Is That What I Mean?
A Dialogue of Pictures and Poems
by
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Is That What I Mean? is a small but fascinating interaction between the poetry of Spencer Farmans and the visual art of Anita Skarpathiotis. Each of the thirty-one paintings in this book is a direct response to the poem that immediately precedes the picture. In an exchange that took three years, Spencer and Anita were both actively engaged in the process of each of the other’s work. Through discussions and a continual exchange of ideas once a week (usually at a local coffee house) this book came into existence. What emerges is a beautiful and poignant delight of both the mind and eye.
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About the Book
Is That What I Mean? is a small but fascinating interaction between the poetry of Spencer Farmans and the visual art of Anita Skarpathiotis. Each of the thirty-one paintings in this book is a direct response to the poem that immediately precedes the picture. In an exchange that took three years, Spencer and Anita were both actively engaged in the process of each of the other’s work. Through discussions and a continual exchange of ideas once a week (usually at a local coffee house) this book came into existence. What emerges is a beautiful and poignant delight of both the mind and eye.
About the Author
Spencer Farmans is the author of two previous books of poetry, essays, and editor of two collections of short stories. His books include Thirty-Three Poems (2001), Statues and Trees (2006), Tales of the Living Past, A View of my Hellenic Roots (2007), and A Time in the Country and Other Short Stories (2008). He has taught literature and writing since 1975 and was the chairperson of English in two different schools that include Seton Academy (1985-87), and The Chicago Academy for the Arts (1990-98). Since 1998 Spencer has taught literature, composition writing, poetry, and fiction at Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois. Spencer lives in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Anita Skarpathiotis is a lecturer in the Department of Classics at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Born in Chicago, she lived and studied architecture in Greece and art history at University of Illinois at Chicago. She has taught art history at the Illinois Institute of Art at Chicago (1996-2006) and Modern Greek language and culture at University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago since 2008. She lives in Burr Ridge, Illinois.