Poetry of Place is a collection of photography and poetry by musician/artist/writer Sarah Ruth Alexander. This volume also acts as a companion to “Fellowship of the Arid Plain,” her album (sarahruth.bandcamp.com/album/fellowship-of-the-arid-plain) and film (youtu.be/joUI2FE8ySo) — documenting the beauty of a seemingly barren landscape in her homeplace in the Texas Panhandle. Zooming out to show how light, wind, and dirt paint a rainbow of colors across the terrain, and focusing in on themes of growth, decay, and the discovery of magic and resonance in the land.
The photography gives a tour of the allure and drama of a region that is both still and humming with the intensity of nature and a history of surviving under harsh conditions. The poetry narrates the journey weaving the photographic spaces together, simultaneously a journal reflecting on the mood of what it means to be from a lonely place, and also a reminder that there is always another sunrise or sunset waiting where the sky meets the land. It frequently pauses in place to transport the reader through time to find gifts from the past and the magic of returning to somewhere that calls you back — always showing the lightness of humor and play, both conversational and structured across lines and pages. This book is for anyone that wants to see how to convert a place into a dream, to be fascinated by unexpected enchantment, and to remember that there is no such thing as an empty place.
Sarah Ruth Alexander is a diverse musician and artist, based in Dentton, TX – a multi-instrumentalist, she employs hammered dulcimer, harmonium, electroacoustic sound art, homemade instruments and extended vocal techniques. She performs frequently both solo and with multiple bands and improvisational ensembles in the North Texas area. She is a University of North Texas graduate where she focused on vocal studies and electroacoustic composition. Sarah curates the Joan of Bark concert series and label in Denton. She also hosts a radio program called Tiger D on KUZU LP broadcasting in Denton at 92.9 FM and streaming online at kuzu.fm, playing music and often featuring guest musicians to curate and discuss their playlists. She recently had a chapter titled “Community Building Through Collaboration,” published in Routledge‘s Art as Social Practice: Technologies for Change.
Poetry of Place is a collection of photography and poetry by musician/artist/writer Sarah Ruth Alexander. This volume also acts as a companion to “Fellowship of the Arid Plain,” her album (sarahruth.bandcamp.com/album/fellowship-of-the-arid-plain) and film (youtu.be/joUI2FE8ySo) — documenting the beauty of a seemingly barren landscape in her homeplace in the Texas Panhandle. Zooming out to show how light, wind, and dirt paint a rainbow of colors across the terrain, and focusing in on themes of growth, decay, and the discovery of magic and resonance in the land.
The photography gives a tour of the allure and drama of a region that is both still and humming with the intensity of nature and a history of surviving under harsh conditions. The poetry narrates the journey weaving the photographic spaces together, simultaneously a journal reflecting on the mood of what it means to be from a lonely place, and also a reminder that there is always another sunrise or sunset waiting where the sky meets the land. It frequently pauses in place to transport the reader through time to find gifts from the past and the magic of returning to somewhere that calls you back — always showing the lightness of humor and play, both conversational and structured across lines and pages. This book is for anyone that wants to see how to convert a place into a dream, to be fascinated by unexpected enchantment, and to remember that there is no such thing as an empty place.
Sarah Ruth Alexander is a diverse musician and artist, based in Dentton, TX – a multi-instrumentalist, she employs hammered dulcimer, harmonium, electroacoustic sound art, homemade instruments and extended vocal techniques. She performs frequently both solo and with multiple bands and improvisational ensembles in the North Texas area. She is a University of North Texas graduate where she focused on vocal studies and electroacoustic composition. Sarah curates the Joan of Bark concert series and label in Denton. She also hosts a radio program called Tiger D on KUZU LP broadcasting in Denton at 92.9 FM and streaming online at kuzu.fm, playing music and often featuring guest musicians to curate and discuss their playlists. She recently had a chapter titled “Community Building Through Collaboration,” published in Routledge‘s Art as Social Practice: Technologies for Change.