ARTtalk: The Nature & Spirit of Imagery - Poetry & Photography

The talk will include the reading of poetry by the author and by other poets who illuminate the theme as well as an exploration of several photographs in their poetic context. Throughout the event, the audience will be invited to engage with the presenters on their reactions to the topic and their life experience with it. Books will be available for signing.

About the Author

Albert Starkey is a past winner of The Atlanta Review’s International poetry competition, a winner of the International Library of Poetry’s Open Poetry Contest and most recently, a winner of the 2016 Carriage House Poetry Prize of Tiferet Journal. His poetry has been published in several journals, magazines and two anthologies. It has also been exhibited in Cape Cod art galleries and twice aired on NPR’s WCAI, Poetry Sunday in 2017. He is the author of four other collections of poetry titled, On Eireann’s Edge, Moonrise Soon, Blue Music and Closer. Al and his wife, Susan have lived for extended periods in their much beloved Ireland over the past fifteen years. They currently reside in the village of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts.

About the Photographer

Frank Winters is an award winning fine art photographer. He shows his work at The Provincetown Art Association and Museum, The Cotuit Center for the Arts, The Miller White Fine Arts Gallery (as a guest artist) and other Cape Cod locations. His photography is influenced by his love of poetry and the visual arts, particularly abstract painting. Frank and his wife, Aurora live in Sandwich, on Cape Cod.

Below is a poem by Al Starkey, This Old House, and upbove is a photo by Frank Winters, The Benjamin Nye Homestead.

This Old House

I would love to live out my years on this earth

As many or as few, as the case may be

In an old rambling house set in a village

Among other old houses at ease with one another

Houses once given to the industry of sea captains

Now guardians of the elderly who reminisce in silence.

I would love to be known as the local poet

Who spends his mornings down by the sea

In tattered flip-flops and an old Red Sox hat

With a pad for my canvass and a pen to the palette

Waiting and then gathering what is given there

That something may be known more truly.

But as it is, I find myself in this old house

Set in a village among other old houses

Reminiscing in silence about this morning by the sea

About the passing of time and how it all runs together

With a fleeting thought of being the local poet

As I write this poem in flip-flops and a Red Sox hat.

Albert W. Starkey

$12/ $10 CCMoA Members