Press Snips / Exquisite Monsters

Short creative things. By me, and by others. I'm a Canadian writer (four books of poetry published) and creative writing instructor.

[sallyito]

Exquisite Monsters 2:  So, I’m still drawing an image every day inspired by K.I. Press’ Exquisite Monsters poetry book.  Usually, I find a text that sparks my imagination and go Googling about for images.  For the “bearded lady at five o’clock,” I found a portrait of a young bearded woman from the 16th century that I copied.  The torso section featured a tree and this was relatively easy for me to draw without consulting any image.  For the legs section, the mention of ‘half shell,’ ‘sea foam,’ and ‘sea god’ conjured up for me the famous Botticelli Aphrodite image which I consulted to draw the legs and the half shell.  Of course, the feet are clad in ballet slippers. 

[sallyito]

I haven’t been on Tumblr for awhile but that hasn’t meant I’ve stopped drawing!  Recently, a poet friend of mine, K.I. Press, launched her latest poetry book called Exquisite MONSTERS.  This book is meant to be interactive, and can be used for drawing.  In the latter half of the book in a section called “Exquisite Monster (in interchangeable parts)”, the pages are divided into three portions with text roughly corresponding to the head, torso, and legs parts of the body.  You can draw images alongside the text if you like, and then when you’re done, tear the page along the perforated lines and mix and match different heads with different torso or leg parts.  I haven’t filled in the whole book yet but this is my first attempt at drawing one of the ‘exquisite monsters’ described on p.73.  I take whatever portion of the poetic text that appeals to me as an image, and then usually Google it or something close to it and then imaginatively try and render something fitting.  I’ve been drawing an image a day from whatever text appeals to me from the book that day, and this exercise is turning out to be a very fun way of trying to draw out of my head inasmuch as I can do so with the help of Google and my somewhat limited drawing experience!   

[kipress]

Here's how the 3 #monster parts work together. #exquisitemonster #books #poetry #canlit

[kipress]

Today's #exquisitemonster part is this odd set of legs: Its clothes were changed for sexy while it slept with a hole cut out and a tail pulled through It is a sister, naturally, feet sliced off at the ankles crawling crawling #poetry #books #canlit #npm #poetrymonth #nationalpoetrymonth #monster

[kipress]

Today's #exquisitemonster #monster: Each unruly hair has a tiny eye on the end / They named it fibre optics / Everyone had a lamp like this / A thousand lamps, each swinging strand // These do not light up, but look at. And below / its mouth is carnivorous. @turnstonepress

[kipress]

This torso was created in a 3D printer / and is made of composite materials. / / It is a perfect replica. #poem #poetry #book #canlit #exquisitemonsters

[kipress]

3 exquisite corpses by hydra arts on flickr

[kipress]

#firstvine My #exquisitemonsters sketchbook

[kipress]

Image from page 310 of "Wunder, Wundergeburt und Wundergestalt in Einblattdrucken des fünfzehnten bis achtzehnten Jahrhunderts; kulturhistorische Studie" (1921)

From Internet Book Images on Flickr’s The Commons. Contributing library: University of Toronto.

[kipress]

Monsters, Anyone?

I have a new poetry book coming out called Exquisite Monsters. I’m going to try to use my Tumblr to post stuff about monsters from out and about, and occasionally some of my sketches that go with the book. I’m not an artist, but I believe in my doodles. 

I’m a big fan of archival images, so I’ll be doing a lot of my looking in archives, including Flickr’s clearing house of public archive imagery, The Commons.

[kipress]

I love your Trivial Pursuit poems

Thank you! I can't take total credit -- my husband and I came up with that idea together when we were dating, in a pub with old Trivial Pursuit cards on the tables.

[kipress]

Me (K.I. Press) reading my poem "How to Forage."

I wrote this at least a year ago. I appreciate comments and suggestions.

[kipress]

Classroom of Laidley Spring School on the Matador Co-operative farm about 40 miles north of Swift Current, Sask. Teacher is R. L. Moen. Credit: Gar Lunney/National Film Board of Canada. Photothèque/Library and Archives Canada/PA-159647 Copyright: Expired

[kipress]

Path to Spring at Major's Hill Park. Ottawa, Ont.  Credit: William James Topley/Library and Archives Canada/PA-009352 Copyright: Expired

[kipress]

1918 Spring Drive Liberty Loan :  liberty loan drive.  Credit: Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. 1983-28-2676 Copyright: Expired / Périmé Artist: Wilson, Craig.

[kipress]

Latitude 81 degree 44' N. The people who did not leave the ship in the early spring sledding season. A discarded face protector on snow bank. 1876   Credit: Thomas Mitchell / Library and Archives Canada / C-004588 Copyright: Expired

[kipress]

Lieutenant Ken Guy of the 3rd Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery (R.C.A), taking part in Operation SPRING, Fleury-sur-Orne, France, 25 July 1944. 

Credit: Lieut. Michael M. Dean / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-130139 Photographer: Dean, Michael M.