PA Arts Sunday - David Cheezem's "Purification of the Temple"

Palmer Alaska bookstore owner, progressive activist, sometimes-politician (he ran for House District 13 in 2008), poet and photographer, David Cheezem has created a new image, he claims was empowered by the talk I gave Friday evening, at the June Mat-Su Democrats' Egan Dinner.

My talk was on how some notable Classical composers have been far more progressive and political in their underpinnings than is generally acknowledged. I was happy that so many people showed up for the June dinner on a non-election year, and on a sunny, warm evening, and how well my little talk was received. But David's response is almost overwhelming to me. I'm quite honored. Here's his short description of his "Purification of the Temple":

I was trying to re-imagine El Greco's "Purification of the Temple" in a somewhat contemporary setting. It seemed in harmony with your presentation last night about rebel composers.

David, in his facebook entry on this, goes on to dismiss his own poetry, as he explains why he is turning more to visual images. This is surprising, as one of the finest poetry presentations I've ever witnessed in Alaska was two years ago, at a slam in Anchorage, where he shook me to the core with his deeply nuanced renderings of some of his recent work.