The poems are ekphrastic in nature, but the writing endeavors to do more than describe Sol Lewitt’s individual pieces or explore thematic connections. In some sense, I’m trying to replicate visual elements, including colors or details that create an experience on the page that approaches the visual. Most of these poems take their titles, form, and construction from what Lewitt provided his drafters (he did not execute his drawings himself), resulting in poems that are constructed in the same manner as the drawings. Just as most poets do, Lewitt composed his work primarily from lines, and I have employed some of his instructions (“Twenty-four lines from the center,” for example) to create poems and poetic forms. “Nine Boxes” references one of Lewitt’s sculptures, which was indeed comprised of nine wooden boxes, each of which held a piece of art by another artist, which I’ve translated/interpreted into cento form.
– Amanda Moore
Amanda Moore is a poet, essayist, translator, and teacher. Her debut collection of poetry, Requeening, was selected for the National Poetry Series by Ocean Vuong, and her poems and translations have recently appeared in Ploughshares, Kenyon Review, Poet Lore, Witness, and Lana Turner. Poetry editor for Bull City Press’s INCH series and co-organizer of the Poetry World Series, Amanda leads poetry workshops and cultivates a woodworking practice from her home in San Francisco.