Poet and teacher Julia Blumenreich is a recipient of a Pennsylvania Arts Council grant for her poetry. A finalist for the Brittany Noakes Poetry Award, she is a founding member of 6ix, a literary journal devoted to cutting-edge poetry, edited by six Philadelphia-area women poets. Blumenreich has read her work in various venues including the University of Pennsylvania, Brown University, and Muse House in Philadelphia. She collaborated with the visual artist Wendy Osterweil on Reforesting: An Homage to Gil Ott, a poetry/sculptural installation/print show at The Painted Bride Art Center. Four of her poems have been set to music composed by Kyle Smith and were performed as part of Lyric Fest. Her work has appeared in journals including The Whirlwind Review and Philadelphia Stories, and in An Anthology of Philadelphia Poets, edited by Valerie Fox and translated into Romanian by Daniel Dragomirescu. She has published four chapbooks: Meeting Tessie (Singing Horse Press), Artificial Memory (Leave Books), Blue Angel of a Day (Moonstone Press) and The What of Underfoot (Finishing Line Press).
Julia Blumenreich, from The What of Underfoot
Now
-1-
We really do need to know what we want
the situation in this country
after all untenable, which we try to hold.
-2-
It turns out that hunger isn’t the only reason that life breaks apart
the petals on the lilies too long in the vase
but odd now to know such a thing.
-3-
How can I tell which of us is absent?
A set of streetlamps extinguished by one
what our responses should be or are.
-4-
Reacting with shock my mind went on and said too much
I cannot see to see
but such happens to me.
-5-
When can we disregard the course of these events?
maybe a long time
I’ve been all wrapped up in my bits and pieces.
-6-
This is an instance of the world
meaning to leave myself open
a moth in a jar, once caterpillar
