“Rosoinen sana, rough word”

Posted on November 21, 2018 • Words by Maija Mäkinen • Art by Anya Ermak

Collaborators’ Q&A: Poet Maija Mäkinen: …My brain and consciousness are always seething with those two languages, so when I saw the Polyphony submission call, it was like, I thought no one would ever ask. Artist Anya Ermak: Love what you guys do here on Broadsided… how about a local day tour by the collaborators for each other some day should they ever cross each other’s hoods?… a walk around their town trying some local foods? And snap that broadside selfie?

Maija Mäkinen is a Finnish-born writer and translator. A former Saari Fellow, winner of the University of Cambridge Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, she lives in Brooklyn. Artist Anya Ermak earned a graphic / interior design degree in Russia, where she was born and raised. She lives now in Alaska.

Tagged: Animals, Broadsided Responds, Drawing, Finnish (language), LGBTIQ+ Writer, Multilingual, Myth / Legend, Prose Poem / Flash Fiction, Romance / Anti-Romance

“Confession Concerning the Ocean”

Posted on September 1, 2013 • Words by Elizabeth Langemak • Art by Anya Ermak

Collaborators’ Q&A: What inspires you in this poem? Artist Anya Ermak-Bower: The author’s spirit. The strength to stand up against the mainstream perception of the subject and lay out her feelings bluntly. Poet Elizabeth Langemark: …Anya’s work reminded me of something I know in theory but am always surprised by anyway: that what the poet thinks a poem is about doesn’t necessarily matter. I was used to thinking of this poem as about the ocean but her interpretation seems to focus on the speaker, which I see now is absolutely accurate.

Poet Elizabeth Langemak‘s poems have recently appeared in Literary Imagination, The Beloit Poetry Journal, and Subtropics. She lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she is an assistant professor at La Salle University. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower earned a graphic / interior design degree in Russia. She works with a wide variety of mediums, enjoys sculpture and experimental arts. Designer Caleb Brown is an artist whose work has been shown nationally and internationally. Caleb lives in Groton, MA with his wife, two sons and a big black dog.

 

Tagged: Collage, Digital Art, Ecopoetry, Fear, Irony, Ocean / Water, Pastoral / Anti-Pastoral

“Mooring Stones”

Posted on October 1, 2010 • Words by Paula Carter • Art by Anya Ermak

Collaborators’ Q&A: Writer Paula Carter: …As the creator of something, you are often too close to it to understand what others see. As the reader, you react to something as it is, whole. As the writer, a piece always has a longer more complicated story to tell. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower: I just love Broadsided. It’s like a spoonful of chocolate ganache at a … church potluck? Haven’t been to one, but heard a bit about food there. Is it true?

Writer Paula Carter makes her home in the Midwest, from which she garners much inspiration. She received her MFA in creative writing from Indiana University and is currently working as a freelance writer. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower earned her design degree from a university in Western Russia. After living in Alaska for five years and working as an interior designer, she moved to Japan with her family.

Tagged: Childhood / Youth, Drawing, Family, History / Historic Figure, Mourning, Prose Poem / Flash Fiction, Rural, Weather

“Learning History in Nursery School”

Posted on October 1, 2007 • Words by Patrick Carrington • Art by Anya Ermak

Collaborators’ Q&A: Poet Patrick Carrington: Quite a few images ran through my mind–puddles on city streets, rainbows and clock towers–until I made the decision to stop imagining, to wait and see. To let the artist do what she does best. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower: As mother to a three-and-a-half year old boy—a boy who loves his puddle boots and puddles—the poem and recent climate here have reminded me of being a child in rainy Lithuania, and of a child’s ability to enjoy the moment, regardless of the weather.

Poet Patrick Carrington is the poetry editor at the art & literary journal Mannequin Envy. His manuscript Thirst (Codhill, 2007), winner of Codhill Press’ 2006 Poetry Chapbook Award, has just been released. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower earned her design degree from a university in Western Russia. She has lived in Alaska for five years, and channels her creativity into work, cooking, and raising her sons.

 

Tagged: Childhood / Youth, Digital Art, Family, Painting: Watercolor, Parenting / Parenthood, School, Weather

“Dishes”

Posted on April 1, 2007 • Words by Anna Mueller • Art by Anya Ermak

Collaborators’ Q&A: Artist Anya Ermak-Bower: …Anna’s response startled me: I couldn’t believe the way her writing precisely conveys my overall spiritual and emotional state at the time I started the piece. Writer Anna Mueller: The art presented itself as an emotion—a combination of effort, frustration, and loneliness. I wanted to create a similar emotion through scene.

Writer Anna Mueller is a creative non-fiction student in the MFA program at the University of Montana. This is her first fiction publication. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower earned her design degree from a university in Western Russia. She has lived in Alaska for five years, and channels her creativity into work, cooking, and raising her sons.

Tagged: Childhood / Youth, Drawing, Family, Parenting / Parenthood, Prose Poem / Flash Fiction, Switcheroo

“joe”

Posted on November 15, 2006 • Words by Michael Spielman • Art by Anya Ermak

Poet Michael Spielman lives and writes in Tucson, Arizona. Artist Anya Ermak-Bower earned her design degree from a university in Western Russia. She has lived in Alaska for five years, and channels her creativity into work, cooking, and raising her sons. She is now living in Japan with her family.

Tagged: Childhood / Youth, Drawing, Mourning, War

“Sketch of an Astronaut”

Posted on May 1, 2006 • Words by Donald Illich • Art by Anya Ermak

Poet Donald Illich‘s poetry has been published in Fourteen Hills, The Iowa Review, and New Zoo Poetry Review. Artist Anya Eramk-Bower earned her design degree from a university in Western Russia. She has lived in Alaska for five years, and channels her creativity into work, cooking, and raising her sons.

Tagged: Collage, Digital Art, Outer Space / Astronomy, Rural, School