Liam Day, filmed at the Dorchester North Burying Ground in Uphams Corner on November 9th. Camilo Cárdenas, a Dorchester-based artist and filmmaker, directed this video poem. Click here to visit Camilo's website. Liam Day is poet and essayist who lives on Jones Hill. Click here to read the text of "Death in the Morning" on the Write on the DOT website.
Liam says:
"I've been wanting to write about the cemetery for a while now. My wife and I live just up the hill from it and I've passed it innumerable times, staring in through the wrought iron fence at the ancient gravestones. The thought that here lie men and women born almost four centuries ago creates a certain sense of awe, a sense of how ephemeral we are.
There is a cemetery in the tiny village in Ireland where my mother grew up. I have ancestors buried there tracing back more than 200 years. Though it may sound morbid, it is my favorite place to visit whenever I go back. The North Dorchester Burying Ground in so many ways reminds me of that cemetery back in Ireland.
There is an Irish writer by the name of Tim Robinson, who wrote two companion volumes about the Aran Islands, which lie just off the Irish coast in Galway Bay. Though desolate, the islands are also beautiful in their desolation and Robinson's books are an attempt to map them, not just physically, but culturally and historically as well. Though I can't claim to have done anything remotely similar with "Death in the Morning," he is who I had in mind, and his writing is what I had in mind, when I first conceived of the project."
"I've been wanting to write about the cemetery for a while now. My wife and I live just up the hill from it and I've passed it innumerable times, staring in through the wrought iron fence at the ancient gravestones. The thought that here lie men and women born almost four centuries ago creates a certain sense of awe, a sense of how ephemeral we are.
There is a cemetery in the tiny village in Ireland where my mother grew up. I have ancestors buried there tracing back more than 200 years. Though it may sound morbid, it is my favorite place to visit whenever I go back. The North Dorchester Burying Ground in so many ways reminds me of that cemetery back in Ireland.
There is an Irish writer by the name of Tim Robinson, who wrote two companion volumes about the Aran Islands, which lie just off the Irish coast in Galway Bay. Though desolate, the islands are also beautiful in their desolation and Robinson's books are an attempt to map them, not just physically, but culturally and historically as well. Though I can't claim to have done anything remotely similar with "Death in the Morning," he is who I had in mind, and his writing is what I had in mind, when I first conceived of the project."
SEPTEMBER 2012
This month's video poem is "Just So You Know" by Willie Pleasants, filmed at the JFK Library and Museum on September 20th. Willie is a poet and producer/host of "Willie's Web" on the Boston Neighborhood Network. She has lived in Dorchester for over 30 years. Visit her online at: www.williepleasants.com
Willie says:
"I chose the JFK Library because President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King both had a love for this nation and believed in human rights for all. It was befitting to film there because JFK was president during Dr. King's involvement with the civil rights movement.
"At an early age, I was inspired by Langston Hughes' poems. I never thought that I could write poetry, but I loved poetry. As an adult, I found my passion and talent writing and sharing my poetry. I love sharing the life lessons that I write in my short stories and poems; that is what keeps me writing more."
"I chose the JFK Library because President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King both had a love for this nation and believed in human rights for all. It was befitting to film there because JFK was president during Dr. King's involvement with the civil rights movement.
"At an early age, I was inspired by Langston Hughes' poems. I never thought that I could write poetry, but I loved poetry. As an adult, I found my passion and talent writing and sharing my poetry. I love sharing the life lessons that I write in my short stories and poems; that is what keeps me writing more."
AUGUST 2012
This month's video poem is "Malibu Beach" by Audrey Mardavich and Mitch Manning, filmed at Malibu Beach on August 26th. Audrey and Mitch live in Clam Point. Click here to read the text of "Malibu Beach" on the Write on the DOT webpage.
Audrey & Mitch say:
"We picked Malibu Beach because we spend most of our time hanging and swimming there. It's been a great place to escape from city life, and yet, at Malibu Beach, you're still very much surrounded by the craziness--the airplanes, the Red Line, the highways. It's like a little beautiful cove in the middle of insanity and we love it."
Audrey says:
"I just finished Alison Bechdel's graphic novel Are You My Mother? Her work is so intelligent and also very emotional. I love her for that. I've also been reading Ariana Reines' poetry which I enjoy for the same reasons. I'm inspired by writers who can find and write the humor out of the messy world that we live in."
Mitch says:
"I keep digging through book barns and swap shops for influence. Late finds include Sun Ra's science fiction poetry, Jandek fan fiction, CA Conrad's (Soma)tics, and ancient Chinese mountain poetry."
"We picked Malibu Beach because we spend most of our time hanging and swimming there. It's been a great place to escape from city life, and yet, at Malibu Beach, you're still very much surrounded by the craziness--the airplanes, the Red Line, the highways. It's like a little beautiful cove in the middle of insanity and we love it."
Audrey says:
"I just finished Alison Bechdel's graphic novel Are You My Mother? Her work is so intelligent and also very emotional. I love her for that. I've also been reading Ariana Reines' poetry which I enjoy for the same reasons. I'm inspired by writers who can find and write the humor out of the messy world that we live in."
Mitch says:
"I keep digging through book barns and swap shops for influence. Late finds include Sun Ra's science fiction poetry, Jandek fan fiction, CA Conrad's (Soma)tics, and ancient Chinese mountain poetry."
JULY 2012
This month's video poem is "Fugue" by Kurt Klopmeier, filmed on an MBTA Red Line train on July 24th. Kurt lives in Dorchester and is an MFA candidate in poetry at UMass Boston where he also teaches creative writing. Click here to read the text of "Fugue" on the Write on the DOT webpage.
This month's video poem is "Fugue" by Kurt Klopmeier, filmed on an MBTA Red Line train on July 24th. Kurt lives in Dorchester and is an MFA candidate in poetry at UMass Boston where he also teaches creative writing. Click here to read the text of "Fugue" on the Write on the DOT webpage.
Kurt says:
"The inspiration for this poem came from an instance when I first moved to Boston. On the Red Line, I thought I saw someone I knew years ago boarding the train at South Station. I started noticing the similarities between the patrons riding the train and people I knew. Soon, everyone began turning into an acquaintance from one time in my life or another. So the T was a natural place to recite the poem.
"I often get my inspiration from a sense of the fantastical hidden within everyday life. This has drawn me to writers like Jorge Luis Borges, James Tate, and Salman Rushdie, as well as a steady diet of comic books, sci-fi, and mythology."
"The inspiration for this poem came from an instance when I first moved to Boston. On the Red Line, I thought I saw someone I knew years ago boarding the train at South Station. I started noticing the similarities between the patrons riding the train and people I knew. Soon, everyone began turning into an acquaintance from one time in my life or another. So the T was a natural place to recite the poem.
"I often get my inspiration from a sense of the fantastical hidden within everyday life. This has drawn me to writers like Jorge Luis Borges, James Tate, and Salman Rushdie, as well as a steady diet of comic books, sci-fi, and mythology."
JUNE 2012
The first video poem in this monthly series is "Last Night," a poem by U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo filmed on June 18th at the waterfront near Lower Mills. U-Meleni is a Zimbabwean performance artist, published poet, and Dorchester resident. Click here to read the text of "Last Night" on the Write on the DOT webpage.
The first video poem in this monthly series is "Last Night," a poem by U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo filmed on June 18th at the waterfront near Lower Mills. U-Meleni is a Zimbabwean performance artist, published poet, and Dorchester resident. Click here to read the text of "Last Night" on the Write on the DOT webpage.
U-Meleni says:
"I chose this location because in the poem there are references to water. But I also chose this location because I am most calm and serene near water and in that state am able to convey the reverie and deliciousness of emerging emotions.
"I am inspired by the following writers: Dambudzo Marechera, Nikki Giovanni, Mari Evans, Khalil Gibran, Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka -- too many to mention. I am also inspired by musicians some of my favorites are Oliver Mtukudzi, Sade, Tracy Chapman, Meshell Ndegocello, Asa, Freshly Ground, Nitin Sawhney. I am inspired by people who use their craft, their talents to make this world a better place."
Learn more about U-Meleni at her website: www.u-meleni.com
"I chose this location because in the poem there are references to water. But I also chose this location because I am most calm and serene near water and in that state am able to convey the reverie and deliciousness of emerging emotions.
"I am inspired by the following writers: Dambudzo Marechera, Nikki Giovanni, Mari Evans, Khalil Gibran, Shakespeare, Wole Soyinka -- too many to mention. I am also inspired by musicians some of my favorites are Oliver Mtukudzi, Sade, Tracy Chapman, Meshell Ndegocello, Asa, Freshly Ground, Nitin Sawhney. I am inspired by people who use their craft, their talents to make this world a better place."
Learn more about U-Meleni at her website: www.u-meleni.com
