Escape into Life: Issue no. 20
We’re celebrating our 20th issue here at Escape into Life! Our first post was May 1st 2009 . . . and I think we’ve had a pretty good run so far.
This is also a great time to introduce two new team members. Laura Lawson has accepted a position at Escape into Life as Art News and Opinion editor/writer. Laura will be writing two posts every week, the first which focuses strictly on art news, and the second which concentrates on art opinions in recent art reviews.
Luke Grundy will be writing movie reviews for Escape into Life. You’ll see by the quality of his reviews in this issue that he displays a precocious talent for film criticism.
Odilon Redon: Prince of Dreams . . . Odilon Redon is a painter who evokes an aura of mystery around his works. In this marvelous essay by Tony Thomas, the mystery of Odilon Redon is carefully analyzed and cracked open. It all begins with this quote by Redon: “Nothing can be created in art by the will alone. All art is the submission of the will to the unconscious.”
Poetry by George Looney . . . In these plainspoken poems by George Looney, we are given direct access to the poet’s emotional self. By eschewing literary pyrotechnics, Looney touches on something deeper, something with a pulse. He is chair of the BFA in Creative Writing Program at Penn State Erie and editor-in-chief of the international literary journal Lake Effect.
Breathless by Jean Luc Godard . . . As the Guardian recently pointed out, Godard’s masterpiece, Breathless, turns 50 this month. Our film reviewer belongs to an entirely different generation from when this movie first came out (as am I) and if he can relate to it, and admit to its cinematic powers, then we know it’s stood the test of time. Also check out Luke’s review of another classic, the 1985 film Brazil by Terry Gilliam.
A Review of Peter Davis’s Poetry! Poetry! Poetry! . . . Not so long ago we featured the unconventional (meaning not adhering to any conventions in this case) poems by Peter Davis. Well, our poetry editor Mark Kerstetter has taken it upon himself to provide a thought-provoking defense of Davis’s unconventional trope.
Escape into Life is always on the look-out for helpful “curators” who can suggest great short films, mixtapes, incredible poets and fiction writers to feature in the online journal. Please use the contact box at the bottom of the website to make suggestions.
What is Escape into Life?
Escape into Life hosts over 900 contemporary artist profiles, and is also an online arts journal with contributions from nearly 25 different writers. Many of our contributors—ranging from well-known published authors, university professors, and freelance journalists—continue to publish art reviews and art history essays month after month. In addition, our poetry editor selects a new poet to feature in the journal every issue.
The Escape into Life digest comes out about twice monthly and you can subscribe at the top of the website, next to the search bar.
As an organization, we seek to promote the arts in all its forms. Our next milestone is to merge the thriving online publication with a viable online art store.
Congratulations Chris, well deserved!
Thank you!