Photograph by Jenny Carey
Tassels of
sunlight sway
over the
lawn. Fall’s
finally lit
its elf-light,
unmasked its
silk-faced coolness.
The virus
rages, ravaging
the land
street by
street. We
rest in
the dappling,
holding hands,
momentary refugees.
Poem by Gianna Russo
Gianna Russo is the inaugural Wordsmith of The City of Tampa (2020-22). She is the author of the poetry collections One House Down (Madville Publishing, 2019) and Moonflower (2011), winner of a Florida Book Award. She has published poems in Green Mountains Review, Gulf Stream, Negative Capability, Crab Orchard Review, Apalachee Review, The Sun, Poet Lore, saw palm, The MacGuffin, Florida Review, Tampa Review, Ekphrasis, Florida Humanities Council Forum, Karamu, The Bloomsbury Review, and Calyx, among others. She is Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Saint Leo University, where she directs the Sandhill Writers Retreat. A third-generation Tampa native, a mother and grandmother, Gianna lives in an almost 100-year-old bungalow with her husband Jeff Karon and their cat Gingko.
Jenny Carey is a photographic artist residing in Florida. Her work explores the themes of memory, loss, and sense of place. Ordinary subjects and intimate environments are used to evoke memories, document the intangible, and narrate unseen beauty. She began her practice as a photojournalist, and that perspective is evident in her work. Her images have been exhibited nationally, most recently at The Tampa International Airport Gallery (Florida), Manifest Gallery (Ohio), and Davis Orton (New York). Her photographic works are included in numerous private collections. The natural environment is often the subject matter in her images, but frequent travels have opened narratives with urban elements. She is the founder of Creatives Exchange, a collective of professional women artists in Tampa, Florida, where she maintains a studio practice.
From ALL I See is Your Glinting: 90 Days in the Pandemic by Gianna Russo and Jenny Carey (Madville Publishing, 2022). The authors grant permission.
Gianna Russo and Jenny Carey’s latest book is ALL I See is Your Glinting: 90 Days in the Pandemic (Madville Publishing, 2022). Visit with them and their work at the Miami Book Fair 2022 on 11/20 at 11 am in Room 6100. Cover art by: Jenny Carey.
Welcome to SWWIM Every Day’s preview coverage of Miami Book Fair (MBF) 2021! The poets whose work you’ll be reading every weekday from October 25 through November 12 are just a few of the many authors from around the world participating in this year’s MBF, the nation’s largest gathering of writers and readers of all ages. They all look forward to sharing their work, thoughts, and ideas both in person and online. Between November 14 and November 21, new poet conversations and readings will be launched and available for free on miamibookfaironline.com (in addition to other content). For more information, visit the website and follow MBF on Instagram and Twitter at @miamibookfair and use the hashtag #miamibookfair2021.