News • Zatarra Rafaël Photography & Poetry

February 4, 2025 Agenda, Events, News, Poetry

BD dinner with guided tour and poetry.

Experience a special event with nourishment for body, mind and soul on Saturday, May 17.

At 4:00 PM, we will start with a tour at the Biodynamic Farm ‘t Leeuweriksveld in Emmen, where there will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions. Thereafter, you can enjoy a lovingly prepared biodynamic multi-course dinner by Alberta and her team, and I’ll bring you poetry between the courses. Spoken language will be Dutch.

We hope to welcome and inspire you. More details will be following soon. See agenda for address.

Would you like to make a reservation? You can via Alberta Rollema at Harvesting, Cooking, and Eating. Don’t wait too long, as spaces are limited. Full is full.

Images created in collaboration with AI, fused by me.

January 25, 2025 Agenda, News, Poetry

Invitation for book launch.

On January 26th, I have the honour of contributing to Monika Joras’ book launch at the Kennemer bookshop, Kleverparkweg 3 in Haarlem. The presentation will begin at 3pm.

Monika will present her 9th poetry collection in Dutch ‘Mens en bron’ (Human and Source), and I will recite one of my personally most cherished poems. It promises to become a wonderful afternoon full of poetry and music.

Feel welcome to share in this special experience with us! Will we see you this Sunday?

Heartfelt greetings,
💖
Zatarra Rafaël

January 7, 2025 AI, Animation, News

Wishing You a Joyful 2025!

Wishing you a joyful 2025
celebrating every day
as life is a gift in every way
a gift of consciousness,
to explore and to experience

Thank you

Zatarra Rafaël

Images for this animation are created in collaboration with AI.

April 19, 2024 Poems, Poetry, Publications

Online publication April 2024

In April 2024 I participated in the poetry carousel of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn (Haarlem Poetry Line).

This time the strong poem “Durf (Dare)” by poet Monika Joras as inspiration and start of the carousel. Monika has already published many poetry collections which she likes to share with you via her website. My response to her poem, as well as the responses of all other poets, can be read at the website of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn (Haarlem Poetry Line), until a new carousel appears.

Again it has become an interesting carousel from various perspectives. Allow yourself to be inspired. Here you can find Monika’s poem “Durf” which means “Dare”.

Dare, dare to be yourself, be yourself. It sounds so easy and obvious, then why is it often so challenging …

You can find my poem here.

Image co-composed with AI, prompt inspired by my poem “Dare I …”

April 2, 2024 Poems, Poetry, Publications

Online publication March 2024

In March 2024 I again participated in the poetry carousel of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn (Haarlem Poetry Line).

This time a wonderful poem by poet Simon Mulder as inspiration and start of the carousel.
My response to his poem, as well as from all other poets, can still be read at the website of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn.

Again it has become an interesting carousel from various perspectives. Allow yourself to be inspired for as long as the publication is online. You can still read my poem at my poetry page. Simon Mulder’s poem I’ve found here, in the archive of the Haarlem Dichtlijn.

Images created using AI. Prompt components of my poem. In post-production I brought together various images and edited them.

November 15, 2023 News, Photography

New Photography Work

When dark is a playground for light … an exploration, to be continued …

June 12, 2023 Events, News, Poems, Poetry, Publications

Morning Orchestra 1064

A short report in words and images of the festive opening of the exhibition Florilegium Amsterdam 1064 by IJda Smits, in New Metropolis Nieuw-West.

It was a rich program with an opening speech by Rosa van Rumpt, who is program coordinator at the Van Eesteren Museum. Hereafter the third book with a handmade cover was presented.

This was followed by the poetic recitations by me and Azar Tishe.
As promised during the opening, below I share the poem: Morning Orchestra 1064: Rising Harmony, which I wrote especially for and inspired by the Florilegium Amsterdam 1064.

And last but not least, IJda had a surprise for us in store, as we received a crash course in cyanotyping. Awesome! The results were diverse. Here’s my result:

Missed the opening? You can still admire the beautiful cyanotypes and the Florilegium book until July 1st. Check the website of IJda for the dates and times.

NOTE: the exhibition has been extended and the finissage on July 1st has been postponed to later in July! The exact date will soon be announced.

Above:
poetry recitation by Zatarra Rafaël
Below:
while making a cyanotype

With many thanks for the photos, which were taken by Michiel Wijnbergh.

Morning Orchestra 1064: Rising Harmony

It’s a quiet morning
Fog whisper evaporates gently
in the whooshing, ever-present
undertone of the traffic

The whistles started late this morning
a heron keeps an overview in the dawn
where the orchestra of 1064
start slowly

The first choir members make themselves heard
the percussion has also been awakened
allowing front & rear doors to sound
car doors and a single bicycle bell also participate

The wind sighs, in its deep sleep
a few twigs move silently, back and forth

Then the heron raises its baton
the thistle nods
the white clovers start gently

Ooh dear, what was that…
the doubtful knight’s spur out of tune,
the violets help everything back on track

the shepherd’s purse makes the rapeseed rustle
the ground elder adds a jazzy note
and starts to swing, together with the wild hyacinth

the wind wakes up and allows
the last dandelion fluffs to dance along

the catchweed brings everything together for a conclusion
where the windflower and the arum
close off warmly

Now the throats have been lubricated,
the stems are flexible
and everything is firmly rooted
may the loving noon lake commence

Zatarra Rafaël

From the top down:

the nodding thistle
the shepherd’s purse and
the rapeseed
the catchweed

Cyanotypes by IJda Smits

May 19, 2023 Agenda, News, Poetry

Poetry Performance, New Metropolis at Opening of Exhibition of IJda Smits

On June 10, 2023 at 4 p.m., the exhibition of IJda Smits will open, Florilegium Amsterdam 1064 in
New Metropolis Nieuw-West.

For her project, IJda made a book in two versions, a printed and a handmade version for which she made many blueprints of plants in her area, also known as cyanotype, an old photographic technique, discovered by John Herschel in 1842. Although, it was Anna Atkins who applied it in photography and published it in book form. More about the Florilegium and cyanotypes can be found on the website of IJda.

In March 2019, IJda and I started a poetry exchange. For the opening of her Florilegium project she asked me if I would like to recite a few poems? Of course!

Would you like to be there? Sign up via the New Metropolis website.

May 9, 2023 Events, News, Poetry, Publications

Poetry festival Haarlem 2023

On Ascension Day, May 18, 2023, the poetry festival of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn will settle in and around the Verhalenhuis in Haarlem. The program provides parallel programming over three rounds, spread over 4 stages.

Joshua Baumgarten opens the festival at 1 p.m. Door open at 12.30 p.m. Renske Leijten receives the first copy of the festival bundle. The presenters for this edition are: Ingrid Elsing of the poetry club of the Kennemer Boekhandel, Yvonne Weijers, interpreter of sung poetry by Emily Dickinson and Elly de Waard, Jan Hoekema, debate leader at the Pletterij, and city pastor Tom de Haan.

I myself have been assigned to Jan Hoekema in the 1^st round and Tom de Haan in the 2^nd round.

Visiting the festival is free, but reservations are required. You can order a zero-euro-ticket on the Verhalenhuis website.

Poetry bundle

Also this year, especially for this occasion, a beautiful festival bundle will be published, in which a new poem is included by each participating poet.
You can purchase the poetry bundle during the festival. Herewith you support the festival, so the festival can be organized next year as well and you take home a beautiful memory.

Theme

The theme this year is: plot… (as in the plot of a story). Nonetheless, the poets are free to make their own poetry. During the festival, there is room for each poet (per round) to recite three poems.

Yes, I’ll definitely recite the poem that is in the bundle! For now, I’ll keep the other poems to myself, but they will also be poems that I haven’t recited before. Come and let yourself be surprised!

Click here for the published poem.

Traveling by public transport?

From Haarlem CS station, take bus line 3 towards IJmuiden, get off at the Spaarnhovenstraat stop. Cross the road to the Verhalenhuis (Story House).

Recitation during the poetry stage of October 2022, Haarlemse Dichtlijn, in the Verhalenhuis.

Photo by Geek Zwetsloot.

April 18, 2023 Poems, Poetry, Publications

Online publication April 2023

In April 2023 I again participated in the poetry carousel of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn.

This time a poem by poet Diana Ozon as inspiration and start of the carousel.
My reaction to her poem: “the stongest,” as well as the reactions from all other poets, can be read for a while on the website of the Haarlemse Dichtlijn.

Again it has become an interesting carousel from various perspectives. Allow yourself to be inspired by all the poems, for as long as the publication is online.

For my poem, I asked myself:
“The strongest, what or who is that?”

You can find my poem here.

(Feather image created using AI. Prompt components of my poem).