Resurrection of a Sunflower by Catfish McDaris

Resurrection of a Sunflower Reviews

• 
  Nina

  Disclaimer: I have a poem in this anthology
  
  Resurrection of a Sunflower is an ambitious collection of writing in response to Vincent van Gogh. Although many of the poems are ekphrastic, written after specific paintings, there is also a great deal of writing in response to van Gogh’s life. There is a wide variety of style and voice, including many persona poems written in van Gogh’s voice, poems written directly to van Gogh, poems about members of van Gogh’s family and social circle.
  
  Due to the enormity of the collection (510 pages), I cannot possibly distill a review into a few significant quotes. The book is organized by writer. One of the things I’ve been enjoying is going through and tabbing all of the poems about the same painting, then reading them as a group. Here’s a brief example:
  His stare says
  it doesn’t matter why
  he did it.
  Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Kerry Trautman)
  
  When the deed was done
  I could no longer hear my art
  (Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, Neil Ellman)
  
  As I page through Resurrection again and again, I keep finding lines and stanzas that jump out and grab me.
  There against a cobalt sky
  I learned of piety
  (The Church at Auvers, Neil Ellman)
  
  Their shelf life would be longer,
  and we’d always be sure
  when we reached the end.
  (If Lovers Were Books, Clint Margrave)
  
  The sky is a glum color
  of battered reality
  (Absinthe O’Blue, Victor Clevenger)
  
  McDaris and Pietrzykowski have done an amazing job collating Resurrection. Front and back covers are stunning. Permit me to edit my opening disclaimer: I am proud to have a poem in this anthology.
  
• 
  Donald Armfield

  Every author in this anthology put a little something into the memory of Van Gogh. Pski's Porch did a marvelous job putting together this collection. Cheers!
  I'm proud to have an epic poem in this giant book, that reminds me of the old school yellow pages phone book.
  I'll list some of the poems, these being my overall favorites as an avid reader of poetry.
  
  Ryan Quinn Flanagan - Ready, Aim, Fire
  Catfish McDaris - Dreaming of Paris
  Mendes Biondo - The Yellow House & The Crows Flight
  Alan Britt - The Tavern of Souls & The Secretaries
  Sudeep Adhikari (one of my new favorite poets) - His whole section really blew me away.
  Eve Brackenbury - A Night Without Black & Immotet: The Immortal Flower
  Neil Ellman - Self-Portrait with a Bandaged Ear
  Lylanne Musselman - Perfectionist & Night Life
  Tim Staley - Nature of Marriage & Everybody's an Artist
• 
  Subhadipmajumdar

  I have a long poem on Vincent Van Gogh and a short story on him in this book. I am delighted to add to the esteemed names.It is a fascinating book and a perfect tribute to Vincent and what he means to us.
• 
  Marianne Szlyk

  If you love Van Gogh, this is a wonderful anthology with poems from a variety of authors from McDaris himself to Ryan Quinn Flanagan to Bryn Fortey to Mary Ellen Talley to Carol Alexander to Perry S. Nicholas--and more. Enjoy!
• 
  Cassie Gaines

  Being a fan of Vincent Van Gogh is the only way you can appreciate an anthology like this. Ecclectic joint that is based on the writer's interpretation of the painting.