Dear Ann and Tony,
I’ve spent hours inside your ANOTHER WORLD and truly, from your excellent essays to the art and poetry of these young creators, you have gathered the light, hope, wisdom, and caution that encapsulates the best we can imagine in (and for) the pure and fluting voices of our children. These fresh voices speak and illustrate a truth that is timeless, perhaps, in part, because it is born and ripened in a garden; most assuredly because of the gentle guardians you have been to their tender spirits. I want to thank you for allowing us to be a small part of this enormous project. I want to thank you for the work you have done over these many years. And I want to thank you for persisting when it seemed one obstacle after another blocked your path.
Congratulations on this remarkable achievement.
With all best wishes,
Karen (Karen Hesse is an American author of children’s literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings. Hesse was a MacArthur Fellow in 2002. For Out of the Dust (Scholastic, 1997), she won the Newbery Medal from the American Library Association, recognizing the year’s “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children”, and the annual Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Letters from Rifka (MacMillan, 1992) won an International Reading Association Award and a National Jewish Book Award.)
My Dearest Ann and Tony,
I went to sleep last night reading the foreword and introductions to your wonderful, amazing book. I woke up in the middle of the night. . . and continued to read the introductory pieces. As I finished both of yours, I turned off the lights wondering how in the world I would ever find the words to describe my deepest praise for your words, but more importantly, for what your words carry about the work that you do and the principles, values, and vision that it is all based upon. . . .
Ann, your piece is beyond touching. You were able to bring us, the readers, alongside you. Most important, you were able to, without shyness, to speak of the “sacred” and not just in words but in a deepening description of the meaning of that word in the context of, in this case, poetry. What stood out to me is that what you are talking about applies to every interaction, every connection, every exchange we have with another, be it person or any other living being. You understand the purpose and the meaning of listening and nothing short of “sacred” belongs here. Ah, how to live with such a slowing down? How to understand that this is exactly what we are all hungry for? That both of you manage to allow the true rhythm of life, the heartbeat of our species, to live within the space that you’ve designed, is a miracle in this day and age. The poems are a testament to who our children are once given the food that is the food of our species. Our question will now be, can we offer this food in all the places, ALL the places, where we meet our young. And then, as you are now experiencing in their gratitude toward you, the gift will continue to circulate. Maybe a new generation will arise.
With so much love,
Miriam (Miriam Dror has been working in the fields of education and healing for over forty years. She is a licensed psychotherapist and a Certified Core Energetic Therapist. Miriam studies and teaches models that integrate all aspects of ourselves – emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual..)
Dearest Ann and Tony, (transcribed from a handwritten note, 12/8/21)
Last night I finished reading your book and I am in awe of what you have created. It’s magnificent! The poems are so wonderful, but the weaving of poetry, art, essays and photography has created such a gorgeous and moving work. I hope you are thrilled with the book, and I hope it finds a wide audience.
Tony: the marriage of art and words in many places is so moving, and it’s also wonderful to see the skills you gave the students, from the sewing to the overall designs, which fit the content of the poems. Ann: your skill as a poetry teacher shines bright in the children’s work; their imagery and honest emotions sparkle and many times reading, I caught my breath.
As a gardener, I am also amazed to see how your beautiful gardens bring out and evoke the vivid language in their poems and art. Wow! . . .
Love,
Liza (Liza Ketchum‘s most recent book is The Last Garden: A Memoir, illustrated with botanical drawings by Bobbi Angell [Shires Press]. A lifelong teacher, she is the author of seventeen books for young readers, including [as co-author] the picture book, Begin with a Bee [U of Minnesota Press]).
Commenting on the poetry and art found in Another World, Chard deNiord, Poet Laureate of Vermont, 2015-2019, has written: “The rich display of imagery, lyrical economy, and bold self-exploration in these recent poems from the Poetry Studio both dazzles and moves the reader. . . Ann Gengarelly, poet-in-the-schools for over 30 years, has nurtured these budding poets by inviting them to write in the welcoming quiet of her poetry studio where an idyllic setting of rock gardens and a spacious but intimate writing room complement an atmosphere of enlightened creative energy. During the summer’s Poetry/Art/Bookmaking workshops Tony Gengarelly [Professor Emeritus of Fine Arts] leads bookmaking and art classes where students have the opportunity to create art and beautiful handcrafted books that visually expand the students’ poems. If I said the magic that emerges from this idyllic “studio” is no surprise, I would be telling only half the truth.” (from the brochure essay for “Windows to Creative Expression: Young Poets and Artists from the Poetry Studio,” September 2016-February 2017, Brattleboro Museum and Art Center)