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An interview on Wakan, the e-zine, followed by Poems by Tesa Duncan (bilingual) |
Click to enter Wakan | Tessa Duncan was born in Madrid, where she studied Journalism. Co-founder of literary journal "Mandragora and the Pirate" in the '80s, since then she has published several articles on cinema and literature, as well as short stories and poems. She has also directed a radio program and written the prologue for a book on lyrics by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Currently she is engaged in several other projects. |
June 2006. Sheffield & Madrid
| Poetry L & T: | Hi Teresa, it's been many
moons since first we met and recited each other's translated poems at
the Cafe Magerit. Since then Amparo & I have translated your
magnificent collected poems Alchemy(see link below). I want to ask you
if it was this work that led you to create Wakan. It seems to me
I see so much of your own poetry in its creation.
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| Tesa: | Hi, I
do remember those public readings, some remarkable ones. As for Wakan,
I think
its source lies in the 80's with another magazine which I founded
together with a group of friends called "Mandragora & El Pirata".
We gave it a second title, "Magazine on Imaginary Travels". Both have a
similar approach, trying to be fun as well as receptive to what may be
regarded as non-mainstream for a cultural publication. Even in the
section on Movies there is currently a subsection called "The Secret
Film", in Wakan, which
comes from our former publication. Similarly, two Literary subsections,
"Books Out Of Time" and "Unpublished Authors".
However, Wakan does include two new headings, "Myths and Legends" and
"Life Styles". These are the
main differences between both magazines, the printed one and the
e-zine. Of course my poetry world also shows in my approach to such
projects.
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| Poetry L & T: | The range of themes in the
arts you cover and the select writings and images that you bring to it
is so refined, I am sure that even many of our readers who can't read
Spanish will find it fascinating and informative to explore. Do you
have any personal favourites in Wakan? |
| Tesa: | Do
you mean which are my Wakan favourite artists?
(I hope that's the right question): I chose myself both topics and
related texts, therefore both match my tastes. Some literary authors
covered by Wakan include both well-known names such as
Yeats, Conrad, Murakami, Paul Auster, Rimbaud, Lawrence Durrell,
Virginia Woolf,
Marguerite Yourcenar, Castaneda, Borges, Cortazar, Marcel Schwob...
Film-makers such as Huston, Willy Wilder, Coppola, David Lynch, Jim
Jarmusch, Bergman... Under "Myths and Legends" ("Mitos y Leyendas"), we
have discussed
fairies, elves and gnomes, legends on haunted Spanish villages, magic
islands such as San Borondon and Avalon, astrology, the Atlantis,
vampires... Under Life Styles we have discussed Moroccan and Latin
American immigrants in Madrid, Amazon Indians, street musicians
worldwide, populations of ayahuasca drinkers and so on...
Wakan's texts are submitted by our readers --but for one section
written by myself. Therefore, Poetry Life and Times readers are
also invited to submit their texts.
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| Poetry L & T: | Why did you choose the World Wide Web |
| Tesa: | I've
got not sufficient funds to have Wakan printed and distributed yet it
was originally aimed
at being a print publication. In my opinion, such a magazine would have
its niche, there are no similar magazines being currently sold at
newsagents stands.
I don't know about the situation in the UK... Publicity would be very
convenient I guess but I'm not highly gifted for the task, it should be
performed by someone else.
By the way, Wakan's next issue shall be a Spring-Summer dual one,
though Wakan is a quarterly publication.
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| Poetry L & T: | Why does Wakan avoid a more technical or analytical approach? |
| Tesa: | I
prefer poetry to maths... that's why, in my opinion a more technical
approach
only touches the surface of any creation. But we choose to go deeper,
exploring feelings, perceptions, insights, dreams, revelations even...
Anything that leads to flight, to mentally flying. Besides, there is no
factual reality even if we attempt to disguise it as structural
analysis.
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| Poetry L & T: | Could you tell our readers about your future plans for Wakan? |
| Tesa: |
Yes but on another interview if you don't mind. I will send you a photo.
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| Poetry L & T: | Thank you for your contribution and this interview, Tesa. |
Colour cover, black and white illustrated poetry
book by Tesa Duncan.
Language: SPANISH
Tesa Duncan
£6.50Available
Spain and
UK only, signed copies. .
Originally published as ALQUIMIA by Verbum, Madrid, c/Eguilaz 6, 2º
Dcha. 28010 Madrid. .
Apartado de Correos nº 10.084, 28080 Madrid. .
Number of pages: 59
Number of full-page illustrations: 5.
Plus - a limited number of downloadable *pdf files
containing the bilingual versions
both in Spanish and English
are available for poet friends.
Translation by poets Amparo Arróspide and Robin Ouzman Hislop.
Special Features: 48 pages of poems, with
colour illustrations & line drawings.
"In the
self-transforming alchemy process, stages follow each other in the
order of the alchemist's raw material in a cycle to be repeated as many
times as necessary for liberation".
(Anonymous Treaty on Alchemy, rediscovered by
Jung).