Signe Lykke , Denmark composer, credits her desire to collaborate from her non-classical, jazz background. However, she has a MA in classical composition, but believes that process is important, and that contemporary composers, such as herself, need to be familiar with the musicians who will be playing their music.  This is one of the reasons why Signe is at Arte Studio Ginestrelle, with Harriet Wheeler, violinist, to compose a piece, and learn more about the range of the violin, and what sounds are possible with other string instruments.

Passionate, and deeply committed to this process, Signe is quite fascinated and eager to work closely with classical musicians because, she says, “As a composer, you need your musicians to be engaged in your music and to understand the deeper meaning of the music. You don’t want robots playing all the correct pitches; they have to put their own feelings/soul into the music.”  Signe wants musicians to be able to identify with the intention behind the composition.  She stresses:  “When it’s new music, and you are the composer, you need to talk to the musicians, come up with a language you can both relate to and understand. “

As a composer, Signe is curious, and listens keenly to the various instruments, so that when composing, her compositions are stamped with her identity. We (she and Harriet) are doing a portfolio, examining different ways of exploring the violin.” She adds that what she is doing is not innovative, nor does she think it will amaze the world, but she beams, “The process is amazing!  We have come up with all these sounds; to us they are innovative, and they are personal –we have been playing around, improvising, having lots of fun.”  Signe believes playing around, discovering, is quite important, as well as necessary if a composer wants to collaborate and find new modes.  Although, a long, tiresome process, Signe says they are almost there, but the hard work still remains, that being, to figure out how “to put these extend techniques on paper, to write them down so musicians know how to play them.”

”When you do new music, when you hand your final piece to your player, it should be readable and as accessible as possible.  The musicians should be able to see the story, understand the feelings or whatever you, the composer, were thinking when creating the piece. I am quite excited.”

“I am about collaboration. I want to know what kind of musicians are playing my music. They all have unique sounds, but I have to get to know them as musicians, as artists, so that when I write a piece that is beautiful, they know where I’m coming from, and can put their soul into the piece.”

To learn more about Signe, visit her website: www.signe-lykke.com

Jude Harzer, USA Painter, teaches high school visual arts and states that she came to her painting life rather late as she had abandoned this talent and desire for almost twenty years . Instead she married and raised children, thinking that she could not successfully balance family and career.

But now fully committed to painting, she is at Arte Studio Ginestrelle to dedicate full time to work.  She confides, “I’m in a state of personal transition regarding my marriage and creative pursuits. Also, my mother unexpectedly passed away about 18 months ago . This seemed like the perfect opportunity to attend this residency. The location near Assisi has personal significance as my mother shared a special affinity with St. Francis., the patron saint of Italy. Currently, in my work, I am investigating relationships between mother and child.”

Jude brought her mother’s ashes, which she scattered in Assisi. Her goal was to ‘create a found object altar piece that addressed familial relationships, celebration of women, legacy and how mothers, in particular, transfer their fears and beliefs to their children.” Jude believes that the intimacy of this relationship is the most powerful and profound.  Her residency is a personal as well as professional journey.

Reflecting on her process, Jude adds, “Even though you work in isolation, necessary for most artists, you’re also desperate for a like minded community. In a residency you are with a caliber of artists, from a variety of disciplines, that feeds your intellect and creativity.  This much needed inspiration rejuvenates an artist’s spirit.  Also, of course, I get to come to Italy, a country abundant in visual beauty and art.”

Jude accomplished more than she had planned, while also staying faithful to her objective.  Her work unexpectedly evolved , according to her, in response to the colors of the environment and the monastic quiet of the remote location. “The amber light of the atmosphere and the pink of the mountains , really impacted my work. I integrated the bees that came into my studio space as well and realized the relationship they held with the Madonna imagery that I was investigating. I was fascinated with the abundance of local shrines, placed at pedestrian and vehicle crossroads. I discovered that they are erected not only to celebrate the Madonna but also to ask her guidance when one is at the crossroads of life.”

Jude is at a good place in her life and looks forward to painting and exhibiting more.

To learn more about Jude Harzer, visit her website:http://www.judeharzer.com or like her artist’s page on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/judeharzerart?pnref=lhc

Artwork : L’Ape Regina: Protector of Soul and Spirit mixed media, 2015

Known to some as Rosemarie Wilson, but known to most in the poetry world as One Single Rose, Wilson has performed her self-esteem, motivational spoken-word poetry in thirteen states and four countries to date. She can be considered an ambassador of Detroit, her home-state, that she endorses and represents proudly.

Speaking about her development as a poet, One Single Rose says, “I’ve always had a love for words and books.  As a child, when my mom would take me shopping, instead of running towards toys I’d run to the bookshelves.  I’ve been writing poetry since the second grade when I won my very first poetry contest.  In adulthood, I picked up my pen once again writing songs, but the journey poetry is paving for my life is continually amazing.”

And amazing indeed, as this past August, One Single Rose attending the Kistrech Poetry festival, her first trip to Africa, the motherland, “but not my last,” she beams, adding, “I am forever grateful to the Kistrech Poetry Festival for selecting me as a spoken word performer in the 2015 festival.”

An incredible singer and performer, combing music and words, One Single Rose was a hit with students.

As a child, One Single Rose’s was taught “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” and this is reflected in her overall attitude, and defines the content of her poetry.   Asked, what she took away from the festival, and Kenya in general, One Single Rose, offered some insightful observations.

“Sometimes we tend to fear what we don’t understand.  Prior to traveling to Kenya, I was warned about not doing this or that, not to go here or there by people who had never traveled to that part of the world.  Kenya is a beautiful country with beautiful people and a rich history.  Some areas in Kenya don’t have all of the bells and whistles that we have in the United States, but the people are happy.  Children don’t have school books, running water, flushing toilets or electricity, but they’re bilingual and are very well educated.  Some things we take for granted would be luxuries in Kenya.

“I have learned not to judge books by their covers without first reading a few pages.  Poets and writers share a common bond—love for the word.  I learned a lot from the poets who participated in the Kistrech Poetry Festival from different parts of the world about their cultures and their performance styles which were in some ways the same as how we perform in the United States.   Watching and learning from the poets who mentored during the festival made me even more aware of this fact –we are similar and connected.”

Her poem below is an example of her message, but you have to see One Single Rose in performance to truly experience her poetry.

As One

At first sight, we knew we’d come together as one.

Slowly becoming acquainted until comfort set in,

Appreciative of time taken to learn one another.

Everything gazed upon is loved from head to toe:

Smiles that make the spine chill as the interior froths;

Mental challenges forcing contemplation;

Ears that hear speech emitted by motion . . .

Every second is precious—never taken for granted.

Our dreams become reality.

Met at the right place and time when loving is easy,

Making persistent strides to continue as one.

Together composing romantic volumes of non-fiction,

Deleting final chapters.

There’s no end in sight.

©2009- All Rights Reserved

Rosemarie Wilson aka One Single Rose

For more information on One Single Rose visit her websites:

www.onesinglerose.com ; One Single Rose | Poetry, Prose and Song

When I received the invitation, I had no idea where Kisii was located. It had been twenty plus years since I visited Kenya, so I was anxious to return and see what development had occurred since that time. I said yes, even though funding was unsure, and I did not know who were the other invited poets. However, I liked the theme: “The Word is not Alone. It is part of the Whole: Orality & Poetry.” As a poet, I often feel very much alone as writing poetry is a singular, secluded activity. Yet the notion that the word is not alone was comforting for this is the irony of the creation of a poem — written in isolation, intended for an audience, which makes it public consumption.

Held from August 5-10, the Kistrech Poetry Festival is the brainchild of Christopher Okemwa, poet, husband, father of two, and a lecturer at Kisii University, completing his dissertation. Kisii, located in southwestern Kenya, is the urban and commercial center in the Gusii Highlands. Gusii is the name of the group of people and the language they speak, in addition to Swahili and English, Kenya’s official languages. Geographically, an incredible lush and fertile region, getting there means a drive through the Rift Valley. The people are gentle, soft-spoken and everyone smiles. While many of the poets listed were not in attendance, due to lack of funding, among those present were Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, Liberian who lives in the USA and read many poignant poems that document the war in Liberia that she survived. Erling Kittelsen, from Norway, funny, quiet, and engaging. Rosemarie Wilson, African American, also an amazing singer who appealed to the students with her spoken word, personable style, as did Palesa Sibiya, and Ziphozakhe Hlobo, vivacious, young South African spoken word poets with their political, woman-gendered messages. Additionally, there were performances by Godspower Oboido, emerging Nigerian, with sure-footed poems, Katharina Koppe, Germany, a student, just finding her voice, and who spent the year studying in Kisii, Tendai Maduwa, Zimbabwe, offered inspirational messages, and of course myself, representing Jamaica and the Virgin Islands, with my island, worldly poems. We were also joined by Obediah Michael Smith, Bahamian, Susanna Sacks, graduate student from the USA, Dr. Professor Joseph Muleka, University of Nairobi, who presented a very engaging paper on “African Oral Poetry,” and Dr. Evans Gesura Mecha, Kisii University, delivered an animated and fascinated presentation, “Orality and Cognition: A Biolinguistic Approach.” In addition, there were solid, thought-provoking poems by Christopher Okemwa’s students, who were present throughout the festival.

The first two days of the festival were held in Nairobi, the capital, less than a week after president Obama’s auspicious visit. In addition to reading and talking about our works, Director Okemwa asked both Wesley and I, since we are also academicians, to present papers for the benefit of students and faculty at Kenyatta University and University of Nairobi, Kikuyu campus. Patricia Wesley gave a talk on “The Beauty and Difficulties of Writing African Poetry in America,” and I delivered my paper entitled, “Maroonage in the Poetry of Jamaican Women Poets,” to an attentive crowd of about 80 students and faculty, who stayed for the entire 3-hour presentation of papers and readings, which included performances by students of both universities, Q & A and a reception afterwards.

The remainder of the festival was held at Kisii University, which provided the poets with transportation and meals. However, it was finals week so attendance was poor and many of the events began late. Nevertheless, the highlights of the festival included a visit to Ekequbo village, where it seemed, the entire village came out to greet us, singing and dancing and hugging us as they led us to where we gathered on chairs in a semi-circle. There were performances by high school girls, so poised and professional, I felt compelled to thank the teacher and congratulate them on doing such an incredible job, afterwards. A young man from the village led the call and response songs while playing the Obokano, which is similar to a guitar. The songs and dances were lively and upbeat, and are usually performed during rites of passage ceremonies, so done by girls, then boys, separately. After the performances and many pictures taken, the elders, seated in a circle, invited us to share some maze wine from gourds, and the women fed us peanuts, which they grow and boil as well as very sweet, middle finger-sized bananas. Present were a host of children from the village who sat quietly, some looking at us curiously, others seemingly oblivious to our presence, enjoying the entertainment just like us. After the villagers performed, each poet was asked to get up and share something about her/his culture, which Okemwa translated. I did not need a translator as they all knew about Jamaica from reggae and Bob Marley, and sang a few bars of what they knew. I ended with everyone joining me in the refrain, “On heart, One love, let’s get together and feel all right…”

Other highpoints of the festival included: a visit to an elementary school, where students again performed; a trip to the Soapstone village of Tabaka, where they make amazing carvings with basic tools; and a trip to Lake Victoria. I enjoyed the intimacy of the ideal number of poets, listening to poems by students from Kisii University and offering feedback, and sharing stories about our lives and poetry. Although there is a great deal that needs to be done to expand and improve Kistrech Poetry festival, I applaud Christopher Okewa’s vision, and now that Kisii University is supporting this festival, I know it will continue to grow, and both visitors and locals will have the opportunity to converse and recognize the commonality that makes us all human, and lover of words that are not alone.