7 Comments
User's avatar
Jacqueline Stearn's avatar

Wanting to craft a poem about shame, the slipperiness of eels arose as a metaphor. That led to research, to your marvellous blogpost, and to Rosie’s post about the Suitcase of Eels. Thank you both very much from my Stroud land base.

Not sure if the metaphor will hold up mind.

Jason Anthony's avatar

Thank you, Jacqueline. I hope your poem comes together. Eels could use a celebratory poem or two. And then there's the connection with Freud, who had thoughts on shame and an early career dissecting eels. Make of it what you will...

Rosie Sherwood's avatar

Beautiful and moving as always, thank you.

Have you ever heard of A Suitcase Full of Eels? It is an artist project here in the UK: https://eels.cargo.site/Home

Jason Anthony's avatar

Thanks very much, Rosie. The Suitcase Full of Eels project looks wonderful. I wish we had something like it here. That melding of ecological education and art reflects (and creates) a cultural relationship which benefits everybody, human or otherwise.

Rosie Sherwood's avatar

It's a gorgeous project. I had the pleasure of listening to the artists behind it talk at a conference.

The sort of cultural and ecological relationship you mentioned is what I try to do with my art.

Kathleen Sullivan's avatar

This essay is so beautiful...itself a thing to cherish...a thing to wake us to what we need to preserve and care for in the weeny bit of time before it's all gone!! Thank you for these deeply moving and informative essays.

Jason Anthony's avatar

Thanks as always, Kathleen. I hope to see your writing in my inbox again soon.