“Surf Days” by Elizabeth McMunn-TetangcoPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2017: Editor’s Choice
Image: “Wind-Blown Meadow” by Phyllis Meredith. “Surf Days” was written by Elizabeth McMunn-Tetangco for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2017, and selected as the Editor’s Choice.
Comment from the editor on this selection: “Quite simply, this poem felt the most emotionally honest of all those we received this month. I can see the scene at the beach and this photograph tucked into the speaker’s notebook, even though I know it really isn’t there. An entire world is constructed from the image, and because it feels so real, the longing feels real, too.”
“Young Medusa in the Fall” by J.P. Dancing BearPosted by Rattle
Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2017: Artist’s Choice
Image: “Wind-Blown Meadow” by Phyllis Meredith. “Young Medusa in the Fall” was written by J.P. Dancing Bear for Rattle’s Ekphrastic Challenge, November 2017, and selected as the Artist’s Choice.
Comment from the artist, Phyllis Meredith, on this selection: “For me, this is the poem that most matches the mood and the story of the image. This poem really speaks about the stare she is giving. It digs into the soul of this image. While it does mention the wind and her hair, the words then dig deeper and go on to question the meaning behind the look she is giving to the viewer and what she is truly saying. I believe ‘Young Medusa in the Fall’ gets to the heart of ‘Wind Blown Meadow.’ In this image Meadow is thirteen, almost fourteen, years old, the image was taken at twilight on Surfers Point Beach in Ventura, California, where my parents live. She was freezing cold and super mad—she had hit her head and was very upset by that and the strong wind and just how cold it really was that evening at sunset.”