Whispers in the Galleries: Ekphrastic and Other Poems

A majority of the poetry in this volume is ekphrastic - inspired by works of art. The poems were created to offer readers new ways of looking at some of the world's greatest paintings, works whose artists include Rembrandt, Velazquez, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Renoir, Gauguin, Matisse, Goya, Dali and Wyeth. The poems often provide historical and/or psychological insight into creation of the paintings. The art is displayed in full color on the opposite pages from the poems. Also included are three poems based on photographs taken by the author. Non-ekphrastic poetry covers a variety of subjects. There are meditations on Tony Bennett's performance at age 80, on the effect of Louis Prima's music, on rafting the Salmon and Rogue Rivers, and on vacationing on St. Maarten. Many of the poems have appeared previously on numerous literary web sites.