The Architecture of Poetry

This episode is a really fun one for me. I only knew my guest Eva Yaa Asantewaa from a handful of interactions on Substack. I always enjoyed the things she wrote or restacked, and I noticed her generous enthusiasm for amplifying other voices. Since Eva does so many things — writer, editor, dance critic, novelist, Tarot guide, animist spirit worker — I wasn’t sure how to approach the theme of this conversation. Then I noticed a very familiar line at the end of her bio — one that coincided with a gift I made my best friend, whose birthday happens to be shared with the poet of that line, Emily Dickinson.

I DWELL IN POSSIBILITY artwork.

So instead of analizing alchemical idioms, in this conversation, we spent our time like two friends visiting rooms in a museum, wading in the words of this poem and in the visual branches of a treehouse painted by Francesco Clemente, and opening up to the realm of possibility.

MY TREEHOUSE by Francisco Clemente

Eva recommended The NY TIMES 10-Minute Challenge if you’d like to increase your visual insightfulness like we experienced in this episode.

For you visual peeps, we also have video. Please subscribe on youtube if you are there!

If you enjoy this audio podcast, please like, follow, subscribe, rate, or write a quick review on whatever platform you listen. (Substack, Apple, Spotify, etc. It just takes a second and helps me out a lot.

Emily Dickinson (by Me)

Allison’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit artandalchemylab.substack.com/subscribe