Gerard Wozek

"Gerard Wozek's haunting, evocative, and resonant verse meets the most strident criteria. With true literary merit, it reads as well as it screens. His poems explore the sensual with relentless tenderness and conjure up powerful imagery, regardless of the medium."--Heather Haley, author of "Sideways" (Anvil Press, 2003)

"Poet Gerard Wozek and video artist/director Mary Russell create poetry videos that are not only rare for their fullness of visualization, but exceptional for their critical vision. As a creator and critic in the genre, I crave their kind of video for my own viewing. In their works, language regards image as image regards language, and both elements navigate through their works in such a way that the viewer feels respected. While looking at a video such as "A Bird in Hand," one has to remember that nothing is incidental, as naturally as it may be spoken. There may be chance in the production, but in the outcome no frame is wasted, no utterance is false, and no ambient sound is unnecessary. Wozek's poetry migrates well from page to screen, exemplifying some of the best effects of aural literacy; that particular wisdom in creating language that acknowledges the value of words written, spoken, and seen, with equal and positive authority." --Kurt Heintz, Director of Chicago's Guild Complex Poetry Film festival and founder of e-poets.net

"Gerard Wozek has perfected the rare art of catching the reader's breath with each turn of a phrase. Whether it is found on the page or spoken aloud, his poetry speaks with such delicacy and tenderness that one is almost afraid to disturb its low hush. As they breathe life into inanimate objects, his alchemical words illuminate both the world outside as well as the world inside. I feel extremely privileged to be able to merge my work with his in the expanding medium of poetry video. Wozek's strong speaking voice alone crafts music from his texts; as a collaborator, he makes the task of writing a musical accompaniment laughably simple."--D. Edward Davis, electroacoustic musician and composer

Gerard Wozek's enduring work in the genre of poetry video has allowed him to collaborate with visual artist Mary Russell and electroacoustic composer D. Edward Davis to create spoken word compositions that trancend the mundane narrative. Over the past decade, his artist collective, "Mercury in Motion," has compiled a list of award-winning poetry videos that have played at festivals and consortiums around the world. "The Spirit Compass" is a compilation audio CD which features his original poetic text coupled with D. Edward Davis's atmospheric, electronic soundscapes. The resulting sound alchemy is an incomparable and engaging listening experience.

The featured online download, "The Rosary Walk"--takes its cue from traditional, Catholic prayer vigils held in New Orleans graveyards and leads the listener through a metaphysical hyper-reality that likens itself to a quiet heart murmur. The title track, "The Spirit Compass," unfolds as a poetic travelogue that tiptoes back and forth between a shifting topography that is both seen and intuited--acknowledging a force that is both solid and somewhat hidden.

The written text of many of Wozek's poetry video narratives is compiled as "Reunion and other Spoken Word Poems," and can be downloaded in book format from pulpbits.com. In addition, his debut collection, "Dervish," won the Gival Press Poetry Award and is also available for purchase. For more information on Gerard Wozek and the "Mercury in Motion" poetry video artist collective, check out www.gerardwozek.com online.