THIS BLOG-

THIS BLOG IS THE ON-GOING -”TOTAL”-BLOG AND IS OFTEN A REVIEW OF MY EVENTS PAGE- IF AN EVENT HAS ENDED, USUALLY BY THE TIME I GET MY PHOTOS TOGETHER, I GET TO ADD SOME PHOTOS TO HELP MY VIEWERS KNOW MORE ABOUT ALL THE THINGS I’VE DONE OR AM DOING- IN THE DUO-WORLDS OF ART AND POETRY AND BEING “Me”- Ed Lent-

E.A. LENT, the artist

Edward Lent -THE POET LAUREATE OF MADISON, CT. and

EZRA LOVECROFT (my original publishing nom de plume), as well as Ed Lent, my current publishing name as a poet. CONFUSING? not really in live events, since i’m pretty clear on who I am as host- but when writing it down as such, I can understand how it could be tricky to follow, but, it would feel a bit odd to me to have four Facebook and four Instagram accounts as well as any other social media accounts that come along.

IN A NUTSHELL, I LIKE WEARING A FEW PROVERBIAL “HATS”, BECAUSE THIS ACTUALLY ALLOWS ME A BIT OF BOTH FOCUS AND FREEDOM IN MY ARTISTIC GROWTH. I get to be all these assorted talents and you get to read about them all right here.

IT IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT WHEN I USE THIS FORUM IN THIS WEBSITE, I AM USING IT TO KEEP READERS UPDATED WITH THE “CURRENT EVENTS” OF MY LIFE, ESPECIALLY SINCE MY ART, POETRY AND ACTIVITIES ARE ALL ENCOMPASSED BY LIFE EXPERIENCES. THESE ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH MY READERS AND FOLLOWERS AND MAY NOT ALWAYS BE POSTED ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM OR OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO SPECIFIC TO MY VARIOUS EXTENSIONS IN CREATIVITY-

but for your curiosity——

FACEBOOK- EZRA LOVECROFT

INSTAGRAM- POETRY TRUST_EZRALOVECROFT

not yet activated-TBD- second instagram possibly Ed Lent

Saturday, October 12th-

TRAVELED EUROPE FROM 9/25-10/11

September 23- 2024. ED LENT IS THE FIRST POET LAUREATE OF MADISON.

Two weeks ago, during a routine town hall meeting, something extraordinary happened. I was unanimously voted in as Poet Laureate of Madison, Connecticut by First Selectwoman, Peggy Lyons and the town board. I am the first poet and resident to hold such a position. To say, I’m honored is an understatement. I’m elated as well as maybe even so happy about that I can’t absorb it yet. Not only did it come at one of my busiest times but that I had started this application for this back in June when I met Cathy Weiss, the Poet Laureate of Clinton who was also a member of the Guilford Art League at the leagues summer group party. She said there wasn’t a poet laureate for Madison and that the CT Council of Poets Laureate was looking to place PL’s in all of the towns in CT. My dear friend and fellow poet, Pat Mottola had just become the PL of Chester and these were exciting times. I mean, I’ve been doing the job in a sense, so why not have a title to help reinforce my efforts and value. Cathy gave me her ideas and suggested the format she used. This was really helpful but her original 3 pages became a 22 page application that I reformatted into something of a dossier!. Meeting Allison Murphy, head of the E.C. Scranton-Madison Library was probably the next best event to ever happen. Her enthusiasm, interest, positivity and support was above and beyond spectacular. There were a few times I thought, What am I doing? Why am I doing this?, but when you meet with Allison and she smiles, you really have to know that anything is possible and if you bought the ticket, you take the ride! So the journey began and now after months, meetings, ideas, insight and desire and incredible support from so many sources, I am the Inaugural Poet Laureate for Madison Connecticut for a 3 year term and I know this will be a very amazing, joyful and revolutionary like new exciting part of my legacy. The proclamation and installation event is set for October 24 at 5:30-6:30, just a week after what would have been my moms 101st birthday! I’ve no doubt that she guided things from above and I am truly guided and blessed by so many energies and I am ever grateful.

I look forward to uniting and celebrating our community of creatives, with poetry and performance at the forefront with an OPEN MIC event that will be a regular scheduled event at the Library. Secondly, I’ll call it “grow the know”, that is increase awareness and knowledge of poetry and poets- those past, present and inspiring newcomers. And last, knowing all the skills that poetry enhances, make poetry a regular part of everyday life.

SEPTEMBER 18—2024

Right after the event on Sunday the 15th, my lights came on in my car that said the airbags weren’t working. I leave for Rochester, NY for a 6 hour drive on the weekend to accept my Outstanding Alumni Award from Nazareth University, a great honor I would like to arrive at and return from safe and sound. So for the last 3 days- my life has been at the dealership and everything else has been on the back burner. You don’t realize how important our cars are until you don’t have one and you wait all day for someone to call to say the part is in!. Today, three days later, is the first day i’ve had to put my thoughts down on Sundays wonderful event. It was THE BEST ever thanks to great art and great poets.

It truly makes me certain that combining my talents as an active artist with that of an active poet is the right one. I love creating art, it’s just something inside my that responds to creating an image and seeing it evolve into a work of art. Color, texture, paint and canvas, tint and tone combine in more unexpected than expected ways with abstraction. I love when a viewer sees something even more in the art than I do. The act of painting in the process towards a finished piece is part of the adventure of discovery. Along the way, three or four poems might develop, but it’s not until the finished piece is done that I visit it in a visceral way and begin to write. I have 3 “Solo” shows already planned and more in the works for 2025. I became the Inaugural Poet Laureate for the town of Madison a week or so ago. I wonder where it’s all going sometimes, but I do know one thing. Where this artist goes, the poet goes. That is my first and foremost dedication and passion. Taking others along with me, by teaching, supporting, hosting and creating events both in art and in poetry will remain part of a professional and civic duty. Once an educator, always an educator I’m realizing. As I get older, it is a wonderful opportunity if not joyous part of giving back as part of my legacy.

THE WEEKEND WAS AMAZING, SAW SO MANY COLLEGE MATES, PICTURED HERE WITH PRESIDENT OF NAZARETH, BETH PAUL, RON NETSKY, BELOW AS WELL AS MANY STUDENTS AND FACULTY THAT WORK WITHIN OUR SCHOLARSHIPS, OTHER ALUMNI AWARD WINNERS AND SOME YEARBOOK PHOTOS THAT REMIND ME OF HOW OUTSTANDING A JOURNEY I HAVE BEEN ON THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE HELPED GUIDE ME.

The Poetry of Art : The Art of Poetry -Held on the Sunday the 15th of September was possibly one of the most successful events i’ve had this year. By combining my two loves of art and poetry, especially the way Ekphrastic poetry does, I believe that growing my idea as and artist and poet myself, was indeed the right fit at the right time. The world needs creativity, optimism, authentic voices with imagination and enthusiasm and live shared community events like never before. We are all way tapped into our cell phones where maybe we dove into during covid but we retreated back to our lonesome caves, still, we can spend hours on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and all sorts of other social media spending our hours entertained yet completely alone and without any other human interaction.

We traded entertainment for interaction, followers for feelings I think, at least the feelings that we sense deeply in our hearts when we look at art or hear a poem. Certainly art can entertain and inspire us and poetry can entertain and inspire us. So what alchemy occurs when both are mixed? I wondered this myself. Earlier this year I began the Ekphrastic Poetry Trust as a way to gather poets that were both versed in ekphrastic poetry as well poets that had a creative voice that I thought needed to be elevated a bit more beyond the level of smaller poetry oriented groups reading to each other. I also started teaching ekphrastic poetry to anyone that might be interested as well as to creative writers that wanted to hone their skills. I started this originally at the Guilford Community Center, then moved the class offering to the E.C. Scranton Madison Library.

The groups are small but intensely powerful. There are times I have only one or two people attend and it’s wonderful because we learn so much from each other. I am amazed what words were lurking in people from the community that had never written before. Slowly, two people turned into five, then twelve, then fifteen and so on. At 6 months old I now have over 50 poets who I offer “free membership” to the trust or the EPT of CT as I say. I felt the group is part of my civic duty to give back to my community, so never charging for a membership is what I offer for just being on the roster to call upon when I have an event and I have never been disappointed. Some poets come from 50 or more miles away, like Norwalk or Westchester or Woodstock and might drive 2 or more hours to participate!

For this event which was held at the Guilford Art Center, two days after the Guilford Art Leagues 75th Annual Show Opening, I hosted poets and attendees with a full reception with wine and refreshments, sandwiches and snacks as well as a grand prize (an original work of art valued at $850.00) first prize of $100.00, second prize at $50.00 and a third prize at $25.00. plus 5 honorable mentions. ( due to a hair of margin that I just count call, I ended up selecting 3- third prize winners at 25.00 each! )

I brought in my microphone from my open mic events, posted ALL 33 of the poems submitted and we were off! Over 50 people attended the event and it was a huge success for poets and audience. THE POEMS AND POETS WERE FANTASTIC.

William Moorehead, Sue Wolf, Debra Howard, ME, Larry Jabbonsky, Pat Hale

Tony Fusco, Sherri Bedingfield, Lauren Murphy, Jane Jacobson, Shawn VB

all these amazing poets read original works to an audience of 54 attendees at the event

Sheila Kaczmarek, president of the Guilford Art League, Ed Lent, inaugural Poet Laureate of Madison and Alexa MacCrady, artist and Juror for the 75th Annual Show at the Guilford Art Center.

Besides the open mic, one of the other goals I have through my Ekphrastic Trust of Connecticut group is to DISPLAY Poetry with art at these various shows. Ive sat in the gallery enough to hear the viewers talk of their increased emotional connection with the art and the artist. maybe it could help sales? it certainly allowed the viewers to spend more time looking closer at the artworks and seeing deeper details.

The GRAND PRIZE WINNER WAS SHAWN VON BRIESSEN. SHAWNS POEM IS A FEW PAGES DOWN, HE WON AN ORIGINAL ART WORK BY ED LENT, RITUAL, VALUED AT $850.00 from my summer show in July. it was a pleasure to award this dynamic and talented poet for his creative work and performance.

FIRST PRIZE OF 100. WENT TO KAREN WARINSKY, (NOT IN ATTENDANCE, NOT PICTURED)

SECOND PRIZE OF 50.00 WENT TO SUE WOLF AND 3 THIRD PRIZES OF 25.00 WENT TO DEBRA HOWARD, PAT HALE AND SHERRI BEDINGFIELD

SUE WOLF DEB HOWARD PAT HALE SHERRI BEDINGFIELD

Nothing could make me happier- ,poets, artists, art and poetry all in one place. and a wonderful audience of over 50 people on a really nice Sunday afternoon.

This is my newest student in the group that entered, Lauren Murphy. I am SO proud of her. She never wrote before and gave a wonderful reading.

I never realized the art center had so many chairs- actually they didn’t! we needed to bring chairs over from the classrooms. the art was truly translated in totally new ways that day and appreciated in so many more ways than expected.

Lauren bring down the house with an awesome delivery of confidence. the artist who did the piece her poem was on spoke about his work. artists don’t always see their own art as others might!

Shawn M Von Briesen was awarded the highest honor, -the Grand Prize -of one of my original works of art. I wanted to display the work he chose “ DOOR TO MY SECRET GARDEN, - by Raffael DiLaureo. For his translation into an ekphrastic poem- read to the right, presented here.

“Serpent in the Secret Garden” by Shawn M. Von Briesen, based on the painting Door to my Secret Garden by Raffael DiLaureo

The serpent sees Adam and Eve enjoying immortality in bliss. He slithers closer to the pair who are locked in a kiss,
His serpent eyes blink and his mouth starts to hiss,
“Has anyone ever seen a garden like this?”

The silver tongued serpent slithers up to their side, “Let’s open that door and see where the Master resides.” Adam responds with the Master’s words sounding wise, “The Gardener said to stay out or surely we’d die.”

Eve retreats with Adam, near a tree full of fruit.
She picks up a pomegranate, from the ground by the roots. She samples a bite, and so sweet is the juice.
She passes it to Adam, who can’t believe its all true.

“I think I’ll rest here where the fragrance is sweet.”
Eve says to Adam as Adam caresses her feet.
“Beyond that door I hear wails and the gnashing of teeth,”
“And it must be a barbeque because I can smell the charred meat.”

“No, no, no, that’s not so,” the skilled serpent schemes, “Just beyond that door is the life of your dreams.”
“I’ll free you from paradise if you’ll follow my lead.” “And you’ll be just like the Master, you wait and see.”

I can’t help but add the poem that Shawn created on my piece at the show. Readers may not realize that each stanza is a haiku. The format has changed in the reprinting here, but it holds together as a strong and cheeky poem, which I believe is a signature of his writing.

HAIKU HANGOVER by Shawn M. Von Briesen

Based on the Painting: “Rainy Day Samurai Saki on the Bullet Train to Kyoto” by Ed Lent

A puddle reflects
the Samurai’s loneliness as the train appears.

Trustworthy Geisha Hands him a saki to sip, And ease him to rest.

Samurai dizzy.
Maybe it was the saki. Where is his wallet?

Next stop is Tokyo.
The Geisha drugged the Saki. Colorful dream land.

Woke up with face pain, Check reflection in puddle, That’s a face tattoo.

I’d like to post the poem that I have on the back of this piece which is my ekphrastic poem.

I wrote about this painting I did this summer before I submitted it to the juried annual show that the Guilford Art League has at the Guilford Art Center. It was selected from over 300 entries to be one of 100 on display. Alexa MacCrady was the juror and she’s awesome. The show is brilliant and is so well put together.

This is something of a new series i’m doing with a suggestion of asian inspired calligraphy that is neither Japanese or Chinese but brushstrokes that I just do.

I have about 10 pieces but this one came together specifically for this show. the others are still in progress. the interesting thing to me that developed is that the piece incorporates both gold and silver leaf. it is very hard to see, even when you stand looking at it that the Fram is half gold and half silver in the nail head like trim. I like the dream state and abstracted sort of fantasy about their piece. It developed organically and with out a plan. I like trying to just let my imagination follow a lead. the fan like shape was made by applying white paint with a straw that I smeared. after this became a sort of fan, the rest became asian. I saw many fan displays in Japan from the Edo period about 20 years ago. this was interesting that this developed in this way.

It is interesting to me and fun that both poets end with an unexpected element of surprise, both for the reader and the character in the poem, each having an event of transition and change.

RAINY DAY SAMURAI SAKE ON THE BULLET TRAIN

TO KYOTO by Ed Lent

Based on the painting by the same name by the artist/poet Ed Lent

walking like a crab, I step sideways

to avoid the run off rounding the curb.

suddenly my umbrella punches another,

cold spray slaps my face,

it tastes like dirty metal.

my foot submerges into a lake of a puddle.

my foot pulls up and ripples appear.

a foil label swims by a button, a torn gum wrapper,

a drowned weed.

Neon signs, reflected on the surface, wiggle.

I arrive at the train and shape myself into the seat.

glossy girls in plastic ponchos squeeze past me,

I squirm to sit.

later, I get two hot sakes to stay warm.

the illustration of a samurai on the label has an octopus on his head as a helmet.

rain splats on the windows, a blurry landscape whizzes by at 120 miles an hour.

i am in an aquarium and the distant flashing street lights make me think it’s feeding time

or something is getting close to my tank.

i’m tired, wet and the seat is too small.

i tip my head back, close my eyes and sleep.

I dream I will be a giant squid by the time we reach Tokyo.

No one can stop me.

September Review

Sept 3- 2024- Poets in the Gallery event at the Keher- Liddell Gallery in New Haven presented by the Shoreline Arts Alliance Review.

I met with the SSA and created this event with them after they had contacted me since I was posting on their site. This was a very good next step from the event I did with the adams students in the Guilford Community Center. I thank them for trying it and was very happy it was extra sucessful. I was truly a unique event because it reminded me of not only why I love poetry and the live readings of poets around me but why an art Gallery, with art and poets on display as well as the poetry itself is something really extraordinary. I’m on the right track with this concept and trying very hard to elevate it going forward with my Ekphrastic Poetry Trust group and building its members. It also reminded me of what Covid denied me and our poetry populations. It felt so good to really be back doing things in person, in real live groups of real people. Zoom of course still is a real thing, a viable and important tool but nothing compares to this. I am so proud of my poets that participated. They filled the gallery with such wonderful images from their spoken words that it was really a “happening”, although I probably sound like an old hippie. I guess “groovy” is now “fly”, so i’ll stick with happening.

The other great thing of course was- here was a 44 year old photography show that got a new layer of excitement, new viewers and a new creative interpretations. Unfortunately, only a few of the photographers attended so they missed the value of the adrenaline that synthesizes when poets speak about their translations of art through ekphrastic poetry. Three of the Photographers were there and when they added their insight it was really a wonderful layer of depth added. I will check next year, but if they do want to anniversary the event, i’ve got a few helpful ideas.