Artemis 21 will be released in June. This year’s journal publishes fledgling writers and artists alongside prominent writers such as Nikki Giovanni, Virginia Poet Laureates, Luisa Igloria, Ron smith, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, U.S. Poet Laureates, Rita Dove, Natasha Trethewey, as well as prominent artists such as Donna Polseno, Betty Branch, Bill White, and Linda Atkinson.
Acclaimed ceramic sculptress, Donna Polseno will grace our cover
*Donna Polseno
Donna Polseno is a sculptor and potter living in the mountains of southwest Virginia. Donna will be featured on our next 2021 Artemis cover to be released in June.
She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and has been honored with 2 NEA Artist Fellowships and a Virginia Museum Artists Grant. Donna has shown her work in major exhibitions in museums and galleries, nationally and internationally. Her work has been published in many books and magazines.
Donna has taught seminars at many schools including Penland School, Haystack Mountain School, Anderson Ranch, Jingdezhen University in China, La Meridiana School of Ceramics in Italy. She lives and works part-time in a small village in Italy. She was a ceramics instructor at Hollins University for 15 years, where she created and still directs the “Women Working With Clay” Symposium.
Jeri Rogers interviews Donna on the latest Artemis Podcast Speaks
Send us your videos reading poems to be posted on Instagram
Helpful hints;
— Please keep your reading to only 2-3 minutes each — No welcome or intro is needed before your piece, but please leave at least 3 seconds of blank space at the beginning and end of your recording and start your recording by saying the name of the piece you’re reading and your name. — Camera Shot/Framing: This should just be a nice casual shot at home. Please avoid blank wall backgrounds – show us something dynamic! If you’re doing IGTV clips, the shot should be in portrait mode (vertical) and fairly straight on with no extreme angles. — “Does this need to be memorized? Should I deliver it straight to the camera?” The answer is, truly, whatever you’re more comfortable with! Facing towards the camera is preferred, but there’s no need to memorize it – you can just read it in whatever way you think looks and feels best. That said, if you want to memorize it, go for it! — When you’ve finished, please send your video as a Dropbox or Google Drive link to; artemisjournal@gmail.com.
OTHER HELPFUL VIDEO HINTS Some of you have lots of experience doing this, but others may appreciate a little direction, so take what’s useful… — Before filming, do a test shot to listen to your audio, check the framing of your shot, and lighting for your video. — Audio: Please turn off loud fans or A/C to minimize white noise. AirPods and Bluetooth Headphones cannot be used to record audio with Apple’s native camera app. That’s okay! Just make sure you’re in a quiet space when recording your video. — Lighting: Full direct sun is not your friend! Natural indirect or filtered light is usually best. If you want to get fancy, turn on a lamp or fancy sconce in the background! — Camera: For better quality, use your rear-facing camera (on the back) to record yourself. It’s best if you or someone else can check the framing when using the rear camera. You can do a test shot to see what the lighting, framing, and audio look/sound like. Please use 1x zoom (as opposed to the wide .5x or telephoto 2x). — Best Camera Settings: On your iPhone, go to Settings > Camera > Record Video and select 1080p at 30 fps. This is the default on most phones.
April’s Instagram Event!
Justin Scribner
Stay tuned for writer, Justin Scribner, who will kick-off our weekly posts featuring videos, and audios from poets reading poems.
Justin made his breakout debut after the quarantine last year by publishing his first book of poetry, every grain of sand. “A few weeks into the Covid crisis, I had a major realization. Without any upcoming jobs whatsoever, I might finally have time to publish the poems and stories that had been hiding in my proverbial (and literal) closet.”
Co-hosted by Associate Editors, Crystal Founds and Donnie Secreast
Jeri Rogers, Editor
Happy to help
Artemis Journal has inspired creativity and fellowship for people of all backgrounds in the region for over 40 years. The Journal serves thousands of people in Virginia’s Blue Ridge and across the globe with its features of up-and-coming artists and writers as well as award-winning artists. Since it originated in 1977, Artemis Journal has been an advocate for social justice and highlights all deserving artists and writers.
10% of sales are donated to a Women’s Shelter in SW Virginia
Artemis Journal is grateful for the continued support of our friends, The Roanoke Arts Commission and The Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art
Artemis is pleased to have acclaimed poet, Nikki Giovanni to join our publication. She has been awarded an unprecedented 7 NAACP Image Awards, nominated for a Grammy; has been a finalist for the National Book Award, authored 3 New York Times and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers, which is highly unusual for a poet. She is Distinguished Professor at Virginia Tech.
Artemis has had a long journey with Nikki. She has been our featured guest poet for our journals in 2014 and 2017. In 2017 we dedicated our journal to her as someone who has served as a beacon to those of us who believe in the power of art. From the 1980’s until today, she has given generously of her time and talent to nurture and support the work of artists and writers in her adopted home here in Southwest Virginia. We welcome her as our Honored Board Poet.
Now into our 2nd season, Artemis is pleased to continue the podcast series which was borne out of the pandemic last year. Twice a month, Jeri Rogers, Editor Artemis, invites you into a conversation introducing an interesting array of guests, from Poet Laureates to Ceramic Potters, all who have been published in Artemis Journal.
All Artemis Speakspodcasts are archived on this website under the heading of Podcast
Podcast Archives
Nikki Giovanni, Poet
Jeanne Larsen, Author
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Virginia Poet Laureate
Ron Smith, Virginia Poet Laureate
Dorothy Gillespie, Remembering by Gary Isreal
Page & Zephren Turner, Artists
Luisa Igloria, Virginia Poet Laureate
Silvie Granatelli, Ceramic Potter
Louis Gallo, Poet
Frances Barnhart, Remembering
Ayn Cates Sullivan, Mystic Author
Robert Bersson & Jack Greer
Dr. Molly O’Dell, Physician turned poet
Justin Scribner & Diane Scribner, Mother & Son writers
Jordan Harman, Musician
Nikki Giovanni, Poet
Also available wherever you get your podcasts, including:
To listen and subscribe to the podcast, follow these instructions:
On your iPhone, computer or iPad– Open your podcast app. It’s a preloaded app called “Podcasts” with a purple icon.
Search for the series Artemis Speaks – by tapping on the “search” magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the screen, type in “Artemis Speaks” and select it from the list of results. Once subcribed you will automatically receive the latest episodes.
Accepting submissions until Dec. 15, 2020. This award is a Scifi themed short story contest with a feminist theme. Artemis collaborates with the Light Bringer Project and will publish the winning story in the 2021 Artemis Journal.
Here is an email I received this morning from poet Diane Goff. I warms my heart to know we have created such good connections between the Artist and Poet. Jeri Rogers, Editor
Hi Jeri,
I just listened to the podcast with Zephren and Page Turner and I’m so glad to hear what they had to say. I always buy a copy of Artemis for my sister and she and I spoke recently about how beautifully the art and poetry complement each other and flow throughout the journal.
It is really one of the most stunning journals out there. I felt such a kinship with the image, Deepa de Jour by Kevin Orlosky on the page with my poem, “to the full moon “. It was perfect!I was also reminded of an article I just read about “forest bathing”. In it, the author spoke about the fractals found in Nature and how they have also found fractals in Jackson Pollock paintings. The fractals in a Pollock painting provide the same stress-reducing effect as those in nature.
Best, Diane Goff, poet
Update 10/7/2020
Here we are, the middle of the month, busy with submissions from around the Blue Ridge Mountains and beyond. I just finished my 5th podcast with Gary Isreal, remembering his mother Dorothy Gillespie.
BACK IN 1977 I WAS INTRODUCED TO DOROTHY GILLESPIE, an American artist and sculptor who became known for her large and colorful abstract metal sculptures. She supported our fledgling idea of starting a feminist literary and art journal by donating A beautiful pastel for our very first cover in 1977. Her work of art was later painted to become Roanoke’s first downtown mural.
As a native of Roanoke, Ms. Gillespie’s international career spanned seven decades and her works of art have graced many institutions, museums, colleges, universities and public places. We are honored again to have her grace our current cover.
Dorothy created quite a sensation back then and now fast forward to this year…we decided to go full circle and honor her on our current Artemis Journal cover, since this year she would have been 100 years old. We collaborated with the Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art, as they were featuring her with a retrospective of her life’s work. In the plans were a celebration last June to release the 2020 Artemis at the museum. The pandemic changed all that, we canceled the in-person launch and the birth of my podcasts began reaching out to our community.
I am grateful for all those who volunteer to help keep Artemis alive. A special thanks to Skip Brown of Final Track Studio, my co-producer for Artemis Speaks, the Taubman Museum of Art for their continued support by producing a virtual video this year of our launch and the Roanoke Arts Commission for their yearly grants to cover our printing costs.
What a year this has been! Here is an interesting theory, back in the 14th century when the Black Plague or Black Death that caused so much devastation in Europe, which hit Europe between 1348 and 1350, and resulted in a shift in world view and resulted in the Renaissance.
James Baldwin once said, that hope is something that we have to invent everyday. I am imagining a better world today.
Artemis Journal is growing and I am excited to announce 4 new additions to our Editorial Board. They are Nikki Giovanni as our Poet Emeritus, James Broschart, Judy Ayyildiz and Rebecca Woodie as our Associate Literary Editors. Each one has a remarkable resume and have worked with Artemis Journal at different times. Welcome aboard! Jeri Rogers, Editor
Sisyphus
This project could not happen without the help of our tireless volunteer Board Members. May I introduce you to them;
Editorial Staff:
Jeri Rogers, Editor-in Chief & Founder Donnie Secreast, Associate Editor Maurice Ferguson, Literary Editor Judy Ayyildiz, Associate Literary Editor James Broschart, Associate Literary Editor Rebecca Woodie, Associate Literary Editor Nikki Giovanni, Poet Emeritus Page Turner, Art Editor Julia Fallon, Community Liason Zephren Turner, Layout Editor Crystal Founds, Social Media Editor Jonathan Rogers, Treasurer & Legal Advisor
This year’s event to celebrate Artemis Journal’s annual launch has gone virtual! Join us for an intimate reading with poet Jeanne Larsen, followed by a conversation with Larsen, Artemis founder and editor Jeri Rogers, and Taubman Museum of Art’s Education Manager Stephanie Fallon. The program takes place in the exhibition Celestial Centennial: The Art and Legacy of Dorothy Gillespie, surrounded by artwork created by this year’s 2020 Artemis Journal cover artist.
Jeanne Larsen is a poet, translator, novelist, essayist, and sometimes short fiction writer. What Penelope Chooses is her 9th book; she has published in Artemis Journal fourteen times.
This year’s journal, Artemis Journal 2020 will be the 27th published journal to date and will include poetry from two Virginia Poet Laureates, Ron Smith and Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda and a U.S. Poet Laureate, Natasha Trethewey. Maurice Ferguson, Literary Editor of Artemis, received over 400 submissions this year from across the United States and internationally, and includes 170 of the submissions.
The theme for this year’s journal will be “Season of Women” and will be a centennial celebration of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution giving women the right to vote passed one hundred years ago. In celebrating this momentous event, they are honoring an artist who was also born 100 years ago and made an impact on the art scene here in Roanoke, nationally, and internally. Dorothy Gillespie, 1920-2012, supported their fledgling idea of starting a feminist literary and art journal by donating a beautiful pastel for their very first cover.
This event is free to enjoy! All donations are welcome and will benefit the Taubman Museum’s education department during these challenging times.
REGISTRATION IS FREE! Please follow the link for donations; all amounts welcome and will benefit the education department of the Taubman Museum!
This month marks the Museum’s re-opening, and equally as momentous, the 100th birthday of the beloved artist Dorothy Gillespie! A Roanoke native, Gillespie (1920–2012) would have celebrated her one hundredth birthday on June 29—the inspiration behind the Taubman Museum of Art’s companion exhibitions Celestial Centennial: The Art and Legacy of Dorothy Gillespie and Still Enchanting Virginia’s Blue Ridge.
Due to the health crisis facing our community, the annual launch originally slated for June 5, has been rescheduled to September 4 at the Taubman Museum of Art. The journals will be released in July. For more information go to our store front. (20% discount for subscriptions)
Here is a sneak preview of the cover by the acclaimed artist, Dorothy Gillespie. Dorothy graced our very first cover back in 1977 when we created the journal as a result of writing workshops for abused women. Dorothy was an avid supporter of public art and a feminist who chartered her way through the art world in New York City. Our 1977 cover created a stir and became the first art mural in downtown Roanoke, Va. A Roanoke native, Dorothy Gillespie (1920–2012) would have turned 100 this June. She remains the most nationally recognized artist who was born and raised in the Roanoke Valley and taught at Radford University in the nearby New River Valley. Artemis Journal is pleased to partner with the Taubman Museum of Art by celebrating Dorothy Gillespie.
1977 Artemis Cover by Dorothy Gillespie
Artemis is grateful for the support of the Roanoke Arts Commission & the Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art
Sneak preview of our 2020 layout with acclaimed poet, Nikki Giovanni opening up the journal with her iconic poem Vote. Artist Trish Korte creates just the right touch with her collage, Vote.
To be released June 5, at Roanoke Taubman Museum of Art.
