Richard Brautigan’s poetry was anything but academic. When he was not trying to write koan-like lines – “I learned Buddhism by watching”, he reported – he was always good for a nonsense verse. Several poems with titles above white space combine these approaches. In The Amelia Earhart Pancake he talks about his vain efforts toContinue reading “Helping Brautigan out”
Author Archives: Marius van der Graaf
Possibilities of the Body
How do we use our bodies to work, to perform, to create, to play, to compete, to unwind, to care for others, to build, to communicate, to hike, or to accomplish any of the tasks we confront in everyday life? How do we use our elbows, our feet, our hands, our torso, our ankles, ourContinue reading “Possibilities of the Body”
Mail Art in the Cloister
The barn of the cloister in Zehdenick (Brandenburg, Germany) is a well known location for concerts, poetry readings and art workshops. June 12 has seen the opening of a museum about the cloister as well as a mail art show. The cloister was founded in 1250 as a Cistercian nunnery. It became protestant in the 16thContinue reading “Mail Art in the Cloister”
Finnish Puzzles
Atte Ourie from Helsinki is known for his enigmatic works. The two cards he sent to Vienna are no exception. Maybe they show a pirate’s treasure map which you can’t understand, until you solve seven riddles and cast three dangerous spells. Maybe they hint towards a part of the Kalevala that has been overlooked byContinue reading “Finnish Puzzles”
Children in the World
Yesterday saw the opening of the mail art exhibition Bambini nel mondo – Children in the World curated by Renata di Palma with works of 57 artists. Part of the event was a presentation of Daniela Minerbi’s fable Gino e Margherita by the artist Sarah Mutinelli. The show runs from 1 to 26 June inContinue reading “Children in the World”
70 x Endurance
Serlina Rose is a poetess and writer from the Caribbean island of Dominica. When she is not working on her own stories and poems, reading, or sharing ideas and opinions on social media channels, she is compiling anthologies. Recently, she edited a truly international compilation on the subject of endurance for an Indian publishing house.Continue reading “70 x Endurance”
On the Outside
Senza traccia / Without a trace is the title of a mail art exhibition in Casole d’Elsa, a municipality in the Province of Siena in the region Tuscany. The aim of the show is to draw attention to persons that are isolated and marginalized. The works cover a broad variety of art forms like drawings, photography and poetry andContinue reading “On the Outside”
Bellezza naturale
The mail art call bellezza (beauty) is part of a series cultural and artistic projects named voci di notte (voices of the night) of the echorama A.P.S. association. The theme which includes all the possible meanings of beauty was chosen to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the World Heritage Convention, adopted byContinue reading “Bellezza naturale”
Bilingual
Recently, two of Gerald’s texts were published nearly simultaneously in Austria and the US. The literature magazine Book of Matches has included the poem Farewell Song in its spring issue (no. 5). It features prominently as the last text of the publication. The first issue was published in January 2021. The journal is edited byContinue reading “Bilingual”
Speaking in many Tongues
The language school Escuela Oficial de Idiomas de Carabanchel in Madrid was looking for contributions to the theme learning languages. Gerald’s card includes references to four great works of literature: the Odyssey, The Cid, Beowulf and the Finnish epic Kalevala. On the right side is a scan of the colorful confirmation of participation in theContinue reading “Speaking in many Tongues”
Strange Creature
This one was sent to Melanie Reed in the USA. It’s once again a cooperation of Gabriele and Gerald. Looking closely at the drawing, they decided that the pink animal is not a quadruped, but a triped that happens to have four legs. Well. and deep thoughts of this kind can only be expressed inContinue reading “Strange Creature”
Demonology
Back in 2020, when we were confronted with COVID-19 for the first time, most of us were confused and scared. Although we tried to – and most of us did – to approach the pandemic in a rational way, we harbored all kinds of fears related to the virus. The Alianza Cultural para las ArtesContinue reading “Demonology”
Angekommen in Niederösterreich
Zwei niederösterreichische Literaturzeitschriften haben in den vergangenen Wochen Prosa von Gerald Jatzek vorgestellt. Das Podium widmet die Nummer 203/204 dem Neustart. Neben der naheliegenden Interpretation nach zwei Jahren Einschränkungen durch die Pandemie finden sich etwa Texte über eine erschwerte berufliche Neuorientierung (Thomas Northoff) und eine Interpretation der Welt, die zunehmend aus der Zeit fällt. KatjaContinue reading “Angekommen in Niederösterreich”
Colorfull Collages
Two wonderful collages from Seattle reached Vienna on the last day of March. They are works of Melanie Reed, titled New Year’s Eve and Object Lesson. Both images – Melanie calls them “unlikely art visions” – show a strong tension between a static central object and a background filled with colorful objects moving in a variety of directions.
Supplement to 2021
Sometimes things disappear on hard disks. Eventually, they turn up again. This happened to two works of Felipe Lamadrid which reached Austria in June 2021. They were scanned, they were prepared for publication – and then they somehow slipped into the wrong folder. They reappeared a few days ago, and therefore they can finally beContinue reading “Supplement to 2021”
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