Month: November 2017

Zen for Ten 32: dear Petrov

On By Kris FaatzIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Today’s guest on the Storytelling and Sound series is award-winning, internationally published poet, fiction writer, and essayist Susan Tepper. I’m delighted to have the chance to feature six of Susan’s beautiful prose poems in today’s post.

When I read these pieces, I fell in love with them immediately. The lyrical, rhythmic language, the evocative imagery, and the deeply felt emotions captivated me. The poems previously appeared in 2015, in the first volume of the poetry collection Aeolian Harp Anthology, published by Glass Lyre Press, and are part of Susan’s collection dear Petrov. 

They are set in nineteenth-century Russia during a time of war. I’ve paired them here with excerpts from Sergei Prokofiev‘s Tales of the Old Grandmother, not only because it seemed right to go to Russian music, but also because Prokofiev’s blend of darkness and lyricism partners beautifully with the writing. I first learned the Tales when I was in high school. Over the past several years, the suite has become one of my favorite pieces. Much of Prokofiev’s piano repertoire is flashy and technically demanding, but the Tales are gentle, introspective miniatures that ask for a different kind of skill from the performer.

I’m especially excited to feature Susan’s work today because her new story collection, Monte Carlo Days and Nights, is forthcoming next week from Rain Mountain Press. Enjoy the video, learn more below about Susan and her work, and check out the link to her newest collection. As always, thank you for visiting the blog!

About Susan:

Susan Tepper headshot

Susan Tepper is a twenty year writer and the author of six published books of fiction and poetry. Her seventh book, a collection of linked stories titled ‘Monte Carlo Days & Nights’ will be released by Rain Mountain Press, NYC, in November 2017.  Tepper is an award-winning writer with hundreds of stories, poems, interviews and essays published worldwide.  Her author/book interview series ‘Live at the Algonquin’ NYC, features the best of the Indie books and their authors.  For more please visit the author’s website at www.susantepper.com

 

Writers! Would you like to contribute your work for the Storytelling and Sound series? (You provide the words, I provide the live reading and the music.) Email me at kris@krisfaatz.com for info.

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Storytelling and Sound fans: if you haven’t done it yet, don’t forget to check out music-inspired To Love A Stranger!

 

 

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