Overview

Countless schemes for organizing this book have come and gone: themes, perhaps, those about nature, followed by comments on the plights of mankind, love, sadness, humor, politics, and others. Upon reflection, Robert Brennan realized that such an order did not reflect the characteristics of how he writes or how he thinks or, in fact, how the world unfolds before his eyes. In truth, His afternoon walks along the road that has inspired words about aging against a sunset differ from those inspired by the moving in and out of sadness in the evening news. As in everyman's mind, the flow is steady and varied and punctuated by moments of lucidity and wonder, by moments of fear and anguish and peacefulness and great sorrow and all elements of human thinking and feeling. Still, while each of us experiences periods in our lives of prolonged states of mind and heart, as when we are heartbroken over the loss of a loved one, life in its totality is - for good or for bad - a moving screen. This book is not arranged in categories. There might be pages near each other that are similar in content and tone. In other cases, the subject from one page to the next might be radically different. It is intended that each page stands on its own, which again, for good or bad, more faithfully reflects how my poems arise. Recognizing that some structural order is needed, I have chosen the one that is the most dependable and familiar of all: chance, pure, unadulterated chance. Arbitrariness follows. The fact that it is totally arbitrary, in this case, is something that we all will have to live with; however, in a special irony, although the actual content of the work is arranged arbitrarily, the pages of the book are more or less in alphabetical order. Go figure. Here is the ultimate orderliness, sparing with ambiguity, like a challenge. Read on.

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9781959262084

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Reviews

Robert Brennan's poetry has an uncanny way of creating unique and fascinating images in my mind; images that I would have never envisioned otherwise. He has an ability to take the ordinary and present it in a manner that makes it extraordinary. His poems weave together sublime, insightful, and thought-provoking moments in time that leave you wanting more. -Bill Glass Nationally recognized award-winning photographer and visual artist Connecticut Educational Leader of the Year awardee Press Photographer of The Newtown Bee Musician I have been enjoying Bob Brennan's poetry for a number of years and am constantly amazed by the depth and variety and insight in them. they range from hilariously funny to serious to wistful. He writes of man's brutality and destruction of this planet, of the beauty of nature, of dreams. He writes of aging with humor and acceptance. He advises us to be better while accepting that we are flawed. The poems have brilliance and insightfulness, always inspiring thought, surprise, and joy. Bob Brennan is a wonderful writer, and I am grateful to him for sharing his gift with me. -Susan Reinhart Professor of Fine Arts Robert Brennan paints pictures in his poems as he does in his artwork. He takes everyday things and events, using his words to create a visual portrait. His poems give us wisdom, teaching us sweet and sad lessons which provide us with hope in humanity. What a pleasant afternoon read! -Dr. Joanne Kant President Easton Arts Council When I read Robert Brennan's poems, I think of them as puzzles. As I read them over, I realize there is more than one meaning. There always seems to be a definite sense of duality. -Kerry Brennan Real Estate Agent

Author Information

While continuing his work as a painter and constructivist, Robert Brennan shares his observations of the world through the language of poetry. Beginning with simple word sketches from his deck in rural Connecticut and sail-aways along coastal New England, he has turned his eye in many directions, from the sights and sounds of the landscape and the sea, to observations of the inner life of souls trying to navigate a world full of wonder, mystery, tragedy, and joy. His words make note of a world he sees and imagines, often in the rich imagery that binds his love of the visual and the written form. Brennan found that with words, he could expand his range of personal expression, at times in combination with his artwork. For more than twenty years, Brennan, a prolific, award-winning freelance painter, served as a professor of art at the University of Bridgeport and art department chair for ten years. He also taught drawing at the Silvermine School of Art, New Canaan, CT and served as the K-12 art coordinator for the Darien School System. He received his BS at Southern Connecticut State University and his MA at Columbia University, where he also pursued doctoral level studies at Columbia Teachers College, majoring in Painting and Printmaking.Brennan maintains his studio in Easton, Connecticut, where he lives with his wife Patricia. Brennan's artwork can be viewed on his website, therestlesseye.com. Google him at artist Robert Brennan. To preview an exhibition of his abstract paintings and constructions, search on youtube Abstract Art Variations by Robert Brennan. Jeanne Criscola is principal of Criscola Design, an award-winning studio focused on social justice and arts and culture projects. Her work spans decades of publication design created for Soros' Open Society Foundations with one in MoMA's Franklin Furnace Artists' Book Collection. Jeanne's design praxis includes objects and experiences, curatorial and exhibition design, and cultural production multiples for authors, artists, and organizations. Her imprint, OctoberWorks.com, is a publishing/think-tank/research initiative focused on digital print technologies to foster experimentation with the multiple using emerging technologies on paper, fabric, and other materials. Her drawings, moving images, installations, generative art, performances, and books have been exhibited in international venues. As a designer and educator, Criscola brings her interests, research, and experimentation into the classroom to instigate students to think beyond the forms and conventions of today's information. Find more at criscoladesign.com, octoberworks.com, artmultiples.online, and centraldesign.online/design-faculty.

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