Welcome to our Fall Issue!
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 quarterly 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…
We are very excited to present the following Flash Fiction stories chosen from our first (Re) open call.
Thank you to all who submitted! We are honored that you chose to share your work with us.
And a special THANK YOU to our final reader, author and artist extraordinaire, Brian Alessandro. We appreciate your time and careful consideration of the great work that we received from authors near and far.
See Brian’s bio on the OTHER STUFF Page.
Music Box Monkey
Flash Fiction
(Re)mission
Suzanne Samples
Your Hair In My Hands
Flash Fiction
(Re)call
Edward Lee
Company
Flash Fiction
(Re)mind
Jareen Imam
WELCOME TO THE MULTI-GENRE SCIENCE CORNER
“Science is the poetry of reality.” — Carl Sagan
When I read of the passing of activist and educator, Robert “Bob” Parris Moses in July of this year, I was struck by the range of his contrbutions to the American narrative and to that around the world.
Moses, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, and a staunch advocate of mathematics education for the advancement for black youth and all children, carried his activism into the classroom and fought for the rights of those who were often underserved by the education system.
His belief that every child deserves a quality public school education led him to create the Algebra Project, among others.
For more on this American hero, please follow the link: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/moses-robert-parris
“Don’t think necessarily of starting a movement. Do what you think actually needs to be done, set an example, and hope your actions will click with someone else.” — Bob Moses
(Re)clamation
Artist: Frances Smokowski
In 2017, a concussion disrupted my routines, but also some of the ways I knew myself. Healing necessitated significant change: rest, stillness, and realignment—a distinct shift after many years of a mobile studio practice drawing while commuting on public transit in Manhattan. At home, I drew with renewed determination to encounter the spiritual wholeness of the larger “me” and for the payoff of self-facilitated resiliency.
My right hemisphere, where visual-spatial information is processed was intact and there I remained familiar to myself, though I was experiencing some difficulties in other areas. I’d read about neuroplasticity and, at the time of my accident, I had been teaching how to access creative potential from the right side of the brain. There was every reason to believe I could draw my way to bolstered functioning and a new beginning as an upgraded me.
Revisiting shape systems and themes that have long informed my creative process—biological growth and transformation—I turned to the continuity of me which resides in my art-making, my un-injurable wholeness. I drew almost every day and for longer and longer periods. I was living for my drawing time and that intensity of being on a mission reverberates throughout the series.
Each biomorphic image I produced catalyzed a palpable state change, a welcome shift towards feeling an improved mood and/or capacity. Cumulatively, the 30 resultant drawings document inspired moments and invocations of phenomenological thriving. I now refer to the series as my “efficacies”—effective in balancing symbolic expression with spaciousness and possibility…in reviving hope.
In 2020, translating the drawings into limited edition prints afforded me a new opportunity in a stack of imperfect proofs. Working back into the rejects a symbolic act of reclamation. These hand colored and embellished reproductions return to the status of flawless originals. They are one of a kind UnPreMeditations. I enjoy not knowing how the creative process will go, or what will present. Re-envisioning my work as an ecology, I seek cycles of creation, expansion, decline, renewal, and ultimately, transcendent release.
Efficacies-Reflect-Invest
UnPreMeditation
Prismacolor, pencil, acrylic paint, archival pigment print on rag paper. 13×19 inches
Efficacies-Activate-Attract
After 25 years of clinical practice as an Art Therapist working with neurodiversity and a wide range of special needs, Frances Smokowski pursued her interest in historic painting and drawing techniques, receiving her Master’s of Fine Art degree from the NY Academy of Art in 2010. She now serves the greater good as an independent Teaching Artist providing customized private lessons to highly motivated students, in person, and online.
Frances demonstrates how an increase in technical skill and material knowledge can expand a person’s expressive range, resulting in dramatically increased levels of confidence, competence and aesthetic control. She also guides individuals seeking to use art for meditation, as a wellness practice, and for emotional healing. In addition to technical lessons and supportive coaching, Frances provides art career counseling to individuals preparing portfolios for admissions to competitive art high schools and colleges. Her students have earned their acceptances and even prestigious scholarships from top art schools including Cooper Union, RISD, Parsons School of Design and her Alma Mater (MAAT 1991), The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and others. She has successfully adapted historic approaches for students with special needs and assists their families in orienting themselves to the business of art, resulting in revenue opportunities that may augment financial planning for long term care. Her philosophy and facilitation approach are spotlighted in a PatientPoint video called “Healing Through Art” showing in primary care offices, nationwide. The video can be seen on YouTube.
For a decade Frances contributed directly to “the art world” in NY City by exhibiting, curating, teaching and providing conservation framing advice and specialty services like French Matting. She has facilitated many connections for others through her referrals.
In 2018 Frances relocated to Ossining on Hudson. She is loving the fresh air, natural beauty and wellness-oriented community in Northern Westchester.
Frances’ artwork and curatorial ventures have been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine. Her works have been shown in NYC, DC, MI, and her Native, Western NY, and also internationally in India and China. Smokowski paintings, drawings, colleges, and other works are held in numerous private collections. She hopes to some day publish books of poems and images from her archives.
Frances art news, WIP, and archive reveals can be found on Instagram @francessmokowski
For portfolios of recent work and to purchase prints visit: www.francessmokowski.com
To learn more about private art lessons visit: www.NYarttutor.com
Music Stuff
The music of cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason
Remember Sheku Kanneh-Mason, the nineteen year-old, uber-talented cellist who (almost) stole the show at Harry and Meghan’s wedding?
For those of us who watched the grand affair (and set the alarm to do so, no less), Kanneh-Mason, who serenaded all with his brilliant rendition of Faure’s, ‘Après un rêve,’ was truly a delight.
As a huge fan of the cello and of this budding talent, I have been wondering what he has been up to since his impressive debut. It was great to discover this recording of his live performance of the Elgar concerto in Birmingham, England from 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNVe_1Eb5dw
And a taste of his performance for The One Show. BBC in 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6P79RcVBdfQ
I look forward to hearing more of his work, which continues to broaden the face, sound and artistry of classical music and beyond.
Enjoy! — FN
https://www.shekukannehmason.com/
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 recent move from monthly to quarterly content. Thank you! Merci! Gracias! Shukriya! Grazie! Obrigado! Xiexie! Amsegenallo! Asante! Shukraan!
COVER photograph by Felice Neals: A random New York City street scene. SOHO, NYC. 2021.
ART photographs by Frances Smokowski.
TEXT photographs by Felice Neals: The Close of Summer Landscapes.
THE SCIENCE CORNER: Photographs from various archives.
MUSIC: Photograph by classicalfm.com.
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.
A heartfelt shout out to our final reader, Brian Alessandro for our first (Re) open call for Flash Fiction. I have been a fan since we crossed paths and was thrilled that he could take part in the (re)birth of the journal for our Fall Issue. More on Brian:
Brian Alessandro is a writer, artist, and filmmaker. His work has appeared in Newsday, Interview Magazine, Bloom, PANK, Huffington Post, Turtle Point Press, Lambda Literary, Edmund White: By the Book, and (Re): An Ideas Journal. He has also written and directed the feature film, Afghan Hound, founded the literary journal, The New Engagement, and wrote the novel, The Unmentionable Mann. He recently co-adapted Edmund White’s A Boy’s Own Story into a graphic novel for Top Shelf Productions and co-edited Fever Spores: The Queer Reclamation of William S. Burroughs, for which he interviewed Tony Kushner, Fran Lebowitz, Blondie, and David Cronenberg, for Rebel Satori Press. He holds an MA in clinical psychology from Columbia University and has taught the subject for twelve years.
Happy Fall! Here is a short list of films with Autumn backdrops to welcome the splendor of the new season:
When Harry Met Sally. Dracula – the Frances Ford Coppola version. Remember the Titans. Halloween. A Place in the Sun. And so many more…
And…can’t wait for the return of some of our favorite television shows (I see you Succession, Lupin, WandaVision...) after a long and challenging hiatus.
We hope you enjoy this, our first quarterly publication! More to come soon re; our next open call for non-fiction/essays to be featured in our Winter issue early next year! Thank you as always, for your support!
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Email: info@reideasjournal.com
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