"Uriel Retrieves His Gift of Wisdom," a painting by Ferris State University's Fine
Arts Gallery Director Carrie Weis has been selected as cover art for "As The World
Burns, Writers and Artists Reflect on a World Gone Mad," an anthology in publication
for this fall by Indie Blu(e) Publishing. Weis has a poem, "Orange," in this work,
and Ferris' Creative Writing and Literature In Person Coordinator Deirdre Fagan's
"In the Days of Silent Streets" and "When I Am, play me recordings of those I loved,
while I'm" were also selected for inclusion.Two members of Ferris State University’s creative writing community will have their
works included in an art and literature anthology, scheduled for publishing this fall
by Indie Blu(e) Publishing.
Fine Arts Gallery Director Carrie Weis not only has a poem, “Orange,” selected for
As The World Burns, Writers and Artists Reflect on a World Gone Mad, but her painting,
“Uriel Retrieves His Gift of Wisdom” will be the cover art for this publication.
“This was my first time to have my writing accepted along with my artwork. So, it
was a huge surprise to have this favor for both entries,” Weis said. “I have had three
book covers accepted in the last two years. Deirdre Fagan introduced me to this type
of opportunity. A whole new literary world has been revealed to me, and I am both
thankful and excited by the opportunity.”
For this publication, the literary collective sought submissions of art and poetry
that reflected the current political and social environment, given the COVID-19 pandemic
and incidence of racial and social unrest in the U.S. Fagan, Ferris’ Creative Writing
and Literature In Person Coordinator, said she was aware of Indie Blu(e) for years,
having been included in one of its previous works.
“The same editors did an anthology following the Supreme Court hearings for Associate
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which followed the rise of the #MeToo Movement,” Fagan said.
“At that time, Carrie was in my class, working on a Creative Writing certificate,
so I suggested she submit a work for consideration. We each offered poems and were
accepted by the collective.”
The collection was published in 2018.
In As The World Burns, Fagan’s poems, “In the Days of Silent Streets” and “When I
Am, play me recordings of those I loved, while I’m,” were selected for publication
in the forthcoming soft-cover compilation.
“The unprecedented place we find ourselves in at this time, with a global pandemic
and social unrest, has this group of editors ready to produce an anthology that intends
to reflect the world around us,” Fagan said. “Both Carrie and I submitted, neither
knowing that the other had taken this step. It is great to see that she had both her
cover art and poem accepted.”
Weis said the book is in publication, with no specific release date offered. Fagan
said the experience to work again with this publisher has been rewarding and invigorating.
“My acquaintance with Carrie has shown me how the visual and literary arts can merge,
which has been beneficial to both of us,” Fagan said. “It is much more exciting to
be collaborative than to gain acceptance and inclusion by a publication singularly.”