“Los Macheteros”
Collaborators’ Q&A
What inspired you to bring your work to Broadsided?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: I saw the scene so clearly when I wrote this poem. I was curious what someone else might see.
What drew you to create a visual response to this poem, in particular?
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: In my first read, the poem seemed to carry such a strong image I was intimidated. I felt like there wasn’t room for me to start a conversation with imagery of my own, but then that feeling settled into a desired challenge. The abuela cuts this “offending leaf” with a machete, and, with that strike, she defines the boundaries for the child. I liked that a lot, her offering freedom—swing for swing.
How did this poem come to be?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: I took a Brooklyn Poets class with Miller Oberman which focused on Imagism. I think the prompt was to combine history with an object or image. My first drafts stuffed too much explanation about The Boricua Popular Army (Los Macheteros), so I eventually focused on the machete and my own personal history with it.
How did this image come to be?
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: In the collage, I first tried to split the air with one drastic cut. I weaved that gap with a sense of tangled air and, to offer subtle suggestion of a blood line, I used red, both in the “air” and the silhouetted hand in the lower left section of the image. As I arranged the layers, I wanted to offer a sense of gravity but not a dark or too heavy one, the blade throughout the poem is sharp and powerful, but is rooted in so much strength and good intention.
What did you think an artist would pick up on from your poem? Does the artist’s response make you see the poem differently?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: I wondered if they would pick up on this being an act of protection. To me, the artist’s response brings focus to the child in the poem, which isn’t something I expected.
Did anything shift for you or come into new light as you began working on your visual response?
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: In original sketches I was exploring the addition of an empty swing or a child kicking their head back while swooping through the air. But as I worked, I kept thinking about her abuela’s bangles and I decided to connect that memory of jewelry with a necklace I got from my Grandmother. It worked as an ode of sorts to the trinkets we pass down. Let loose in the composition, the butterfly wings and glimmer held a better metaphor for a child flying higher and freer on her swing after her Grandmother’s sweet release/offering.
When you consider the full folio of work from this issue (see the “related broadsides” links on the left), what questions, observations, or connections arise for you?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: Generally speaking, the images are complimentary rather than direct illustration.
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: I appreciate the various conversations between held objects, memories, and blood relations throughout this folio, but find myself lingering with Lex Runciman’s lines in “At Cape Perpetua,” the text held between the darker area’s of Sandra Vega’s hands:
And as legs go heavy, you become less,
less contemporary, less wary. At every view
part of you says pause, another part push on.
This kind of push and pull and sense of endurance highlights the whole portfolio for me. And to Janice Redman’s “Ghost Log” response… well, I just want see if I can come play with textures in your studio! The weight of that form pairs so well with Jennifer Sweeney’s poem. It’s beautiful. It reminds me how much touch also gets magnified in this portfolio.
Describe your ideal “Vectorization”—where, in your wildest dreams, would you most like to see this broadside posted in the world?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: El Morro in Puerto Rico. Maybe I’ll put it there myself!
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: I just want to know folks are finding it and placing it where they can appreciate and share it.
If this Broadsided collaboration were a type of weather, what would it be?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: Sun shower.
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: A cool gust of wind passing through a warm, summer breeze.
Do you have a favorite, generative prompt for artists or writers you’d like to share?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: Pick a random noun, verb, and adjective from the dictionary (or any book I guess) and write a sentence using those words. Repeat until you feel like you’ve said everything you wanted to say.
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: Pick an image. Rip it into thirds. Remove the center section. Place the outer edges in a composition while determining how much tension you wish convey within the frame. In the space between, add new imagery or forms in any media. Allow the transformation of this inner space to imply a new sensation. Enjoy finding your way in this invented space.
Read any good books lately?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: One of my poetry mentors published a collection recently, A Night in the Country by Laura Newbern.
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: I finally got around to reading Ali Smith’s Companion Piece, the add-on to her Seasonal Quartet series. I appreciated another strong ending to the series.
Seen any good art lately?
Poet Isabel Acevedo: Gino Severini’s work at the MoMA.
Artist Stacy Isenbarger: It’s BFA & MFA exhibition season! Go check out what’s happening at a college near you; their steps outside of academia are impressive to take in and celebrate.