Crystal Flowers: Poems and a Libretto (Paperback)

Description

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In 1949, Ettie Stettheimer collected her sister Florine's poems in Crystal Flowers, a posthumous, privately printed, elegant edition of 250. In addition to these rare poems, this new volume offers formerly unpublished material culled from archives, including three new poems and Stettheimer's libretto for her ballet "OrphŽe of the Quat-z-arts." Irene Gammel and Suzanne Zelazo have re-situated this overlooked poet among her modernist sisters, presenting her as an important practitioner of a modernism that integrates multiple art forms. Sixty years after it first appeared for a select few, her poetry shines for a new generation of readers ready to appreciate.

About the Author

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Florine Stettheimer (1871-1944) was an American modernist of German-Jewish heritage living in New York. She was a painter, designer, and poet. Together with her sisters Ettie and Carrie, Stettheimer hosted a legendary salon on the Upper West Side, where they entertained the likes of Marcel Duchamp, Carl Van Vechten, Henri McBride, and Georgia O'Keeffe. In 1934 Stettheimer designed the set and costumes for Gertrude Stein's opera Four Saints in Three Acts to much acclaim.

Suzanne Zelazo is a writer, editor, educator, and former professional triathlete who continues to coach cycling, running and triathlon. She holds a PhD in English with a specialty in female modernism and avant-garde poetry and performance. She has worked in commercial sport publishing, founded and ran the literary magazine Queen Street Quarterly, and has taught literature and writing courses at York University and Ontario College of Art and Design University. The author of two books of poetry, her projects seek to integrate creative expression and the body. Zelazo lives in Toronto.