The songs and art in this book are about our collective emergence after the pandemic and trauma of the last few years - comprised of 5 collections: World as Refuge, Where We Live, In Our Hands, Rhythms of Change and What We See & Sow.
The pandemic has altered living by breaking down the division between work and home life for many of us so that what was previously compartmentalized is now merged. Some prefer it, some don’t. Either way, we’ve had to modify how and where we live, physically, psychologically and emotionally, not just in our external spaces but also, our heads. And so we’re coming back to this, where we all had to be away. Each of us has been irrevocably changed. For some, this time has brought up feeling empty, as well as the need to cope with continuous, evolving adjustment in every aspect of life. How we move forward in this world we share is among questions we hopefully continue to work on together, embodying those creeping feelings of isolation which can be bridged by human connection amidst the fluctuations. When we are attuned to the movement surrounding us, we can feel inspired to participate, be part of it, whether incremental or more drastic, reacting with support where things resonate. We can be like chimes reverberating as thought seeds are thrown into the air, borne on wind that may subside but rarely stops altogether. What we do with that, what we take, the music we make and the beauty we create – it’s all in our hands.
All net proceeds are directed to the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity Inc. (CARE Coalition), a non-profit organization that supports and initiates efforts to have “true history” taught in public schools. Comprised of action-driven members with diverse experience, expertise and most of all, a passion for making life better for our children, the CARE Coalition endorses the inclusion of ethnic studies for K-12. For more information, go to https://www.care4eduequity.org/.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXHRSxY4nNw&t=44s
Excerpt
The pandemic has altered living by breaking down the division between work and home life for many of us. Some prefer it, some don’t. Either way, we’ve had to modify how and where we live, physically, psychologically and emotionally, not just in our external spaces but also, our heads. And so we’re coming back, where we all had to be away. Each of us has been irrevocably changed. For some, this time has brought up feeling empty, as well as the need to cope with continuous, evolving adjustment in every aspect of life. How we move forward in this world we share, we'll hopefully continue to work on together, addressing those creeping feelings of isolation that can be bridged by human connection amidst the fluctuations. The songs and art in this book comprised of 5 collections, are about all of this, raising questions and themes to resonate in this current time: World as Refuge, Where We Live, In Our Hands, Rhythms of Change and What We See & Sow.
All net proceeds are directed to the Coalition for Anti-Racism and Equity Inc. (CARE Coalition), a non-profit organization that supports and initiates efforts to have “true history” taught in public schools. Comprised of action-driven members with diverse experience, expertise and most of all, a passion for making life better for our children, the CARE Coalition endorses the inclusion of ethnic studies for K-12. For more information, go to https://www.care4eduequity.org/.
Professional Reviews
Lyrical, Poetic Ethereal and Full of Heart and Soul by Jacques Fleury
Chiemi's latest book "Karma Bank" is stock full of effervescent flavor, with images, metaphors and similes that often thunder like a butterfly tenor. Deep visions of a "tide" reaching "treetops" while "buildings dissolve in sand", where "people who matter, haunt us..." and "like turtles, we're hidden and exposed..." and where hope floats when "blue tinge yields to dawn..." (P.3) These words are songs written as poems, which make them quite unique in that you can imagine listening to the music as you read the words. This book speaks scrupulously to our times & will hopefully be extant for many years to come for our posterity. With all that is happening in the world today, the following line describes most accurately what we might be feeling, perhaps like "running on a track, train coming faster than you can run...we're almost out of the woods but not yet free...there's only wait and see...." (P. 27) Karma Bank is a meditation on the human condition. It proffers us a way to reconnect with our ghostly memories of our past but yet encourages letting go of our delusions to bask in what's true and truly felt, to bask in the present moment and take it all in because life IS a present. Highly recommended!
--Jacques Fleury, Educator/Author/Graduate Student-Harvard University Online
Another Fine Collection from Chiemi by Amazon purchaser
Chiemi continues her exploration of memory and longing in this fine collection of songs that began with Karma Bank. These songs, composed between the fall of 2021 and the summer of 2022, are arranged in a chronological order that allows the reader to follow the author’s own odyssey through the seasons. Chiemi begins the collection in the autumn and explores the interplay between the New England landscape and her inner voice. Her examination of light and dark provides whimsical musings and at the same time poses questions not meant to be answered. Chiemi’s greatest strength in these songs is when she plays with the uncertainty of memory and the senses along the lines of Borges and Marquez. But she also hits hard with a plain brutal love song revived from her earlier works, “Pummel.” A song not to be missed is "Hard Reset.” At the end of the pandemic, we could all use a hard reset. In this piece, Chiemi examines this moment in time from multiple angles and provides insightful musings from each.
Raises life to its highest level of beauty by Abby Sapochetti
Reading Chiemi's beautiful words, and seeing the way that she pairs them with art (photos, sculptures, paintings), is like being lifted from the mundane world and having your soul thrust facefirst into the divine! Although her words are actually song lyrics, they stand on their own as poetry with multiple layers of meaning. Each phrase calls out to be both experienced and dissected. This book reminds me of the transformative power of art, especially in a time of cultural blunting from the pandemic. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy and slowly savor it, then go out into the world and look at things anew.
“The woman or man who is a poet, or fiction writer, or playwright, or all of these, is engaged constantly in a jazz ballet of vocabularies, passions, genders, histories, perspectives, death, love, and life. The music of revelation announces itself to
A people’s heart can be found in their poetic words. In history men and women have stood firmly upon their soapboxes and street corners, rallying the deepest beliefs of people to rise up and be heard. The poetrypages.com has offered that voice a new
