The mission of UT's Tampa Review is to marry contemporary writing and visual art in a way that enhances both. So it's fitting that the latest edition of this beautifully produced hardcover literary journal features the multi-layered prints of Jane Calvin, whose work is a gorgeous mélange of scrawled text, antique illustration, and mysteriously disembodied, lushly photographed women's garments.
Calvin, along with artists like Maria Emilia and renowned Florida photographer Jerry Uelsmann, provides a haunting counterpoint to the stories and poems throughout Tampa Review #29. A wide-ranging collection (the Review looks for writing "from Florida and the world"), the highlights include Simone Scott's raucous, tender story of a young boy adrift in the Dominican Republic; Kelly Michelle Grey's riveting memoir of death and family ties in Southern California; the yearning, visceral poetry of Utah writer Lance Larsen; and a fascinating interview with Calvin by Adrienne Golub and Review editor Richard Mathews.
Larsen, the winner of the Review's 2004 poetry prize, reads his poetry at a free event Thursday evening at UT's Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, along with two other poets from #29: Mary Elizabeth Perez and Enid Shoner.
Go and celebrate a locally produced, internationally recognized publication that does Tampa proud.
Tampa Review #29 reading, 6 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 29. Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, R.K. Bailey Art Studios-University of Tampa, 310 N. Boulevard, Tampa, 813-253-6217.
