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On Oct. 2
and 3 in Zionsville there was a series of events titled “The ART
of Poetry: A collaboration of Artists & Poets” organized by the
inaugural Indiana
Poet Laureate, Joyce Brinkman. Twelve poets submitted
three poems each to twelve artists (different media), who
selected one poem and created a new work of art in response. On
the evening of
Feb. 20 was “The ART of
Poetry Reading
Tour,” a walk to four galleries in which three pairings
of a poem in calligraphy and the works of art were
displayed—each poet read his/her poem after an intro for each
artist and poet. This same “exhibit and reading” will take place
Nov. 6 at the Indiana Humanities Council in downtown
Indianapolis.
Here are the
poets (name first) and artists as paired:
Robert Goodman
Jewelers:
Joe Heithaus/Laura Villanyi (glass); Barry Harris/Peg
Neal (sculpture); Phoenix Cole/Lynne Miller (sculpture);
The Yarn Shop:
Carolyn Kreiter-Feronda/Kim Ort (photography); Joyce
Brinkman/Kevin Bowles (wood); James Murdock/Laura Hall Tesdahl (colored
pencil); Brown’s On
Main Street: Jane Gentry Vance/Katherine Meade (oil);
Marjory Wentworth/Sandy Ezell (watercolor); Laurel Smith/Katie
Lane (gourds); Art in Hand
Gallery: Ruthelen Burns/Jody Flynn (acrylic); Mary
Brown/Cindy Leavesley (pastel); Norbert Krapf /JD Nolan
(photography). |
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A postcard announcement bearing the
logo for “The Art of Poetry,” which opened with an afternoon tea and
talk at Serenity in
Zionsville by former Virgina PL Carolyn Kreiter-Feronda on
collaborations and ekphrastic art. |
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Norbert and Katherine with Carolyn
Kreiter-Feronda at Robert
Goodman Jewelers, where the reading tour began in the
evening. |
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Creative responses at Robert Goodman
Jewelers to poems by Phoenix Cole, Joe Heithaus, and
Barry Harris. |
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Artists’ responses at
The Yarn Shop to poems
by James Murdock,
Joyce Brinkman, and Carolyn Kreiter-Feronda. |
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Artists’ responses at
Brown’s On Main to poems
by Marjorie Wentworth (South Carolina PL), Jane Gentry Vance (former
Kentucky PL), and Laurel Smith, with the poems in calligraphy. |
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Marj and watercolorist Sandy Ezell. |
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Jane, Carolyn, and Marj. |
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At
Art in Hand, Norbert and
Joyce get ready for the readings. |
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Ruthelen Burns, one of the “Airpoets,”
reads her poem that inspired an acrylic by Jody Flynn. |
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Norbert with photographer JD Nolan,
who created sepia and b/w photographs, with a musical motif added,
to go with “Songs in Sepia and
Black and White.” |
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JD Nolan’s sepia and b/w photographs. |
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The Nolan sepia photo that is a
companion photos for Norbert’s poem. |
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On Saturday morning, Marj talks about the collaborations
she’s been a part of. |
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Present for the
panel discussion was Katherine O’Connor of the Indiana
Humanities Council. |
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Joyce keeps the discussion moving and
makes sure the artists have a chance to wedge in a word. |
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Poets Ruthelen and Phoenix need
Saturday morning coffee before words come to them. |
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On October 11,
at the Brown County Public Library in Nashville, IN, Norbert
participated in the second Porch Light Indiana event by reading
passages from Rachel Peden’s 1961, Quarry Books rpt. 2009,
Rural Free: A Farmwife’s
Country Almanac. See the poster and program photos
below for a list of other performers and readers.
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The poster for Porch Light Indiana. |
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The program for Porch Light
Indiana.
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Part of The Brown County Public
Library seen from the parking lot. |
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Katherine with Beth Grimm, mother of
folksinger Tim Grimm. |
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The James Whitcomb Riley panel on the
exterior of the library. |
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The fall cornucopia in the community
room, before the appetizers, snacks, and desserts were set out. |
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Jan Lucas and Tim
Grimm performed songs from their new
Farm Songs and read
passages from Rachel Peden’s
Rural Free. |
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Norbert reads from
Rural Free and related
poems from Bloodroot.
Tom Roznowski, not pictured here, did an excellent job of serving as
emcee. |
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Janet Rabinowitch, IU Press Director,
and Linda Oblack, Quarry Books Editor, listen to the readings and
songs. |
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Norbert, Rachell Perry, and Nancy
Hiller sign their books.
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Scott Sanders signs and Tim Grimm looks on. |
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Scott and Ruth Sanders at the book table. |
On Oct. 24,
Norbert gave an evening reading at The Inn at Spring Mill
State Park near Mitchell, at the annual conference of the
Federated Poetry Clubs of Indiana. President Glenna Lee
Jenkins organized the conference and invited Norbert, who
started with a couple of passages from his
The Ripest Moments
Memoir and then read from
Bloodroot and
the new Sweet Sister
Moon. Awards for the annual poetry contest were
given out after the reading and winners read their poems.
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Norbert with Pres. Glenna Jenkins. |
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The audience in the spacious meeting
room, one side of which is all windows overlooking the woods below. |
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Norbert signing books. |
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The inn seen from the upper parking
lot. |
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One of Norbert’s favorite trees is the
shagbark hickory, seen here in the Donaldson’s Woods (some virgin
timber) section of Spring Mill State Park. |
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On Oct. 30,
Norbert read with the Airpoets at IUPUI as part of an award
ceremony for a poetry contest sponsored by the university
library. No photos are available for this event, but see earlier
Airpoets events above and below for sample photos of readings by
Joyce Brinkman , Joseph Heithaus, and Ruthelen Burns.
On Nov. 3,
Norbert read from
Sweet Sister Moon
at the Irvington Branch of the
Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Kathleen
Angelone of Bookmamas in Irvington again sold books, and Sue
Kennedy , director, introduced him. |
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Poster for Krapf readings at the
Irvington and Glendale
branches of the IMCPL. |
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Kathleen Angelone of Bookmamas is
always the first to arrive and has books set up when the first
member of the audience arrives. |
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Some of the
early birds buy
their book(s) first so they can follow along during the
reading.Answering questions. |
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The welcoming
Irvington Branch community room displays local art on its
walls. |
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Norbert spits out a poem! |
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Answering questions. |
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Signing a copy of
Sweet Sister Moon. |
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On Nov. 4 at
10:00, Norbert read poems, including the new “Questions on a
Wall,” written at the request of Honorary German Consul Sven
Schumacher to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the
fall of the Berlin Wall, in the combined classes of
German professor Gerburg Garmann at the
University of Indianapolis. At noon, he gave another
reading open to the whole university community as part of the
German Week program devoted to commemorating the 20th
anniversary. To begin the noon reading, music student Nick
performed a Bach prelude on standup bass and then a
Bach minuet to accompany Norbert’s reading of his first
poem, “Bach in the Morning,” about supervising his children
Daniel and Elizabeth ’s morning Suzuki violin practice when they
were young. |
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Norbert photographs students on one
side of the room before class begins. The students admitted no poets
had ever taken photos of their class. |
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The other half of the class, in the
making. |
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Prof. Gerburg Garmann, a native of the
Hamburg area who is an artist, introduces Norbert to her students.
During the discussion, one student asked Norbert for an example of
“a custom he recovered through his search for German roots.” In
answer, Norbert read “St.
Martin’s Day,” which describes his children’s participation
in the St. Martin’s
Day parade in Erlangen on Nov. 11, 1988, and “The
Labor Day
Boxes” from his childhood in Jasper, about the transplanting and
adapting of the St. Martin’s Day parade to his German Catholic
hometown in
southern Indiana . |
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Getting ready to read in the trustees dining room as students come
in. |
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Gerburg Garmann gives Norbert his
second intro. of the day. |
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Norbert and bassist Nick in action. |
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Reading from
Blue-Eyed Grass: Poems of
Germany
(1997). |
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With Gerburg and her students before a
Berlin Wall banner they created. |
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On
Saturday, Nov. 7, Norbert was the first poet ever to read at the
annual INPAWS (
Indiana Native Plant and
Wildflower Society) conference, to an audience of about
250 in the old American Cabaret Theatre of the Athenaeum,
Indianapolis, two short blocks from his house. The theme of his reading,
which was arranged by literature-loving President Nancy Hill,
was “Nature and Place as Inspiration.” Members of the audience,
comprised mainly of people interested in botany, forestry, and
ecology, bought 25 copies of
Bloodroot and
Invisible Presence.
Norbert and Katherine have been proud members of INPAWS since
they moved to Indianapolis in 2004. |
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The INPAWS audience, returning from
lunch, seen from the stage. |
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Image from a presentation about
turning a subdivision in Fishers into a haven for
native plants. |
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An image of what happens when a space
is allowed to return to
native plants,
with a popular motto from a baseball movie, “Field
of Dreams: “Build it and they will come.” |
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Norbert reads his poems about wildflowers,
trees and woods, and the language of place. |
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On Nov. 7 at
8:00 p.m., at a concert by the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
and the Univ. of Indianapolis Chorus, in the elegant concert
hall of the Christel DeHaan
Fine Arts Center,
U of I, Norbert read “Questions on a Wall” to 530 members of the
audience and 80 orchestra and chorus members. Norbert recited
the poem right after the intermission, just before a passionate,
stirring performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, his
favorite. It was especially moving for Norbert to read his poem
before this magnificent collaboration between Beethoven and
German poet Schiller—the fourth movement includes the choral
version of his “Ode
to Joy,” a fitting conclusion to an event that celebrates
Freedom Without Walls. The program bio of Norbert concludes that
he considers “music and poetry kissing cousins.”
Before the
intermission, Csaba Erdélyi and Eli Eban performed a lyrical and
moving version of Bruch’s Concerto in E Minor for Clarinet and
Viola with the chamber orchestra. This joyous and memorable
event was part of the “Freedom Without Walls” celebration of the
20th anniversary of the
fall of the Berlin Wall. There was a spirited reception
in the lobby following the concert. Reading the new Berlin Wall
poem at this concert reminded Norbert of reading his “Song of
the Music Stand” at a concert by the
Long Island
Baroque Ensemble in the 1980s. Norbert, who read to 250+ people
that afternoon at the INPAWS conference, observed that in some
years he does not read to 800 people, his audience for this
spectacular day and night.
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Dialogue Between Poem and Song
Kiss me, kiss me!
said the poem
to
the song.
Why yes of course!
said the happy song
in
reply.
Why don’t we do
it
again? said
one to the other.
Any old time, babe,
was the dreamy,
delirious reply.
©
2009 Norbert Krapf |
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The elegant concert hall as the audience
gathers in their seats. |
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The orchestra warms up. |
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The reception begins in the lobby—no
photos were allowed during the performance. |
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Music-lovers make a go for the food. |
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With Claudia Grossman, husband
Mitch Vogel,
and friend Gisele Reibel, part of the Indy German connection. |
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Norbert signs a T-shirt for the first
time in his life. He wondered when he, the orchestra, the chorus,
and the soloists were going on the Freedom Without Walls Tour.
Anyone have a couple of buses for sale? |
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With Honorary German Consul Sven
Schumacher, who asked Norbert to write a poem about the
fall of the Berlin
Wall for the 20th anniversary. |
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With Maestro Kirk Trevor. |
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Maestro Kirk Trevor, members of the ICO, and
solo singers. |
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With Elaine Eckhart, Executive
Director of the ICO. Elaine arranged for Norbert’s readings on the U
of I campus Nov. 4 and was instrumental in having “Questions on a
Wall” become part of the evening’s program after hearing it read at
a Freedom Without Walls meeting. |
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With soprano Kathleen Hacker, Vocal
Director and Chair of the Music Dept. at U of I. |
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On Sunday,
Nov. 8, Norbert read “Questions on a Wall” again as part of a
pre-concert event before the Butler Symphony and Chorus
performed Mahler’s Second Symphony, “The Resurrection.” This was
part of the year-long Mahler Project focusing on German
creativity organized by Dean
Peter Alexander
of the Jordan
College of Fine Arts. The other speakers were people who
were in
Berlin or from there and connected to Berlin when the
Wall came down exactly twenty years earlier, including Jeanette
Footman, Fred Yaniga of the Butler German Program and Director
of the Modern
Language Center, and Pastor Al Smith. The event, which
took place in the Krannert Room of Clowes Hall, was co-sponsored
by the JCFA, the German Consulate, and the International Center
of Indianapolis. |
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A large ICI poster that greeted all
who entered the Krannert Room. |
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The audience assembles for the brief
talks by those who witnessed the fall of the wall. |
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One audience member enthusiastically
displays his T-shirt. |
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Katherine Krapf with Jeanette Footman,
proprietor of Perk Up, which serves German pastries and breads, and
one of the speakers. |
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The five speakers await their term
during the introductions by Sven Schumacher. |
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Norbert reads his “Questions on the
Wall” for the fourth time since
Wednesday morning, in addition to his
Thursday night trial run during the ICO rehearsal for the
Sat. night performance of the Beethoven 9. |
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On Nov. 10,
Norbert participated, with Monika Herzig, in “Nature Awakens
Creativity,”
a project organized by the
Central Indiana
Land Trust as part of the Spirit and Place Festival.
Writers, songwriters, artists, photographers, sculptors, and
musicians were invited to apply to become part of this project
and visit one of the many Central Indiana nature preserves in
its care and then to create a new work of art in response. These
new works were exhibited in the Library of the
Indianapolis Art Center in
Broad Ripple as of Oct. 1. Norbert, who read the letters
of German immigrant Jacob Schramm in the 1970s while living on
Long Island,
chose to visit
Schramm Woods, a preserve about thirty minutes east of
Indy, with his wife Katherine. Norbert’s collaborator Monika, at
the eleventh hour,
agreed to create a new
musical
composition to go with his poem “Schramm Woods.”
On Nov. 10,
the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus, under the direction of Pam
Blevins Hinkle, who also directs the S & P Festival, did
improvised backings for the writers who read their work and
Monika backed Norbert on the piano with “Squirrel Nut Strut.”
While the writers read their works to musical backing, or sang
their songs, slides of the many works of art created for “Nature
Awakens Creativity” were projected in a loop on a large screen
on the stage of the Basile Theatre. After these presentations, a
panel discussion followed on stage, with the audience
making comments and asking questions. One of the main purposes
of the Spirit & Place Festival is to encourage collaborations,
between individuals as well as organizations. During the panel
discussion, Norbert pointed out that he and Katherine and their
family moved to
Indianapolis in 2004, partly because of the S & P
Festival. This was Norbert’s sixth year in the past seven as a
presenter in S & P. His first S & P Festival reading took place
on his sixtieth birthday in the Indiana History Center , while
the Krapfs were still living in the New York area. |
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The Indy Women’s Choir warms up before the
doors open. |
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A woods image is visible on the screen before
doors open. |
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Eric MacDougal, a board member of the Land
Trust who worked hard to put this show together, rehearses his “A
Song for Aldrya.” |
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Pam Hinkle , who played flutes and
hang drum and also directed the chorus, listens. |
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Joe Peters sings “Heaven
and Earth.” |
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Norbert recites “Schramm
Woods,” which he had never before read in public, with Monika Herzig,
not visible, playing “Squirrel Nut Strut” behind him. |
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Joe Heithaus reads “Eastern Hemlock.” |
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After storyteller Bob Sander finished
“Breaking Silence,” the Indy Women’s Chorus did a spirited
improvised song that took off from some of the last words in Bob’s
essay. The audience was invited to participate by singing along. |
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Members of the panel answered
questions on stage after the performance, with Eric M. as moderator. |
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A part of the panel with a view of two
Indiana
Poets Laureate. |
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On Nov. 11,
Norbert read at the Glendale Branch of the
Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library. Once again,
Kathleen Angelone of Bookmamas brought books for sale. Nobody
from the library was present to give an introduction, so Norbert
did his own honors. “Hello, “he began, “my name is
Walt Whitman. It was so hard to get my first book
published, the one called
Leaves of Grass,
that I had to pay for its publication myself. I sold
many of the books myself and also wrote several reviews under
pseudonyms. It was hard, but still I enjoyed it.” |
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Part of the audience waiting for the
reading to begin. |
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A view from beyond the lectern,
before the reading begins. |
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Norbert and Kathleen at the book table
after the reading and discussion. |
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On Nov. 14,
his birthday, Norbert read 3:00-6:00 from
Sweet Sister Moon,
paired poems and songs with dear friends Greg Ziesemer and
Kriss
Luckett -Ziesemer, and signed books at Village Lights Bookstore
in Madison, to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of
the store owned and operated by Nathan Montoya and his wife Anne
Vestuto, who the day before in the
Indiana Statehouse received a “Main Street” preservation
award for their work in restoring their gorgeous building in the
beautiful historic town on the
Ohio River. One of the honored guests throughout the
three hours of celebration was Jack, son of Kriss and Greg. That
evening, Greg and Kriss performed at the
Livery Stable,
along with Tim Grimm, wife Lucas, and their son Connor, in a
fundraiser for the
Ohio River Valley Folk Fest, which takes place in May. |
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It’s a
Sweet Sister Moon
afternoon in Village Lights Bookstore. |
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The cover art for SSM was created by
Ashley Verkamp, a native of Ferdinand, near Norbert’s hometown,
Jasper. The Krapf family were members of Ferdinand Parish in 1848. |
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Nathan and Anne express gratitude for
the community’s support of their store. Nathan and Anne lived for
six years in Germany
while working for an opera company, and Nathan was an Associate
Prof. of Dance at Southern Methodist Univ. before moving back to
Indiana and
opening VLB after restoring the building for two years. It’s people
like Nathan and Anne who give a home to literature and serve their
communities by making their stores centers of local culture. The
Indiana
Poet Laureate believes strongly in independent booksellers. |
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The sign in the window gives the names
of the poet and musicians who are teaming together to celebrate the
Village Lights anniversary. |
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Young Jack, son of Greg and Kriss, is
ready to boogie! “Bring on the poems and songs,” he says! |
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Nathan and Anne with Norbert. |
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Members of the community of all ages
came to Village Lights at different points during the three-hour
period. |
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Norbert begins to read from SSM. |
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In the beginning, Jack had a nice seat—on mama
Kriss’ lap. |
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Norbert introduces Greg and Kriss to
sing a couple of songs paired with poems related to their lyrics.
The first song was Kriss’ “Sweet
Sister Moon,” which gave Norbert’s book its title and
inspired the title poem, “Full
Moon over Central Indiana .” |
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Greg and Kriss sing. |
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While Kriss sings, Anne reaches for a
book on the ladder behind her. |
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Mark Twain looks on, from above some of his books, in the
Twain Room, from which Norbert read and Greg and Kriss sang. |
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Everywhere you look in Village Lights
Bookstore, up, down, forward, back, or to the side, you behold
beauty. |
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There is a Steinway in the
Mark Twain room
which two different pianists played on the evening of the 14th. |
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Jack was a very good listener, no
matter where he sat or stood, no matter what VLP patron he hung out
with. |
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Norbert makes some farewell remarks
and thanks Nathan and Anne for all that they give the community. |
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At 4:00 p.m.
on Nov. 18, Norbert was part of a Celebration of Life at the
Athenaeum in downtown Indy in honor of his friend Eberhard
Reichmann, who died on Oct. 16. With his wife Ruth, Eberhard
founded the Indiana German Heritage Society 25 years ago and was
the superb editor of its publication series. Norbert remembers
well the day in the mid-1980s when he received, on
Long Island, where he had been working on his “Indiana
German roots” for fifteen years,” his first letter from Eb, who
had discovered the 1977
Finding the Grain: Pioneer Journals, Fraconinan Folktales,
Ancestral Poems. Eb wrote to say how excited he was
to discover this book and Norbert’s work. Eb eventually became
the editor and publisher of the revised and expanded
Finding the Grain: Pioneer
German Journals and Letters from Dubois County, Indiana,
which came out in 1996 from the Max Kade German-American Center
of IUPUI and the Dubois Co. Historical Society. Norbert worked
for almost 25 years on this back-breaking project and
appreciated Eb’s help and support in completing the book and
seeing that it was published.
As Norbert
said, before reciting from memory Eb’s favorite Krapf poem, “The
Forefather
Arrives,” and a poem written for the occasion, “Eberhard
Reichmann Arrives at St. Peter’s Gate,” receiving this first
letter from Eb was like finding the voice of a long-lost older
brother, or uncle, or
father figure.
All who testified at the Ceremony of Life agreed that Eb’s work,
which he carried on with his wife Ruth, shall go on. Eb had a
passion for language, music, history, teaching, learning,
stories about people, especially those dealing with
German
immigration, and all aspects of German culture. For more
information on Eberhard Reichmann and his many talents and
accomplishments, click on the following links:
http://nationalitiescouncil.blogspot.com/2009/10/eberhard-reichmann-has-died.html
http://www.indianapolisgak.com/pdf/eberhard.pdf
Eberhard Reichmann at Peter’s Gate
—Norbert Krapf
He’s following in the footsteps
of all the German immigrants
whose stories he helped to tell.
As he passes, they greet him,
give him a Wurst and stein of beer,
say once more, Auf Wiedersehen.
At Heaven’s Door, he teaches
St. Peter how to sing the immortal
hymns in Swabian dialect.
The Great Gate swings open,
the heavenly choir sings,
and Eb’s voice leads the way
as we follow in his footsteps
singing with him the lyrics
he led us back to with gusto.
©2009 Norbert Krapf |
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The cover of Eberhard Reichmann’s
A Celebration of Life
program for Nov. 18. |
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The days’ program, which included music,
poetry, and remembrances of Eb. |
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The cover of Eb’s book Hoosier
German Tales Small and Tall. |
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On Dec. 5,
Norbert participated in the Holiday Author Fair for the sixth
year in a row, which means he had as many publications in that
number of years. He enjoyed sitting at the book table and
chatting with southern Indiana novelist Greg Schwipps, whose
What This River Keeps
made the author a finalist for a Glick Indiana Author Award in
the Emerging Author category. Norbert also enjoyed visiting with
author friends Jim and Dark Rain Thom, Susan Neville, Ray
Boomhower, Thom Roznowski, Phil Gulley, and others. |
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Norbert with novelist Greg
Schwipps of Milan. Norbert contended that the film Hoosiers was
inspired by the Jasper High School State Championship in
Basketball in 1949, not the later Milan championship.
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Tom Roznowski, author of the new from
IU Press, chats with novelist James Alexander Tom. |
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Jim and Dark Rain Thom with Nathan Montoya and
wife Anne of Village Lights Bookshop in Madison. |
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Ray Boomhower, editor for Norbert’s
The Ripest Moments
memoir, smiles at his book table. |
