A New Poetry Anthology Featuring my Cover Art!

A few days ago i received my copies of the newest book by D.J. Moores, titled “Wild Poets of Ecstasy”. I am thrilled and honored to have contributed my fractal artwork “Psychedelic Spirals” to be the cover art for this fantastic publication.

The overarching topic of this anthology is a big fascination of mine that greatly influences my artwork- the ecstatic experience, the mystical experience, the profound spiritual experience, the moments of transcendent  emotion and vision, that could be described by the word “Ecstasy”.
This book captures a plethora of poetic accounts of such states and contains the beautiful and thought provoking words of numerous writers, poets and creative minds. From Rumi, to William Blake, to (my favorite painter) Alex Grey, to Kabir, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and a host of other great poets from many ages and world cultures- this book appears, suffice to say, to be quite a  thorough and well thought out anthology.
In skimming through the book, I’m a bit overwhelmed by how extensive of a collection it is. Big props and kudos to Mr. Moores for his work and dedication in putting this thing together!! His critical introduction to the subject was in itself poetic and illuminating. It really sets the stage for readers of the collection as it closely examines the histories and deep impacts of the ecstatic experience as well as societies and cultures reaction to, or dismissal of such experiences throughout the ages. Honestly, it’s times like these that  i wish i had more of the writer’s gift, so that i could better covey just how brilliant the introduction is.  I was so impressed by it, and feel that the introduction alone makes this book a must read.
As i pore through these verses, many are evoking within me deep abstract thoughts, emotion and memories of personal experiences that have mirrored the feelings,  insights and sensations of the heights of  human experience and perception described in the verses. Such is the effect of contemplating and reveling in the enchanting words of these ecstatic poets. No doubt that I will return time and again to this book’s pages for further inspiration.
I definitely & wholeheartedly recommend checking this book out!

Wild Poets of Ecstasy: An Anthology of Ecstatic Verse

Purchase directly from the publisher

Description~

The ecstatic poetic tradition connects many cultures and reaches across vast stretches of time.  It represents a positive affirmation of the value of happiness, human connections, festivities, and relatedness to transcendent sources of meaning. Wild Poets of Ecstasy broadly represents this tradition in bringing together ancient and modern poetry from the world’s literary treasuries. Containing poems from over 100 secular and religious writers, this anthology is a sustained celebration of human beings in their best moments—“the soul at the white heat,” to use Emily Dickinson’s line. Wild Poets of Ecstasy offers a cornucopia of poems depicting peak states of being and positive, life-affirming emotions, such as serenity, awe, wonder, rapture, gratitude, and love. The selections praise the goodness of life, the abundance of nature, and the intimate interrelation of the whole cosmos. To read it is not only an exercise in holistic thinking but also something of an ecstatic experience. 

About the Author~
Author D.J. Moores, Ph.D., is a professor of English at Kean University, where he teaches courses on ecstatic poetry, Romanticism, world literature, and critical theory. His previous books include Mystical Discourse in Wordsworth and Whitman and The Dark Enlightenment: Jung, Romanticism & the Repressed Other.