new years at the overlook

The week of New Years seems like a perfect time to celebrate OVERLOOK, my little series of poems inspired by The Shining, especially since so much of it is very old school glam and snow-locked spooky hotels. And of course, the infamous photo of Jack Torrance mixing with guests at the Overlook.  That particular photo inspired my choice of the cover photo above in its aesthetic. 

I started writing this little series of poems in April 2020, in the very first few weeks of lockdown.  Part of it was that I had recently rewatched the Kubrick over the holiday break for the very first time a little high, which planted a seed of a project in my head.  Those were still anchorless weeks, during which I decided to try to do NAPOWRIMO (stupidly). The vibe seemed right, after all I'd wished for some isolated writing retreat action, and while hardly what I wanted, covid provided the isolation part.  I halfheartedly wrote the first of the pieces,  but  I didn't actually finish the series until later in the summer--when I was already back at work and moving about in the world again. 

Like so much of what I write, it starts out as one thing and quickly becomes something else.  In this case, not just an homage to the film, but also a meditation on the artists role in society, wealth, privilege, labor. A sort of gothicism in Amercan ideals themselves. I was actually really happy with it when I was done, which is not always the case. 

I think especially for me, as I contemplate things like job and income and the role of the artist in society, this little series feels especially important   You can read the entire thing here:  

https://issuu.com/aestheticsofresearch/docs/overlookzineelectronic