Welcome to the WordCrafter “After the Fires of Day” Book Blog Tour

To start off the WordCrafter After the Fires of Day Book Blog Tour, we’ve got an interview with poet and author Cendrine Marrouat and a review of her wonderful poetry collection and tribute to the inspiring poets, After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine. I hope you will all follow the tour this week and visit each of the tour stops to learn more about this inspired this inspired poet who is herself inspiring.

Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of more than 30 books. In 2019, she founded the PoArtMo Collective and co-founded Auroras & Blossoms with David Ellis. A year later, they launched PoArtMo (Positive Art Month and Positive Art Moves) and created the Kindku and Pareiku, two forms of poetry.

Cendrine is also the creator of the Sixku, the Flashku, and the Reminigram. Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her 17-year career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social media.

My Interview with author and poet, Cendrine Marrouat

Kaye: What inspired you to create After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine?

Cendrine: My love for the haiku and my passion for the beautiful words of Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine.

I had always wanted to release something similar to After the Fires of Day. I had many ideas. However, a project like this, which pays homage to two literary giants, was tricky and required a thoughtful approach.

At the beginning of my career, I tried to emulate Gibran’s style—to no avail. But it was not a useless pursuit. It taught me important lessons about my own style and how to incorporate emotions in my work.

Emotions is actually the keyword here. In the late 2010s, I had this idea: An author always leaves a part of themselves, their “energy”, in their works. So why not “borrow” that and go from there?

It’s what I did for After the Fires of Day.

Kaye: Why do you think the haiku is such a powerful poetry form?

Cendrine: Many people limit the haiku to its syllable count. Words are treated like an afterthought, when they are actually the most important element of the poem. In North America, the haiku is misunderstood by the general public.

The haiku freezes a scene in time while implicitly revealing its author’s innermost feelings at that precise moment. It is an intimate, albeit complex form of poetry that speaks to the human experience in more ways than one.

To write a memorable haiku, you need to understand: the importance of conciseness and simple language; and how to leverage the seasonal reference (‘kigo’) and “cutting word” (‘kireji’) to evoke a specific mood.

Kaye: What made you choose Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine as sources of inspiration for After the Fires of Day? And for the people who have never read them, is there a specific book or piece of writing you would recommend?

Cendrine: I chose them because everything in their bodies of work inspires me. Their styles and the flow of their words tug at my creative heartstrings and make me want to write. 

The Prophet is the best introduction to Gibran’s work. As far as Lamartine is concerned, you should start with his most famous poem, The Lake.

For the people interested in learning more about Gibran and Lamartine, they can visit my blog. I recently ran a mini-series of posts on each writer

My Review

After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine is both a tribute of admiration to two wonderful poets and a collection of Haikus by Cendrine Marrouat, the expressions of her own unique voice and style of Haiku, in which their inspirations can be seen.

I was familiar with Kahlil Gibran’s work, but Alphonse de Lamartine was new to me. I am thankful to Cendrine Marrouat for the introduction to this poet. The poetic words of Marrouat’s beautiful Haikus bring me back to when I was introduced to the Haiku poetry, in the fourth grade. At that time, I felt that the sheer simplicity of the Haiku was lovely, although my fourth-grade mind didn’t yet understand that it was the ability of the words to capture and conjure a moment in nature so exquisitely that sent so much awe flowing through me.

I’ve included my favorite poem from this collection below. I think this Haiku speaks to me because my son, Michael, was born and died in September and since his death, September has always been a hard month for me to face. Marrouat’s Haiku allows me to look at the month of September with more positivity. The vivid imagery reminds me of what it is like to wait in anticipation of cooler days and fall colors.

Valley sits in gold,

Reflections in water

Welcome September.

While reading the Haiku poetry of Cendrine Marrouat, I couldn’t help but smile as her words summoned vivid images in my mind, which is exactly what a quality haiku should do. I give After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran and Alphonse de Lamartine five quills.

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In case you missed it

In the Silence of Words Book Blog Tour

Last week we had a great tour for In the Silence of Words, a three-act play by Cendrine Marrouat. If you weren’t able to follow last week, but would like to know more about Cendrine and her wonderful play, I’ve provided the tour stops below. I do hope you will drop by and see the posts you missed.

In the Silence of Words, by Cendrine Marrouat – July 5 – 9 

July 5 – Intro. Post/Interview – Writing to be Read

https://writingtoberead.com/2021/07/05/welcome-to-the-wordcrafter-in-the-silence-of-words-book-blog-tour/


July 6 – Guest post – Robbie’s Inspiration

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2021/07/06/blogtour-day-2-of-the-in-the-silence-of-words-three-act-play-blog-tour/

July 7 – Review – Writing to be Read  

https://writingtoberead.com/2021/07/07/day-3-of-the-wordcrafter-in-the-silence-of-words-book-blog-tour-my-review/

July 8 – Guest post – Roberta Writes

https://robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com/2021/07/08/blogtour-day-4-of-the-in-the-silence-of-words-three-act-play-blog-tour/

July 9 – Guest post – Zigler’s News

http://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-5-of-wordcrafter-in-silence-of.html


Last stop on the WordCrafter “In the Silence of Words” Book Blog Tour

In the Silence of Words Book Blog Tour

Join us over at Zigler’s News, for a fun guest post about which actors and acrtresses might play the characters in In the Silence of Words. I hope to see you there.

http://ziglernews.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-5-of-wordcrafter-in-silence-of.html


Day 3 of the WordCrafter “In the Silence of Words” Book Blog Tour: My Review

In the Silence of Words Book Blog Tour

Thanks for joining us on Day 3 of the WordCrafter In the Silence of Words Book Blog Tour and my review of this thought provoking play. You can catch my interview with the creative mind of author Cendrine Marrouat for Day 1 here, on Writing to be Read, and Day 2 brought a guest post from the author on Robbie’s Inspiration about writing a play as a poet. Days 4 & 5 will also be guest posts, one on Roberta Writes, and then Zigler’s News will be finishing off the tour for us.

My Review

In the Silence of Words is a play which says much in what is left unsaid. The three dots… of more to come are left hanging time and again with unfinished thoughts that the reader is left to fill in on their own. But I think that is the point, because there is so much meaning in that which is left unspoken.

Through unspoken words, this play tackles several real life issues in a relatable manner that will touch readers, (or viewers), hearts – loss, self-sacrifice, searching for the self – these are life issues most of us have dealt with at one time or another in our own lives, giving rise to many opportunities for those “A-ha!” moments, when we can truly relate with Marrouat’s characters.

This play is well-crafted, with a thought provoking plot and relatable characters which move the story forward. I give In the Silence of Words five quills.

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Words-Three-Act-Play-ebook/dp/B07BYT76VG

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Welcome to the WordCrafter “In the Silence of Words” Book Blog Tour

In the Silence of Words Book Blog Tour

This week WordCrafter brings you a tour that is a little different, and I’m excirted to tell you about it. This tour is not for the usual novel or poetry collection, but for a play, In the Silence of Words, by Cendrine Marrouat. We are kicking things off today, right here on Writing to be Read, with an interview with the author which will tell us all a little more about this creative author and her latest release.

Kaye: What inspired you to create In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play?

Cendrine: The play is very loosely based on some major events in my life, including my mother’s suicide. I wanted to write something meaningful and inspirational to help or bring comfort to those who might be going through something similar.

Kaye: Why did you choose to write this tale in play format? How would it be different if you had tried to write it as a literary story instead?

Cendrine: Before the idea of the play was even born, I had tried writing short stories and a novel. I quickly realized that my style was at odds with those genres. I suck at descriptions, and much prefer focusing on short, “punchy” scenes that deliver emotions between the lines.

In the Silence of Words can only work as a play. Theatre encourages uncomfortable conversations while forcing introspection, lifting spirits, and bringing people together.

Kaye: What makes In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play different from stories following a similar concept?

Cendrine: The play is unique because of the number of challenging topics it deals with at the same time; and the way each unravels on its own and as a whole. Every reader will find at least one strongly relatable element that will give them an appreciation for life.

Kaye: In the Silence of Words was, in part, inspired by the haiku poetry form. Why do you think the haiku is such a powerful poetry form?

Cendrine: The haiku was not what inspired the idea for In the Silence of Words, but I used the same technique behind this wonderful poetry form to make the storyline more impactful.

The haiku is a very short poem of three lines that says very little but suggests a lot. It relies heavily on the unsaid to convey emotions and deep meanings. As such it is the epitome of the “Say less, show more” technique every serious writer uses to craft memorable stories.

Kaye: Most of your work focuses on the importance of embracing the world and situations around us. Why do you think it is important?

Cendrine: Because life only has meaning when we choose to accept the negative as well as the positive experiences we encounter. There are lessons to learn in everything. It’s up to us to decide, when we are ready, how fast or slowly we want to grow.

Kaye: What are your goals with In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play?

Cendrine: I want to invite people to view pain and loss differently. I want them to rethink their relationship with life, death, and everything in between. Losing loved ones is, of course, terrible, often leaving gaping wounds in our hearts. However, as main character, Cassandra Philip learns, there is a healthy, albeit liberating way to grieve and move on. It just (often) requires a series of distressing events to reach that kind of conclusion.

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Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of
more than 30 books. In 2019, she founded the PoArtMo Collective and co-founded Auroras &
Blossoms with David Ellis. A year later, they launched PoArtMo (Positive Art Month and Positive
Art Moves) and created the Kindku and Pareiku, two forms of poetry. Cendrine is also the
creator of the Sixku, the Flashku, and the Reminigram.
Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her
17-year career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social
media.

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We have a great tour lined up for this thought provoking play. Join us tomorrow for a guest post by the author on Robbie’s Inspiration for Day 2. Then Wednesday, you can catch my review right here on Writing to be Read for Day 3. Thursday’s stop is on Roberta Writes with a guest post by the author, and we’ll be wrapping things up on Friday with another guest post on Zigler’s News. I do hope you’ll join us as we learn more about In the Silence of Words.

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Book your WordCrafter Book Blog Tour today!


Day #4 of the WordCrafter “Seizing the Bygone Light” Book Blog Tour: My Review

Seizing the Bygone Light Book Blog Tour

Day four of the WordCrafter “Seizing the Bygone Light” Book Blog Tour brings this wonderful tour to a close. Thanks to all who ventured on this brief book tour with us. On Day #1, I introduced this wonderful collection of photgraphy and poetry, Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography, an amazing collaborative effort from Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis, and Hayida Ali, right here on Writing to be Read.

Seizing the Bygone Light authors, the ProArtMo Collective

On Day #2, we visited Barbara Spencer’s Pictures from the Kitchen Window, where she interviews the three members of the ArtProMo Collective about their inspiration for Seizing the Bygone Light and the combining of poetry and photography as a storytelling medium.

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

Day #3 found us over at Robbie Cheadle’s Robbie’s Inspiration, where we get a guest post from the authors about their visions and collaborative efforts to create this unique collection of visual imagery and verse.

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

Now here we are, back where we started, where my review of this very interesting collection will finish off the tour. I want to thank you all for joining us, and if you missed any of the four blog stops along the way, just click on the links above to go back and see what you miss kelellpe.

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

My Review

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography combines the visual media of photography and the art of poetry into a insightful method of storytelling. Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis, and Hadiya Ali are visionaries in their arts. This collaborative effort employs the use of styles of both photography and poetry, which they have created themselves, exploring new and unique realms in their individual mediums.

The book is structured into three sections of black and white photographs. The third section combines the Pareiku and Haibun poetry of David Ellis with photographs of bygone days, while the reminigrams created by Cendrine Marrout produce timeless photos, and the captivating subjects and striking images of nature by Hadiya Ali are inspired by the photographic images of Irving Penn and Karl Blossfeldt, but her young eye and fresh vision offer unique perspective. The result of this collaborative effort is a stunning collection of inspiring visual stories that pay homage to the black and white era of days past, while at the same time, celebrating the rise digital photography with their original and innovative styles

Inspirational and innovative, Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography, is a must for anyone with an interest in photography or its history and for anyone who likes to view the world through a unique and captivating lense, as well as those who just have an appreciation of poetic form. I give it five quills.

Buy Link for Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

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About the Authors

Hadiya Ali is a 19-year-old Pakistan-born artist who now lives in Oman. A keen observer of people,
she noticed at a very young age how talented market workers were at what they did – but that they
seemed unaware of their own talent. So she decided to capture their stories with her camera.
Before she knew it, her project had attracted attention and she had been booked for her first
professional photoshoots, suddenly realizing that she, too, had been unaware of her own talent all
this time.
Hadiya works on projects that capture unique stories and themes. Some of her photography is
featured in The Auroras & Blossoms PoArtMo Anthology: 2020 Edition.

David Ellis lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent in the UK. He is an award-winning poet, author
of poetry, marketing workbooks/journals, humorous fiction and music lyrics. He is also a co-author
and co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms, and the co-creator of PoArtMo (Positive Art Month and
Positive Art Moves) and the Kindku / Pareiku.
David’s debut poetry collection (Life, Sex & Death) won an International Award in the Readers’
Favorite Book Awards 2016
for Inspirational Poetry Books.
David is extremely fond of tea, classic and contemporary poetry, cats, and dogs but not snakes.
Indiana Jones is his spirit animal.

Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of
more than 30 books. In 2019, she co-founded the PoArtMo Collective with Isabel Nolasco, and
Auroras & Blossoms with David Ellis. A year later, Ellis and she launched PoArtMo (Positive Art
Month and Positive Art Moves) and created the Kindku and Pareiku, two forms of poetry. Cendrine is
also the creator of another poetry form (the Sixku) and a type of digital image (the Reminigram).
Cendrine writes both in French and English and has worked in many different fields in her 17-year
career, including translation, language instruction, journalism, art reviews, and social media.

Together, Cendrine, David, and Hadiya comprise the PoArtMo Collective, an artist collective dedicated
to creating and releasing inspirational and positive projects.

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#Blogtour – Behind-the-Scenes Look at ‘Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography’

Day #3 of the WordCrafter “Seizing the Bygone Light” Book Blog Tour finds a guest post from the authors, Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis and Hadiya Ali to tell us more about this amazing collection on “Robbie’s Inspiration”, hosted by Robbie Cheadle. Please join us in supporting these authors in their ambitious efforts to pay historical tribute.

Robbie's inspiration

Welcome to Day 3 of the Seizing the Bygone Light blog tour hosted by WordCrafter Book Blog Tours.

Welcome to the talented David Ellis, Cendrine Marrouat and Hadiya Ali with their new book Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography.

PoArtMo Collective started as FPoint Collective, a group of photographers. When we recently relaunched, we decided that it was time to welcome a larger diversity of artists.

Our passion for photography is still there, though. And while some of us are professional digital photographers, we are all indebted to the pioneering days of the art form, a time when documenting the minutiae of everyday life was the norm.

In 2020, we wondered how we could pay tribute to those old days through a multimedia project involving three artists, digital images, and poetry. The concept would be challenging, but we knew we could achieve something unique.

We decided…

View original post 1,713 more words


My Blog today is from The Bygone Light Tour: A Tribute to early photography

Day #2 of the WordCrafter “Seizing the Bygone Light” Book Blog Tour brings an interview with authors Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis, and Hadiya Ali by Barbara Spencer on “Pictures From the Kitchen Window”. Please join us to learn more about these three innovative artists and their wonderful collection of poetry and photography.

Pictures From The Kitchen Window

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at ‘Seizing the Bygone Light:

PoArtMo Collective started as FPoint Collective, a group of photographers. When we recently relaunched, we decided that it was time to welcome a larger diversity of artists. Our passion for photography is still there, though. And while some of us are professional digital photographers, we are all indebted to the pioneering days of the art form, a time when documenting the minutiae of everyday life was the norm. In 2020, we wondered how we could pay tribute to those old days through a multimedia project involving three artists, digital images, and poetry. The concept would be challenging, but we knew we could achieve something unique.

Meet my guests: Cendrine Marrouat is a French-born Canadian photographer, poet, and the multi-genre author of more than 30 books. In 2019, she co-founded the PoArtMo Collective with Isabel Nolasco, and Auroras & Blossoms with David Ellis…

View original post 3,022 more words


Welcome to the WordCrafter “Seizing the Bygone Light” Book Blog Tour

Seizing the Bygone Light Book Blog Tour

Welcome to the Seizing the Bygone Light Book Blog Tour, where we will be learning more about a delightful collection of photographs and poetry, which was created by three authors of the ProArtMo Collective as a tribute to early photography. This is a four day tour that will run through March 18, bringing you a guest post on Robbie’s Inspiration from the authors on what they strived to accomplish with Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography, an interview with the author’s by Barbara Spencer on Pictures from the Kitchen, and a review of the book by me to wrap things up, right here on Writing to be Read. I do hope all of you will join us in celebrating the history of photography along with authors Cendrine Marrouat, David Ellis, and Hayida Ali.

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

The medium of limitless possibilities that is photography has been with us for almost 200 years.

Despite its great advancements, its early days still influence and dazzle a majority of professional photographers and artists. Such is the case of Cendrine Marrouat, Hadiya Ali and David Ellis, three members of the PoArtMo Collective.


The result? Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography.

This unique collection of artistic styles brings together different innovative concepts of both gripping writing and stunning visual imagery.

Visual imagry can be a method of storytelling, and a powerful one at that when presented with a skillful hand. I know each of the authors has put much thought into the stories they wished to tell here, and how they wanted to do it. So, to introduce you to this marvelous group of original photography and poetry, I wanted the authors to tell you what they are trying to accomplish in their own words.

What inspired you to create this book?

All three of us were inspired together to celebrate the stunning vintage photography of the past and at the same time create an artistic project that shines a contemporary light alongside it, with our own individual blends of photography and poetry. This book allowed us to express ourselves in endearing ways that combine all of our passions and strengths. We wanted to collaborate in a way that would cause people to really become interested in the
images of the past and the endless rewards that they have to offer.

What makes Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography unique?

Our book looks back at the beginnings of photography in a way that has never been done
before. It is divided into three parts.

In part 1, Hadiya Ali has “recreated” the timeless photographic styles of Irving Penn and Karl Blossfeldt. Part 2 features some of Cendrine Marrouat’s reminigrams, a type of digital image that she invented years ago. Finally, in part 3, David Ellis shares a series of pareiku poems inspired by archival images.

Anyone with an interest in vintage photography has noticed how it documented the minutiae of
everyday life. Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography looks at that triviality
with a refreshed and positive outlook. It is one of the reasons why it is so unique.

The other reason? Three authors and artists whose vastly different styles actually complement
one another in a fascinating way.


(The Pareiku is a visual poetry David and Cendrine invented in 2020. For more information, visit
https://abpoetryjournal.com/pareiku/.)

Did you face any particular issues while working on the book?


Yes, we did. But these issues actually helped make the book more interesting and unique than if just one author had worked on it.

Hadiya decided to recreate the timelessness of Karl Blossfeldt’s and Irving Penn’s beautiful photography. She quickly realized that the subjects and props she was supposed to use were not as widely available as before. She had to find substitutes, like ordinary plants and create her own props, which taught her valuable lessons about simplicity and creativity.

Cendrine struggled to select the images that would fit the book, until she found herself thinking about her emotional relationship with photography. The result was ten images that made complete sense together, gelling naturally with Hadiya’s photos and David’s poems.

David used archival images as inspiration for his poetic section. At first, he was a little unsure about which photos to include, until he realised that since every photograph tells its own story, there should be an unconscious thread that can link almost anything if you are willing to look hard enough to uncover it. He then made sure to select the most intriguing, engaging images he could find and let his subconscious mind make the necessary connections between them, which was very exhilarating in the extreme.


Why do you think poetry and photography work so well together?


Because they more or less speak the same language. It is all about the finer details and how they are interpreted. Photography, just like poetry, thrives on meaning and purpose; both disciplines require attention to subject matter and framing things in the right light if they are to be taken seriously. Both mediums are great at telling stories with minimal amounts of words, they connect instantly with our souls and move us, just like beautiful music, we identify with common struggles and the beauty of life as it unfolds around us.


What are your goals with this release?


We would love it if this book led to more people getting interested in checking out photography of the past. Digital images are fantastic, but exploring old and film photography leads to a greater awareness of what photography truly is and represents. The greatest rewards lie there.


Do you have any advice for artists?


Never give up! Make time for your craft, do many different things to feed your passions and above all don’t be afraid to put your work out into the world. If it sounds like someone is exerting their opinion rather than giving you actual independent advice, feel free to take what you need and ignore the rest to improve and evolve your work. Your work will never be perfect but that doesn’t stop you from always trying to make the next piece even better than the last, to the best of your ability, then move on and sincerely appreciate the art you have made!


What kind of book can we expect from you next?


We are always working on new ideas. This year, Auroras & Blossoms (Cendrine and David) plans on adding several more guides and workbooks for authors and artists to its list. Members of the PoArtMo Collective will also continue working together on more positive and inspirational books and themed exhibits.

Seizing the Bygone Light: A Tribute to Early Photography

When this book was brought to my attention, I was eagar to learn more about this unique collection of original photography and poetry, and as I learned more about the creativity and inspiration of its authors, I came to believe that Seizing the Bygone Light may be a very special collection indeed. If you would like to following along on this book blog tour to learn more, check in right here on Writing to be Read for guiding posts that will lead to each blog stop, or just subscribe to this blog for reader feed or email notifications.

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