The Mask – Elisabeth Horan

Description

The Mask is the follow up collection to collection Horan’s Self-Portrait, and is the third chapbook to be published by The Broken Spine.

Elisabeth Horan is a poet, mother, and small press publisher living in the wilds of Vermont. She is the author of numerous poetry chapbooks and collections, and the Editor-In-Chief of Animal Heart Press. Elisabeth is passionate about discovering new voices and mentoring emerging poets. She is also a fierce advocate for those impacted by mental illness. Read more about Elisabeth here.

The Mask is the second collection of ekphrastic poetry written by poet Elisabeth Horan in response to the artwork of Frida Kahlo. It follows the earlier publication Self-Portrait, published by Cephalo. This dual language collection interweaves the life story of Kahlo, her art, and the personal response of Horan to it. The Mask is passionate, intense, and demanding and nothing is safe.

Horan has previously stated that she feels a kinship with her muse, and this collection has been written against a backdrop of personal and societal upheaval. It offers us a glimpse into another person’s world. Behind the curtain. Under the mask. There is truth to be found here. Honesty and bravery too! In performance these words are spellbinding, and The Broken Spine is proud to be able to share this work with you.

‘Personalmente, me apasiona la vasta obra pictórica de Frida Kahlo, la belleza intrínseca de sus autorretratos y su legado en términos de resiliencia hacia las enfermedades físicas o psíquicas, pese a las ideas suicidas que ella misma aceptó padecer. Por lo anterior, siempre será un privilegio leer los  libros de la gran autora estadounidense Elisabeth Horan Ferrel , poemarios exquisitos  en honor a  Kahlo. A lo largo de sus libros, esta maravillosa escritora, deja claro su total conocimiento del gran ícono de la cultura pop mexicana, compartiendo sin reservas ni ambigüedad alguna su sabiduría, asunto que agradezco y celebro.’ – Jorge Montero Calderón, Therapist, Writer, Editor, Translator; Author of Aquihoriedades

‘Personally, I feel passionate about the vast pictorial work of Frida Kahlo, the intrinsic beauty of her self-portraits and the legacy in terms of resilience towards her physical or mental illnesses, despite the suicidal ideas that she herself accepted to suffer. Therefore, it will always be a privilege to read the books by the great American author Elisabeth Horan Ferrel, a distinguished collection of poems honoring Kahlo. Throughout the books, this wonderful writer makes clear her full knowledge about the great Mexican icon of pop culture, sharing without reservation or ambiguity, her wisdom, a matter that I appreciate and celebrate.’ – Jorge Montero Calderón, Therapist, Writer, Editor, Translator; Author of Aquihoriedades

‘The rhythmical sense of abandon achieved within these ekphrastic responses, entwined with Frida’s native Spanish, feed a lingering connection between the artist’s and poet’s tenacious spirits.’ – Marcelle Newbold, Managing Editor Rare Swan Press, Editor Nightingale & Sparrow

‘The true test of a folk heroine is her ability to be someone an everyday woman can relate to, can see herself in. It is this common ground with the iconic Frida Kahlo that Elisabeth Huron lays out in The Mask. This collection—written to, for and from one artist to another—is a call for all women (and the men who know how to love them) to discover they, too, live legendary lives.’ – Karen Pierce Gonzalez, Folkheart Press