Winner of the Philip Levine Prize for his first book of poetry, The Lost Country of Sight, PhD candidate at USC, Editor of Boxcar Poetry Review (if you haven’t checked it out you should), poet, artist, translator, teacher, computer guru, Neil Aitken is a busy guy. Although he spends more time writing, translating, and editing, for Neil writing and visual art have always been intertwined. When it comes to his poetry, he states, “much of what I’ve learned about composition, framing, and contrast comes directly from my experiences in visual art.” Neil doesn’t use a notebook when writing, but says, “I frequently jot down lines and fragments on scraps of paper and the backs of business cards and receipts. . . . . Some of my best poems come about from misreading my notes or combining research discoveries in unintended ways.” Two books Neil has been involved in translating from Chinese to English, The Book of Cranes by Zang Di and the bulk of The Book of Air: An Anthology of Contemporary Chinese Poets, are slated for publication from Tupelo Press in 2013. Click on Neil’s Cool Bird and learn more about him and his work.

Editor-and-Chief of TheDetroiter.com, contributor for the art blog Hyperallergic, cultural critic for The Huffington Post, attorney and artist, you might say Colin Darke is a busy guy. Colin began drawing around the age of four and has been painting since he was twelve. Yet it took us all this time to discover him for ourselves. We’re glad we did. Colin’s series of hummingbird paintings titled Hope Against Odds is an example of an artist using his unique voice through colorful brushstrokes and subject matter to make a statement: in this case, a statement about Detroit. Hummingbirds, writes Colin, symbolize “hope against odds” and the juxtaposition of the birds “against abstract imagery of Detroit” intimates “that places change, but the human spirit is enduring.” Click on Colin’s Cool Bird and learn more about his work.

Young Adult author, Kelly Creagh and I have been friends
for about eight years. To say that she’s a fan of Edgar Alan Poe
is an understatement. But she’s turning her exquisite imagination,
her affinity for the mysterious life of Mr. Poe (and for the even
more mysterious Reynolds), and her many gifts as a writer into
a trilogy of YA novels for Simon & Schuster (not a bad start).
The first book in the trilogy, Nevermore, met with instant success
and the sequel, Enchanted, will be released August 28th, 2012.
In her pastel sketch, Kelly has given Poe’s “raven” a bit of color
which matches her playful personality. Click on Kelly’s Cool Bird
and learn more about her and her writing.

GC Myers taught himself to paint. I find his ability to do that to be an envious gift and an inspiring one. There is something about his paintings that strikes me, not just on an aesthetic level, but on a personal one. His choice of color and of composition is intimate and emotional and that comes through in the work. His transformation from hard-working waiter at a Perkins family restaurant to accomplished artist with a museum show later this year in Cooperstown wasn’t as simple as saying, I want to paint a red tree or a red chair and just having at it. He had to connect with his colors. But, even before that, he had to re-connect with a part of his authentic self that, like many of us, he had put aside. It took him years to give himself permission to pursue his passion full-time. We’re quite glad he did! To learn more about GC check out The Sweet Spot and be sure to click on his Cool Bird painting to be transported to a land of vibrant color and internal landscape.