Five Oceans in a Teaspoon
Published on 27. September 2019
Book
Hardback
300 pages
978-0-9969506-3-3 (ISBN)
Description
Five Oceans in a Teaspoon is an innovative, beautiful and moving collection of short visual poems written by muckraking journalist/poet Dennis J Bernstein, visualized by pioneer designer/author Warren Lehrer.
Thirty-five years after the publication of their book/play French Fries, considered a classic in visual literature and expressive typography, Bernstein and Lehrer have reunited to complete a book of visual poetry they began forty years ago. As with his journalism, Bernstein's poems reflect the struggle of everyday people trying to survive in the face of adversity. Divided into eight movements, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon reads like a memoir in poems. It spans a lifetime: growing up confused by dyslexia and a parental gambling addiction; graced by pogo sticks, boxing lessons and a mother's compassion; becoming a frontline witness to war and its aftermaths, prison, street life, poverty, love and loss, open heart surgery, caring for aging parents and visitations from them after they're gone. Lehrer's typographic compositions give form to the interior, emotional and metaphorical underpinnings of the poems. Together, the writing and visuals create a new whole that engages the reader to become an active participant in the navigation, discovery, and experience of each poem.
Thirty-five years after the publication of their book/play French Fries, considered a classic in visual literature and expressive typography, Bernstein and Lehrer have reunited to complete a book of visual poetry they began forty years ago. As with his journalism, Bernstein's poems reflect the struggle of everyday people trying to survive in the face of adversity. Divided into eight movements, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon reads like a memoir in poems. It spans a lifetime: growing up confused by dyslexia and a parental gambling addiction; graced by pogo sticks, boxing lessons and a mother's compassion; becoming a frontline witness to war and its aftermaths, prison, street life, poverty, love and loss, open heart surgery, caring for aging parents and visitations from them after they're gone. Lehrer's typographic compositions give form to the interior, emotional and metaphorical underpinnings of the poems. Together, the writing and visuals create a new whole that engages the reader to become an active participant in the navigation, discovery, and experience of each poem.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
Each poem is illustrated by using the text as visuals
Dimensions
Height: 167 mm
Width: 170 mm
ISBN-13
978-0-9969506-3-3 (9780996950633)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Dennis J Bernstein is a poet, investigative journalist and award-winning host/producer of Flashpoints, syndicated by the Pacifica radio network. He is a recipient of many awards and honors, including Pulse Media's Top Global Media Figure, the 2015 Pillar Award in Broadcast Journalism, and Artists Embassy's International Literary Cultural Award. He founded the Muriel Rukeyser Reading Series in Brooklyn, NY. Books include Special Ed: Voices from a Hidden Classroom, Particles of Light, and three books with Warren Lehrer including French Fries, considered a seminal works in the genre. His poetry has appeared in New York Quarterly, The Chimaera, The Progressive, Texas Observer, ZYZZYVA, and numerous other journals. Warren Lehrer is a writer/designer known as a pioneer of visual literature and design authorship. Awards include: The Brendan Gill Prize, Innovative Use of Archives Award, International Book Award for Best New Fiction, three AIGA Book Awards, grants and fellowships from the NEA, NYSCA, NYFA, Rockefeller, Ford, and Greenwall Foundations. He is a 2016 Honoree of the Center for Book Arts and a 2019 laureate of the Ladislav Sutnar Prize. His books are in many collections including MoMA, The Getty Museum, and Georges Pompidou Centre. Lehrer is a professor at SUNY Purchase, founding faculty member of SVA's Designer As Author MFA program, and co-founder of EarSay, a non-profit arts organization in Queens, NY.