Dates: Between 19 January - 10 February, 2004 Reviewer: Ed Farolan |
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During my three-week visit to the Philippines (January 19-February 10, 2004), I had the pleasure of meeting Paulina Constancia, a poet and artist who presently resides in the island of Cebu. She published her bilingual book of poems (English-Spanish) Open Arms/Brazos abiertos in Vancouver in 2003, designing the cover herself based on a painting with the same title. Paulina is a professional artist. She has had exhibitions around the world, and in 1997,studied on a grant at the Vermont Studio Center where her interest in poetry was sparked. In 1999, she went to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico to study ceramics, and according to her, this was the beginning of her "sentimental adventure with the Spanish language". Her poems in this
collection written between 1997-2002 are as joyful as her paintings, and
admits that most of her poems are inspired from her paintings. Before
returning to Cebu, she gave poetry readings at the Vancouver Main Library
with the World Poetry Reading Series, in a radio program with the same
title on Co-op Radio, and together Her book contains 4 parts:
In the Introduction to her book, she sings: | Abraza la vida y el amor dulcemente pero no demasiado fuerte; para que los vientos de cambio y crecimiento puedan soplar en la dulce distancia. Hold life and love dear but never too near- that the winds of change and growth may still breeze within the sweet distance. A poem which expresses her artistry and the basic themes of her paintings is the poem On Life's Colors/Sobre los colores de la vida: La
vida es como un lienzo Life is a canvas and with paint and brush,
Copies of her book are available at: .© 2004, Ed Farolan |