Equivalence: Poems

by Shin Yu Pai

Drawing its name from photographer Alfred Stieglitz's series of cloud images, the poems in this collection from poet Shin Yu Pai explore connections and correspondences between poetry and the visual arts, Eastern and Western cultures, tradition and modernity, perpetual migration and the sense of home. In the course of this exploration, the poet is inspired by modern and contemporary artists such as Wolfgang Laib, Piet Mondrian, Joseph Cornell, Yoko Ono, and Felix Gonzales-Torres. "Shin Yu Pai's imagination is like a fine pottery bowl, delicately shaped but capable of holding many playfulness, candor, descriptive elegance. She is working out her own welcome blend of cultures, Eastern and Western, and Equivalence is the lovely and often challenging result."--Rosellen Brown "Shin Yu Pai matches a painter's grasp of the materiality of things with the poet's trick of arranging words for maximum musical effect. She knows that in poetry it is the music that keeps in the mind what is seen. Her poems honor their imagist heritage by making it new."--William Corbett "Shin Yu Pai's voice is equal parts exciting, exuberant and elegant. Equivalence serves as a profound dual act of grace and wisdom. This poet has carved out a bold, wondrous space on our mountain, complete with unspeakable vistas that stretch clear toward the earth's edge."--Jim Behrle Equivalence received a 2003 grant from the Cambridge Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

I am the author of numerous poetry books.

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A meditation on artistic translation; a focus on images/visuality, and also very fun/playful.

[Chantal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it.