Kate Brennan, acting and voice professor, is writing a poetry book.
The book is called One Hundred Shadormas From Nine Thousand Feet. It will be published on Amazon through Brennan’s nonprofit organization, Ignition Arts. This is Brennan’s first time publishing her poetry.
All of the poems were written during The HBMG Foundation’s National Winter Playwrights Retreat in Creede, Colorado.
Brennan said she was partially inspired by her students’ writing project.
“We write haikus throughout the course of the year with my vocal class, and we published them as an anthology called X Number of Days After the Eclipse,” Brennan said. “Once I saw how easy that was, I thought, ‘what if I do this on my own with all of the writing that I do?’”
Brennan said the book contains overall themes about time, space, health, writing, and existentialism. She said one of her favorite aspects of the editing process is categorizing her poems and finding ways to make them connect.
Each poem features an illustration by Corinne Prudente, acting junior.
This is Prudente’s first time illustrating for a published book. She said she sees the project as a fun challenge for herself.
“At the end of the summer (Brennan) emailed me and asked if I would be interested in illustrating anywhere from 25 to all 100 of her poems, and I knew immediately that I wanted to do it,” Prudente said. “I kind of took it as a little bit of a challenge. I was like , ‘Okay, full 100, I’m on board,’ which is kind of crazy.”
Prudente said her illustrations have a whimsical style.
“For this project specifically, I would say that I was going for a more simple but whimsical style,” Prudente said. “I was really playing with fantasy and sci-fi and surrealist concepts of the body and environment.”
Brennan said the illustrations add clarity to the book.
“I think they really illuminate the poetry so much more, and they make it a lot clearer, what’s going on,” Brennan said.
Prudente said the illustrations expand upon Brennan’s writing.
“I think it brings in a different perspective, and I think it highlights the beautiful work that she has already done,” Prudente said. “I see it as an opportunity to expand on the world she created and to take that beautiful imagery and to put it on the page in a different medium.”
After the book is published, Brennan said she will focus on writing her third musical with McCarter Theater.
The book does not currently have an official release date, though Brennan said she hopes it will be available by Christmas.
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