The Process & Bios

Notes on "Overtures"
by John Sibley Williams

Staci and I recently began working on a collaborative chapbook in which my poetry and her art are conversing together, touching upon the same subjects and themes through these different media. Our goal is for each piece to compliment the other while pushing its theme further by providing two unique ways of approach— two doors. At the same time we hope they stand on their own feet— separate in their vision and purpose.

The process behind each is a unique experience. For these pieces, Staci first rendered this image of solitude with connection, of human and natural interaction, and the stark contradictions inherent in her art provided me with just enough handles to pick it up and try to make it my own, in words. The idea of tree was obvious, and a primal interaction was certainly taking place. There seemed to be a conversation (one-way?, reciprocal?) between these figures, and I was forced to ask myself “why is this person alone in the forest?” and “what is being discussed or what wisdom or questions are being transferred, and in which direction?” The poem attempts to ask and perhaps answer these questions in fitting with the theme and mood of her piece.

Update after launch
Through a facebook conversation, our friends Rosemary and Farfel Lombard and we discovered that we both will have collaborations included in this issue of BluePrintReview. A blog note about this is online in The Art of Raining, here's a quote from it: "If, back at submittal time we had mentioned sending our work to BluePrintReview, we wouldn't have been so surprised when it converged in a journal on the other side of the far ocean." (more)

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Bios

John Sibley Williams is a poet and book publicist residing in Portland, OR. He has a previous MA in Writing and presently studies Book Publishing at Portland State University, where he serves as Acquisitions Manager of Ooligan Press and publicist for Three Muses Press. His poetry was nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize and won the 2011 Heart Poetry Award. His debut chapbook, A Pure River , was published in 2010 by The Last Automat Press. Some of his over 100 previous or upcoming publications include: The Evansville Review, RHINO, Rosebud, Ellipsis , Flint Hills Review, Euphony, Open Letters, Cadillac Cicatrix, Juked, The Journal, Hawaii Review, Cutthroat, The Furnace Review, Red Wheelbarrow, Aries, and River Oak Review.

Staci M. Cole is an artist and musician residing in Portland, Oregon. She also works with post-production digital photography. Her artistic vision includes stark, black and white depictions with both concrete and surreal elements that attempt to convey an untold story. She is working with John, her fiancee, on a collaborative poetry/art chapbook, of which this piece is a part.

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