Dear Friends, Earth rolls toward the east as the sun, moon, and stars disappear behind the Western borderlands. Where I live, they seem to glide through clouds or veils of fog into the Pacific. The cycles of the seasons bring me solace, ever turning away and returning, a Great Wheel reminding me about the nature of this universe. May the world’s current darkness bear the solace of returning spring.
Wonderful News! The following essay:
L’histoire de la Terre en vers libres : traduction inédite et commentaire d’un extrait du poème Sacred Sites par Susan Suntree
The history of Earth in free verse: a French translation and discussion of an excerpt from the poem Sacred Sites by Susan Suntree was published earlier this year in the bilingual on-line journal, Art et science/Art and Science.
https://www.calameo.com/iste-group/read/00584164653ee853f8704?trackersource=library
Art et science/Art and Science
Vol 7 No.2 2023 Page 61-71
It was a pleasure to consult with the author, Victor Monnin, on the translation into French of a selection from Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California (Note: available wherever you purchase books; audiobook now available on Spotify and audiobooks.com).
Here is the abstract in English which presents his premise about the value of free verse poetry in the discussion of science. I’ve attached (and included at the end of this note) his entire essay in English translation in case you’d like to read it.
ABSTRACT. This article presents a French translation of an excerpt from Sacred Sites. The Secret History of Southern California, a poem by American writer and poet Susan Suntree. This translation is seen as an opportunity to discuss the advantages afforded by the free verse form to not only narrate the history of Earth and life but also cultivate among the public a deeper awareness about time. This article contributes therefore to the literature on the role played by artistic forms and technics in the study of the geological past or deep time. Commenting on the translated excerpt from Sacred Sites, it argues that the free verse form represents a poetic medium suitable to simultaneously give shape to the historicity of Earth and share something of the unique conditions in which this historicity is being studied. The educational and expressive potential of free verse and other poetic forms to share geological knowledge and perspectives should seriously be considered in view of today’s environmental crisis.
Peace=Love,
Susan
and have begun another collection. Spring, with its burgeoning from winter ground lifts my spirits some. January brought the loss of a dear friend and others whom I admired. Not to speak of the harsh currents that challenge the very air and every aspect of what we have sometimes called civilization. But, from the mouth of chaos comes the call to action. May we respond!
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