What Sparks Poetry

Building Community

What Sparks Poetry is a serialized feature in which we invite poets to explore experiences and ideas that spark new poems.

In our occasional series, Building Community, we spotlight connections between our work on the page and our work in the community. In each issue, we pair a poem from our featured poet with an interview that explores what poetry brings to our neighborhoods, cities, and the wider world — and what community makes possible for poetry itself.

A Thank You for Supporting Literary Organizations

Whether you support large literary organizations like Pen/Faulkner, The Academy of American Poets, and the Poetry Society of America; organizations of community and unity like Cave Canem, CantoMundo, and the Asian American Writers Workshop; local organizations like Shore Lit, who we featured last week in these pages, or presses and journals like those we feature each day, we want to publicize a thank you. 

If Poetry Daily is among the literary organizations you give to, we offer special thanks.  And in the spirit of thanks, to give back to donors who find a way to support Poetry Daily with $100 or more this December, we have some gifts: Two specially commissioned, limited edition broadsides of  Ilya Kaminsky’s previously unpublished “A Walking Man,” numbered and hand-signed by the poet. 

Each of the editions, produced on 11” x 17” acid free paper, are illustrated and designed by visual artist Yana Belcher (Huseva) and honor Belcher and Kaminsky’s shared Ukrainian heritage. In the Flower Edition, Belcher captures the aesthetic intersection of poetry, culture, and advocacy in an illustration inspired by the traditional Ukrainian ornamental style known as Petrykivka. In the Embroidery Edition, she translates Kaminsky’s title, ”A Walking Man,” in the traditional, historically sacral Ukrainian embroidery alphabet, Brodivske.

To view the two broadsides, scroll through the images above, or see full sized images of both broadsides on our donations page.

Each supporter who makes a gift of $100 or more to Poetry Daily between December 11th and December 31st may choose to receive a unique, numbered and signed copy of either edition as our thanks.

If you are interested in making a contribution, you may do so here. A Poetry Daily staff member will be in touch to secure each donors’ individual preferences before the broadsides are mailed. For any additional questions, please contact [email protected].

Thank you for your support this year. In truth, your gift makes Poetry Daily possible.

 

Artist and Designer Yana Belcher (Huseva)

Yana Belcher (Huseva), who designed this season’s broadsides and holiday banners, graduated from Dnipro State College of Building and Construction Technologies and Architecture in Ukraine and continued her education at the Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. In 2016, she came to America, where she obtained a degree in Graphic Design at George Mason University. Drawing from impressionists such as Van Gogh and Monet, symbolists like Vrubel, and her Ukrainian heritage, in her painting and design work she employs a range of media, from crayons to digital media to oil paints. She is the Lead Graphic Designer at a Fairfax-based consulting firm that serves non-profit organizations and small businesses and also works as a freelance designer and illustrator.

Share This Post

Print This Post

Color Photograph of Peter Streckfus

Peter Streckfus

Peter Streckfus is the editorial co-director, with Sally Keith, of Poetry Daily.