Escape Into Life: Issue no. 23
Christopher Al-Aswad: A Tribute … As an ongoing and living tribute to the life of Christopher Al-Aswad, his friends and followers are working together to continue his vision for Escape into Life. Here are Chris’s own words concerning the kismet meeting of word and image and his belief that literary and visual art forms are inextricably entwined. If the two mediums are the divine saviors that free the human spirit from an earth-bound tether, these Dioscuri twins live on here and immortalize our friend’s life and work.
He Got Eyes… New contributor, Fred Shively, examines Robert Frank’s series of photographs known as, “The Americans.” During the 1950s, Frank’s ambiguous and cinematic images of the United States were criticized as being muddy, out of focus, and sloppy. Frank’s legacy, however, lies not in his technique, but in his eyes–eyes that saw and captured images of American Life that are at once grim and full of light.
Alice Neel… created paintings that reflect and reveal a tumultuous life spanning the last century. Strong modeling, a bleak combination of warm and cool tones, and a unique ability to capture the unglamorous folds and hiding places of the human body characterize the images of this tenacious painter.
Flying to the Moon by Linda Simoni-Wastila…The exacto-knife prose of this short-short story resonates with the delicious freedoms and the unholy despair that circumscribe one woman’s thoughts. Direct and lush in her description, Simoni-Wastila knits together the complexities of memory, sorrow, and the inner life.
Bestival Review… Luke Grundy gives us a rundown on the most intriguing bands from the recent three-day U. K. Bestival music celebration. Enjoy his links to a variety of musical artists; the word-chords will inspire EIL readers to be among the 50,000 next year.
Stacy Ericson is an editor and photographer who has been writing poetry since she was a child. Her work often reflects her interest in other cultures, ancient languages and religion, and visceral passions. She says “To me poetry is a very serious undertaking involving studying poets that have gone before, the changing styles and goals of different time periods, specific imagery, unexpected juxtapositions, and a consciousness of meter and trope.”
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