Kristin L

            Our day of culture began when we were introduced to Zaharati Morfesis. Morfesis, who is an extremely talented artist in many different facets of art, introduced us to a new way of looking at how art is achieved. Morfesis mainly deals with Greek and Ancient Mythology. Although she said she goes through phases where she enjoys studying different characters, they are all mostly in the Greek mythological setting.

Morfesis just had a book come out entitled “Pomegranate Seeds: An Anthology of Greek American Poetry.” This book she shows off some of her poetry about Persephany, other goddesses and even fictional goddesses, The Red Queen. We got the opportunity to hear some of her poetry about the various goddesses, and even a poem towards the end about her re-incarnated Greek cat.

            The most unique thing about Morfesis I think is her authenticity. She says, very much like an actor or actress, when she studies one of her characters (in this case, goddesses) she really gets into it. She sort of morphs into one of the studied character and starts to “see the world through their eyes.” This really allowed her to relate to the character, and thus, channel successful work. It was truly inspirational seeing this artist get into such a character. She said she really “feels it in her bones” when she is performing or writing. Seeing her passion for what she was reading or writing really inspired the listeners. Although I have always been taught that poetry is meant to be read aloud, it was an example such as this where it became truly apparent. Her poetry also really has a lot of sound. Like the example we read in class “The Word
Plum,” she made use of words that really created a mood for me. She used a lot of sensuous and chilling words which I think allowed the listeners to gain a better understanding of Persephany.

            While it’s not as easy for others to sort of tap into our subconscious or get into character as Morfesis has, she really urged us to find something that we were “truly passionate for.” Whether that be writing, painting, drawing, singing or performing, find a way in which we can outlet these feelings and channel how we truly feel. Overall, she really urged us to find our “niche” and be creative.