Sisters of the Covid Moon
During the Covid lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, poet Karla Linn Merrifield wrote her first libretto, Sisters of the Covid Moon, which was composed by Jenni Brendan. The twenty-minute piece for bassoon, soprano and piano debuted at the International Double Reed Society annual festival on July 27, 2021, Gina Cuffari performed on bassoon, providing the vocals, and Tom Cuffari played the piano.
In October 2018, I began writing a new book of poetry, My Body the Guitar, which was published in December 2021 by Before Your Quiet Eyes Holograph Series. Along the way toward that book, I began learning how to play the guitar, a journey that continues every day. And I fell in love with all things guitar—and many a guitarist.
Two years later, in December 2020, as part of this remarkable romance, I embarked on a podcast series, My Body the Guitar, in collaboration with British guitarist Paul Garthwaite. Each podcast episode features a poem from Karla’s book by the same title, which will be released in December from the Rochester-based publisher, Before Your Quiet Eyes Holograph Series. During the episodes, Karla reads a poem from the book focused on a famous guitarist and the duo discusses it and its featured “guitar god,” while Paul weaves in demonstrations of the musician’s distinctive style. You can view the video episodes here, with guitar photos below.
# 1 – Eric Clapton
#2 – Jimmy Page
#3 – Edward Van Halen
#4 – Stevie Ray Vaughn
#5 – Duane Allman
#6 – Jimi Hendrix
#7 – George Harrison
#8 – Bruce Springsteen
#9 – Robert Johnson
#10 – Jackson Brown
#11 – Keith Richards
#12 – Tom Waits
#13 – Bonnie Raitt
#14 – Jerry Garcia
#15 – Bad Boys (Warren Zevon + Lindsey Buckingham)
#16 – Leonard Cohen
#17 – Joni Mitchell
#18 – Mark Knopfler
Guitar Gallery
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