Welcome to (Re)!
I am very excited to present a curated “journal of ideas” that is a meeting place of visual art, prose, science, and more.
The idea for this endeavor came about from my love of vintage clothing and found objects and the way in which one ‘re’cycles these objects, et al. to make them their own. This concept then grew from that which we acquire in this vein, to that which we create through our various art forms (and yes, science and math are considered here, to be ‘the application of creative skill and imagination,’ as art is formally defined). All of the material presented incorporates a re-root word, such as relive, reinvent, reuse… into its framework in whatever way the artist chooses. And so, (Re) is a product of this expanded idea.
The journal, available monthly online, features the work of artists/creators/thinkers in various categories and I am honored to present their work within this forum.
Thank you so much for taking the time to explore this new and evolving (re)source.
I hope you enjoy the ride!
— Felice Neals
Writer, reader, photographer, dance devotee, film citizen, language-a-phile…
How many shades of pink can I hold (onto)?/If I should ever forget
Poetry
(Re)miniscing
JP Howard
Cold Desert Skin
Short Story
(Re)connection
Brian Alessandro
Reincarnations
Essay
Adaptive (Re)use
Kavita Das
WELCOME TO THE MULTI-GENRE SCIENCE CORNER
“Science is the poetry of reality.” — Carl Sagan
In this month’s issue, as it is the beginning of a brand new year, we thought it might be fun to share the link to the site of one of my favorite astrologers.
Nadiyah Shah has great insights into the planetary goings on for this month for all signs and for astro fans and skeptics, alike.
And yes, astrology, according to those in the know, is a form of science. Who am I to protest? 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/c/nadiyashahdotcom/playlists
(Re)sponse
Artist: Jules Bradbury
In the closing days of 2020, before opening out into this New Year, I found myself (re)flecting on (re)sponse and the process of (re)covery.
When we are shaken to the core, when we (re)alize the ground we long-assumed to be firm is actually unsteady, when all we thought solid has broken down, we have the chance to feel acute vulnerability. If we can crawl out from under the numb of shock, there is an interesting and powerful place from which to see the world: to somehow become able to respond to life from this raw, unmasked state; to not presume to ‘know’ but to hold your gaze; to be without immunity.
These drawings were made from those depths, long before the pandemic, from a state where grief had peeled me to the bone. It is a state that continues to inform my work.
Lain
Gouache and charcoal on paper.
No Further Resistance
Pencil on paper.
Woman Ill in Hospital Bed
Charcoal on paper.
Jules Bradbury is an artist based in Scotland, having returned from living in Berlin for 8 years where she first started exhibiting.
Her formative years began in a serendipitous tumble into film and fashion, working alongside luminaries such as directors Sally Potter, Joanna Hogg, Kathryn Bigelow, Derek Jarman and milliner Stephen Jones.
She took her skills and energies into schools and communities, moving into landscape, creating many gardens and encouraging involvement.
In her practice, drawing underpins much of her work, chosen for its raw immediacy and sensitivity. Materials favoured reflect a physicality (charcoal, pure pigments, etc) and spontaneity.
Movement and energy are powerful forces of inspiration, as is connection to the natural world. She is drawn to uncompromising landscapes, exposed to the elements and to time, often finding herself engaged in ‘conversation’ with plants or winged creatures.
Increasingly, she is pursuing techniques—such as monotype or dry pastel in combination with water—that loosen control and invite possibility, provoking deeper involvement with what comes before her and further responses in the form of colour work.
Recent years have brought commissions from the National Library of Scotland and solo exhibitions in the Scottish Poetry Library and the Northern Isles.
Music Stuff
The soulful sound of Beth Bliss
On the last day of our Creative Writing class this summer, I asked my students if they would like to share any of their creative work outside of what was submitted in class.
Beth gifted us with the lyrics to ‘Worthy,’ a song she had written with the promise that we would be able to hear the full version one day soon.
During the holidays, I was happy to hear that she had recorded her EP, RAIN, which includes ‘Worthy’ and more of her rich compositions.
“My music is how I cope with my environment, which I understand is a mutual tradition of humanity. As a child, my participation and journey within the art form, my exploration of different genres such as Spirituals, and poetry, have deeply influenced my method of composition. In fact, most of my songs start off as poems or meditations. The Rain EP is a manifestation of what it is like to be not only a woman, a young adult, a person of color, but an impressionable human-being trying to sing their way through life’s storm. Just as the words of English poet, William Congreve, “Music soothes the savage beast.” My song book is my own personal diary and the lyrics that I write often have a close relationship to my inner battles and my reactions that arise out of certain societal events. For example, the song “Don’t Ask Me” was made in response to the recent presidential election and “Rain” was influenced by the pandemic. I honestly feel like music cannot be corrupted and exploited if the individual artist understands where their music derives and where it is going. Thank you and I hope you enjoy listening to my work.” — Beth Bliss
A preview to all of the tunes, written and performed by Beth are available on the various sites included in the link: https://linktr.ee/bethbliss
Enjoy!
OTHER STUFF
Here is where I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the (Re) contributors, the friends and family who support this adventure with their encouragement and guidance, Lori and Jim, the web consultants who are holding my hand as I build this site with no previous experience in the web tech arena, and the wonderful readers, who I hope will continue to follow our monthly content. Thank you! Merci! Gracias! Shukriya! Grazie! Obrigado! Xiexie! Amsegenallo! Asante! Shukraan!
COVER photograph by Felice Neals: A peacock as seen in the Central Park Zoo. November, 2020.
As we ease into the throes of a new year while shedding the layers of the days and months that we have witnessed, endured and espoused in whatever way possible – the splendor of this majestic creature, a symbol in many cultures of (re)birth, (re)newal and prosperity – seemed to be a fitting way to usher in a new start. Thank you Mr. Peacock, for striking such a lovely pose.
ART photographs by Jules Bradbury.
TEXT photographs by Felice Neals: 2021 glasses held against the city landscape.
THANK YOU, as always, to our Editor H.E. Fisher for her sharp eye and invaluable contribution. I could not have gotten this project off and running without her support and editorial expertise.
Before we go, I must send out a huge congrats to Reverend Raphael Warnock and to Jon Ossoff for their unprecedented win in the Georgia Senate elections! Thank you for your courage and leadership. And thank you to the voters in Georgia for (re)igniting a spark in our quest for a just and lawful democracy.
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