As an MFA graduate, I often think about meals from a poetic standpoint.
Each flavor has its own individual purpose much like a line or image, and when you meld those lines and images together something whole emerges, creating completeness and unity.
Dare I say, too, that most poetry lovers comprehend the complex simplicity of a perfect meal and a flawless glass of wine.
Food and poetry naturally go hand-in-hand, and to celebrate this cross-section of the arts From Plate to Palate this June welcomes four poets and their food-inspired poems: Doug Van Gundy, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Carly Sachs, and Llewellyn McKernan.
Doug Van Gundy’s ekphrastic retelling of the writing process through recipe reminds writers of the virtues of giving scraps time to “reemerge, soft and glossy, rich and surprising and nourishing.”
Kathryn Stripling Byer beautifully recounts the attachment cooks have with their spices and how scent can ignite imagination and memory.
Carly Sachs’ persona Ramona unleashes a grocery store diva always committed to doing right by the food. Read as Ramona waxes poetic about fresh produce and her respect for fresh food—seomthing that all serious food geeks can relate to.
Llewellyn McKernan explores the timeless voyages of food and how its nutrients feed not only our appetites but our “myths and legends.”