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Barbara  E. Mercer

Secrets 

Author: Barbara  E. Mercer Binding: Paperback (pp: 108) ISBN: 978-81-8253-119-2 Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2 days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net Pub. Date: 2008 Condition: New Description:

SECRETS is Barbara Elizabeth Mercer’s fifth book of poetry, and this volume represents both a summarization of earlier themes and a movement into a bolder expression — most easily described here as encompassing the three V’s of poetry: vibrant, visual and vital.

                                                                                            – Adam Donaldson Powell

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Legacy 

Author: Barbara  E. Mercer Binding: Paperback (pp: 124) ISBN: 978-81-8253-089-8 Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2 days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net Pub. Date: 2007 Condition: New Description: Barbara Elizabeth Mercer as a poet has amazing vitality and power. The sublimity of her thought in several poems included in Legacy takes us beneath the surface of things Nature’s commonest objects like storm, spring, heat, snow, corn field, evening star, moon, lily, blossoms, fog, sea, waves, dawn, sunset provide her emotional stimulas, inspire her feelings and imagination. ‘The consecration of the commonplace’ and discovering the infinite into ordinary things indicates Mercer’s poetic genius. She has a rare gift of creating imaginative phrases: ‘the will of the day’, ‘Land of the shimmering lover’, ‘lover of eternal moon’, ‘Mystic moon’, ‘Bathed in wind and tears’, ‘Pink gold glowing’, ‘The rock of time’, ‘The pearly peaks of passion’. Such expressions suggest that one is not made but born a poet. Besides poems of nature, Mercer has handled other subjects with throbbing fullness. The poems in Legacy posses a great variety unfolding the whole gamut of human experience, from the glorious story of Barbaro the Horse, from the Art Exhibition at Toranto, from watching spring from her ‘rooftop cell’, and the rich experience of her Vienna Affair, up to the terrible tragedy of the Twin Towers turning to rubble on 9/11, the intensity of poetic process creating ‘a compelling song’, the Poet as Warrior, Lover and Predator overwhelming and mesmerizing the readers with the ‘wordplay’, pity for ‘the poor souls neglected’, the alchemist selecting carefully Philosophic mercury, the Engineer giving shape to a Canadian diamond. In the variety and greatness of themes, Mercer’s place as a poet is unsurpassable. She is an extraordinary poet of her time. Wordsworth observed, “The clear spring of poetry must flow freely and spontaneously-it cannot be made to flow through artificially laid pipes. Poetry is born, not in the mind, but in the heart overflowing with feeling.” This is evident in Mercer’s finest poetic work Legacy.        

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Legacy: by an emerging poetic force from Canada .

(Published by Cyberwit.net, 2007, ISBN 978-81-8253-089-8, 124 pages, paperback, CAN$15)

Legacy (Selected Poems) is another breath of fresh air from an emerging poetic force from Canada . Yes, Barbara Elizabeth Mercer is a ‘force to be reckoned with’ – confidently presenting a strong voice, with original style, unwavering and persistent ... and from the looks of things, this author is just getting started. So look out!

I am often asked what I look for in books that I review, or consider reviewing. As I have written elsewhere, I look for many qualities including: evenness in quality, diversity in content and form, artistic intent, planning, execution and polish (the degree of polish being both intentional and commensurate with the desired expression), and an overall concept of the book as a complete work of art – beyond an arbitrary “stew” of individual poems. In addition, I pay attention to the author’s sense of originality, political and social awareness, mastery of storytelling, and visual, musical and philosophical expressions indicative of the author’s experiential personal history. I further look for: balance of intellectual rationalism and emotional presence, a solid command of the full palette of language(s) used, descriptive colour, clarity, intentional usage of abstractions, entertainment and theatrical/performance value, humour and occasional irony, and an overall sense of when to use poetic economy versus poetic rapture. And finally I am concerned that the author has an understanding of how to arouse within the reader a sense of personal identification, emotion and engagement – enabling the reader’s ‘inner artist’ to enter into a creative cognitive dialogue with the author, and hopefully even to inspire the reader to embark upon his/her own creative process.  

There are many poetic forms being used today, with many hybridisations. There exists both a sense that there are “no rules” anymore and, at the same time, there are some unspoken literary guidelines which determine the probability for successful literary communication – beyond the subjective, and personal taste. I believe that it is important for me as a reviewer to repeat what I look for from time to time.  

And now for Barbara Elizabeth Mercer’s achievement in her latest book.  

The author clearly shows an understanding and growing mastery of most of that which I look for as a reviewer.  Especially impressive in her work is her ability to create a painter’s canvas, and at the same time to make music through her innate understanding of ‘modern’ internal poetic meter.  It is apparent (to me) that while Mercer writes with intent and concept, that she also has learned how to avoid the pitfalls of overwriting and (in addition) how to effectively make use of the hidden glories of the intuitive process in creating works of art. This is something every artist must eventually learn, and I would imagine that Ms. Mercer’s career as a visual artist has afforded her much that she has transferred to poetry in that regard.

I see that she is working on many levels concurrently, which is reflected in her attention both to the entire poem, small groupings within each poem and individual lines – all working together like a well-oiled machine or a symphonic work that consistently sounds effortless – despite varying technical and expressive challenges that have to be addressed and solved while constructing a work of art.  Barbara Mercer gives of herself personally and freely, always aware of the importance of communicating with the reader.  While she does employ rhyme, she is careful not to let the rhyme dominate or determine her usage of language or the message/feeling/picture she is imparting and sharing.  

I do find the insistent initial caps at the beginning of each line of poetry a bit distracting, but Ms. Mercer is consistent in regards to this practice throughout the book. Sometimes the initial caps seem logical, and sometimes almost mechanical.

However, this is a minor criticism and is a matter of taste. Rules of punctuation and format in modern poetry are more or less subjective at this point, but these personal decisions can affect the readers’ experience.  

This is a book that is perhaps best read in small portions, savouring each poem one at a time instead of quickly gulping down the entire book in one intensive reading. This because Barbara E. Mercer has so carefully tailored her verse to reveal new discoveries upon each reading, and because each poem is so full of imagery and cause for reflection that both the poems and the reader deserve time and several readings for true dialogue and creative (literal and subjective) comprehension.  

I will conclude with one poem by Ms. Mercer, to illustrate the above written commentary:

Spring Dawn  

Spring spreading lusciously

Dawn’s gifts

Sun turning trees

To pink – rich pale pink

Clouds to violet

Light blue – turquoise

Soft green feathering

Buds budding

Pink victorian bricks

Gold splashed rooftops

Diamond gold window panes

Spreading brilliance

Over many facetted city

Birds – pink – gold – white carrara marble

Gliding joyously on spring air

First fragrance

Freshly cut grass

Breath in its healing scent

Intoxicating senses

With gladness of being alive

In this lusciously

Spreading spring

Dawn

I can only say: “Beautiful ... just beautiful.”  

Literary criticism (2008) by Adam Donaldson Powell (based upon “Legacy”, published by Cyberwit.net, 2007, ISBN 978-81-8253-089-8, 124 pages, paperback, CAN$15)  

BARBARA ELIZABETH MERCER  ( Canada ) has written several individual poems which have been widely published in anthologies, and has also authored and co-authored several books, including: “Mystic Wills”, “Self Portrait” and “When Poets Collide”. Not surprising, Ms. Mercer is also a visual artist.

ADAM DONALDSON POWELL (Norway) is a literary critic and a multilingual author, writing in English, Spanish, French and Norwegian; and a professional visual artist. He has published six books (including collections of poetry, short stories and literary criticism) in the USA, Norway and India, as well as several short and longer works in international literary publications on several continents. He has previously authored theatrical works performed onstage, and he has (to-date) read his poetry at venues in New York City, Oslo (Norway), Buenos Aires and Kathmandu (Nepal).

Self Portrait 

Author: Barbara  E. Mercer Binding: Paperback (pp: 99) ISBN: 81-8253-065-2 Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2 days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net Pub. Date: 2006 Condition: New Description: Barbara Mercer's book of poetry may be considered a perfect ensemble of the reflection of her own livable experiences and her aesthetic sensibility, as a painter who at the same time, is a poetess. The book is an artistic self-biography where all the awesome skills of the author conforms an aquarelle of incredible value around her own life remembrances. The poems flow sweetly, naturally, in front of the reader eyes, exposing her story to several levels of interpretation. Visually, melodiously, conceptually, we roam through the sidewalks and paths of her own personality that is present all the time in her constructions. We are able to live her memories through this narration, and through that description, since she wants us to enter this journey, deliberately. She recreates the scenes and the sensations that marked her destiny, intending us to understand, to comprehend why she became a painter and a poetess. We can include her magnificent work in postmodern poetry, because it develops all the characteristics of this style.         

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Mystic Wills 

Author: Barbara  E. Mercer Binding: Paperback (pp: 96) ISBN: 81-8253-041-5 Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2 days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net Pub. Date: 2005 Condition: New Description: This is Barbara Elizabeth Mercer's first book of Poetry. Barbara Elizabeth Mercer, CPA, poet/painter. was born in Galt, Ontario, Canada. Her subsequent studies took her to New York and San Francisco, California, then back to Toronto, where she worked with the educational TV Ontario, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the Canadian Opera Company, the National Ballet of Canada, and other theatre groups. Although her main focus has been painting, she has been writing poetry for many years. As a member of The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto, she made her performing / poetical debut in 2004., and as member of the Canadian Poetry Association, was published in the 2005, 20th Anniversary publication, Poemata. Mercer's publications include three Cyberwit Anthologies, The 2004 Taj Mahal Review, plus three US Anthologies. Mercer's paintings are included in the permanent collections of The University of Toronto Art Centre, Imperial Oil, The Robert Mc Laughlin Gallery, as well as many international private collections. Currently, she lives, works, and exhibits in Toronto, Canada. Website: www.barbaraemercer.com

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Finding inspiration from world around her A MOMENT WITH... 


JUSTIN SKINNER More from this author
Jul. 29, 2005 

Local artist Barbara Mercer has always found the inspiration for her paintings in the world around her. These days, she's using that same inspiration to fuel her poetry writing. Mercer has been painting since 1962 and has earned accolades both in Canada and abroad. Though she has been writing poetry even longer than she has been painting professionally, her written work had remained out of the public eye until recently. 

"I was storing my work in notebooks until an old acquaintance contacted me after 43 years and encouraged me to buy a computer," the artist said. "I searched for poetry sites (online) and had some of my work published there. Through having some of my work on a site in Edinburgh, Scotland, a publisher in India found me and wanted to publish my work in print." 

That circuitous route to a publication deal came as a surprise to Mercer. It was a pleasant surprise, however, as she had never anticipated becoming a paid, published author. 

"I don't even have an agent, so when this came about I was happy to take the offer," she said. "I wasn't going to wait around to get rejected by Canadian publishers, who would have no trouble rejecting a no-name like me." 

Her first anthology of poems, Mystic Wills, relies on the same symbolic style that she uses in her paintings. The book, which will be published in September, is a legacy to Mercer's son, artist Andrew Judd, with whom she was reunited in recent years. 

"I had to have him adopted at birth and he managed to find me seven years ago," Mercer said. "We're getting to know each other more deeply and this book is a way that he and his wife can know a little better how my brain works." 

Though Mystic Walls is dedicated to her son, the north Cabbagetown resident said her inspiration comes from a variety of sources, both when painting and when writing poetry. 

"I feel I'm influenced by everything around me and I find a lot of inspiration in nature," she said. "In Cabbagetown, I have a little garden, which is a wild jungle that inspires me. I have a cat who inspires me." 

She was also greatly influenced by her husband, photographer Gerald Milne Moses, with whom Mercer lived in Caledon. Mercer moved to Toronto 11 years ago after Moses' death. 

"I'm fortunate that I was able to thank him for his inspiration through poetry in a few of the poems in my book," she said. "The book is a cathartic journey through the places that have influenced me from my childhood in Galt, Ont., which is now Cambridge, to Toronto." 

Mercer's spontaneous style has long been a hallmark of both her visual and written work. She has relied on that spontaneity since she first moved to Toronto at 17 to pursue her dream of being an artist, even though she had little formal art training. 

"I couldn't afford art school, couldn't afford to go to the Ontario College of Art," she said. "I had to work at many types of jobs and was fortunate because I could type and I could run a switchboard." 

She managed to find work in places where she could still use her artistic skills, working as a prop builder, set designer and even a makeup artist in theatre and with the CBC, CTV and TV Ontario. Her career also took her briefly to New York, where she worked for an antique reproduction company, painting Roman, Egyptian and Renaissance-style portraits of clients. 

LOVE 

"I had to earn my way as best I could," Mercer said. "Through my work, I learned to love the history of art and I was constantly learning as well. They say necessity is the mother of invention and these jobs allowed me to pay the rent and eat." 

Mercer's work has earned her international acclaim through shows in Sweden, the U.S. and Italy, where she participated in the renowned Biennale Internazionale Dell'Arte Contemporanea. Her series titled My Canadian Icons, which consists of portraits of noted Canadians who have had an impact on the artist's life was well received. 

"I painted that series over a year, and when I say that I mean a year non-stop - days, nights, all the time," she said. "It was incredible for me to have these living icons come to sit for me and allow me to paint them." 

Mercer said having her work critiqued by a professional art critic in Florence was "another thrill". 

"He compared my work to the British painter David Hockney and to (Italian master) Caravaggio, who were both considered to be rebels." 

Though Mercer has a modest number of Canadian collectors who actively collect her work, many of those who have enjoyed her work through the years are looking to get a copy of her poetry book. 

"My poetry's similar to my visual art because both just flow when I feel connected to something," Mercer said. "I also compose music for the piano, which is just for myself and that's very similar as well. It's just a flowing of emotion." 

She said that living as a widow in Cabbagetown has helped her blossom artistically. Because most of the residents in her neighbourhood are quiet and keep to themselves, she has been afforded the privacy she needs to do her work. 

"As a widow here, you're treated kind of like a stray dog," she said. "I've had some kind neighbours who invite me to their parties, but I also have lots of time to do what I want to do." 

She added she feels her community has a creative feel, which is augmented by her membership in the Arts and Letters Club and the University of Toronto President's Circle. "I've gotten to know more people and do lots of social things these days, which is always more grist for the writing mill," she said. 

Barbara Mercer, artist and poet, says, "In Cabbagetown, I have a little garden, which is a wild jungle that inspires me. I have a cat who inspires me."