A journal of rediscovery
by Jeanette Ronson – Edith Rimmington (1902-1988), an obscure painter, poet, and photographer, projects her commitment to the Surrealist movement of the early twentieth century in her painting “The Decoy” (1948). A decoy’s purpose is to lure a victim into a trap. Here, we have a human hand infused with
Continue readingRediscovered Stories: The Power to Transcend Logic is in the Hand of the Surrealist
by James Purtle – The Eric Sloane Museum in Kent, CT, is home to a remarkable collection of early American tools and artifacts uniquely curated to showcase their beauty and utility. Donated and created by artist and author Eric Sloane in 1969, the exhibit is like a personal invitation into
Continue readingRediscovered Stories: A Tribute to Early America and to Artist Eric Sloane
by Rob McMahon – Rob Magnuson Smith’s piece, “The Headhunter’s Trumpet,” offers a glimpse into the world of New Guinean tribal practices. The piece focuses on a Papuan headhunter’s trumpet, an instrument created, carried, and played to display a tribe’s ferocity and brutality before a headhunting. A headhunter’s trumpet, carved
Continue readingRediscovered Stories: The Headhunter’s Chilling Blast
by Annmarie Savarese – A medieval storehouse was a sanctuary as well as a desolate prison for the girl who survived Europe’s bubonic plague. Jen Mehan’s poem “The Girl in the Staveloftet” was inspired by a Norwegian legend dating back to the 1300s. According to legend, the owner of the
Continue readingRediscovered Stories: The History Behind the Legend
A Q&A by Jeanette Ronson – In 1869 thousands of people did indeed flock to Cardiff, New York, just south of Syracuse to see the Giant. Even after the 10-foot 4½-inch fossilized man was exposed as hoax, they kept coming and paying for the privilege of seeing the fraud with
Continue readingRediscovered Stories: Dr. Ken Feder Discusses the Cardiff Giant
A Q& A by Melissa Gordon – Wow, there are so many corners in what we call “local history!” Corners worth exploring; corners in which is hidden a great deal of wisdom. —Marilyn Nelson on Poor Yorick Marilyn Nelson is a current Chancellor of the Academy
Continue readingPoor Yorick’s Inception: Marilyn Nelson on Fortune’s Bones
– The staff of Poor Yorick: A Journal of Rediscovered Objects is proud to announce our launch on October 15! The premiere of the journal will include 12 pieces, including: a poem about a real-life hoax so bold even P.T. Barnum was jealous; an essay about the ancient legends surrounding
– We want to see where Poor Yorick can travel! We will post Poor Yorick in the variety of locations on Instagram. Please cut out a Poor Yorick skull with a little handle, and when you come across objects or locations of historical and cultural significance, snap a picture and email
– Last month, I heard about a papermaking demonstration hosted by Yale’s Beinecke Library. Papermaking seemed like the perfect lost art for PY to check out. Paper, after all, is the unsung cornerstone of most things literary and artistic. That the demonstrators would use historic techniques and human powered machines sweetened
– Charles Bukowski’s Post Office (1971) chronicles Hank Chinaski’s misadventures as a postal worker and the poverty, alcoholism, and bureaucracy that fray his middle years. Sure, it’s a book about a hard-luck drunk written in spartan chapters, a book revered by hipsters. But from the closet of Bukowski’s hardboiled antihero
Continue readingFlashes of the Past: Bukowski and his Closeted Intellectual