Issue > Editor's Note
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The Bridge
Cut Tyvek, 24 x 25 inches, 2019
by Barbara Earl Thomas

The Bridge is part of a series of 33 larger than life panels that incorporate historic moments, neighborhoods and people to highlight the community the new Multnomah Regional Justice Center will serve. Thomas' papercut designs will be forged in stainless steel to form a sculptural surround treatment of windows and gates.

Barbara Earl Thomas' works are included in, among others, the Seattle Art Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum, Portland Art Museum, Microsoft, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in addition to Washington State and Seattle City public collections. She is the recipient of the City of Seattle Mayor's Arts Award for Cultural Ambassador, the Governor's Arts Award, the Artist Trust Irving and Yvonne Twining Humber Award, and The Stranger Genius Award for excellence in the arts. Thomas has lectured on arts and culture as well as serving as a social and cultural activist who was instrumental in the creation of the Northwest African American Museum, where she served as its executive director from 2008 to 2012. She received her BA and MFA from the University of Washington School of Art. She has upcoming major exhibits at the Seattle Art Museum in 2020 and the Henry Gallery in 2021. She is represented by the Claire Oliver Gallery in New York.

Editor's Note

I’m thrilled to present Issue 84 with spectacular cover art by Barbara Earl Thomas who also designed the cover for poet and Issue 84 author Cyrus Cassell’s critically acclaimed second book of poems Soul Make a Path Through Shouting (1994). What a lovely coincidence that they are in this issue together!

Barbara Earl Thomas describes herself as “a writer and visual artist who draws on her personal history between the American south and the Pacific Northwest. Thomas incorporates themes of people and their rituals with the land, foregrounding the mythologized, metaphorical sense of place as operating between a geographical and spiritual location. Thomas’ builds tension filled narratives through abstracted papercuts and prints, placing silhouetted figures within almost mythological landscapes. Thomas’s site-specific sculptural practice expands these forms into space; her public sculptures and large-scale installations incorporate light, space and location into her dramatic landscapes and scenography's.”

This issue, we have the pleasure of showcasing twenty-five phenomenal poets: Nico Amador, Christopher Bakken, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Beverly Burch, Cyrus Cassells, Joanne Diaz, CD Eskilson, Joseph Fasano, Augusta Funk, Mag Gabbert, David Groff, Kelle Groom, James Allen Hall, Ricardo Hernandez, Abbie Kiefer, Sandra Marchetti, Kelly Moffett, Caroline Plasket, Jacob Rivers, Esteban Rodriguez, Hayden Saunier, Katherine Smith, Samn Stockwell, Noah Warren, and Maw Shein Win.

Our featured book is The Galleons by Rick Barot. In this, his fourth collection, Barot’s sublime lyricism and extraordinary eye for the details of the world finds expression in poems that, in the words of Cate Marvin, “arrive at the limitations of seeking transcendence” as they explore the journey of Barot’s Filipino-American family in the context of the aftermath of colonialism. It’s an unforgettable, heartbreaking, and gorgeous book, and I can’t recommend it enough.

I hope you’ll enjoy the book reviews in this issue. Eric Fishman reviews The Poetry of Pierluigi Cappello, translated By Todd Portnowitz, Kim Jacobs-Beck reviews Mary Peelen's Quantum Heresies, and David Rigsbee reviews the latest by Robert Hass, Summer Snow. They’re engaging and critical deep dives into poetic craft and translation, and a pleasure to read.

Finally, many thanks to the TCR staff for all their hard work, talent, and dedication. This wouldn’t be possible without them.

Enjoy the issue!

Christian Gullette

Poetry

Katherine Smith

Katherine Smith
The Gaze

Poetry

Samn Stockwell

Samn Stockwell
A Constant Reduction In Volume Accompanies The Radio

Poetry

Abbie Kiefer

Abbie Kiefer
Revitalization Project: Mercy Hospital Nurses' Dormitory