Belovèd: Photo-Tanka Meditations 

Photographs by Margaret McCarthy, Poetry by Gabriel Rosenstock

This trans-Atlantic collaboration pairs Margaret McCarthy’s black & white photographs of the ancient world with Irish poet Gabriel Rosenstock’s bi-lingual (English & Irish) tanka poetry.  Rosenstock’s ekphrastic poems were written and translated in spontaneous response to McCarthy’s atmospheric photographs, with a theme emerging out of the process: our very human search for the (literal and personified) belovèd, throughout history, across place and time. It asks: What is sacred to us? What really stands the test of time? Who and what are we devoted to? Who and what do we hold dear?

Through the synergy between image and text, their work creates a third thing—a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

 

COVER QUOTES /  COVER ENDORSEMENTS

Margaret McCarthy captures a spiritual dimension, both seen and unseen, in her extraordinary black and white photographs published in her first monograph Belovèd: Photo-Tanka Meditations.”

— Elizabeth Avedon, Independent Curator

“Some artists defy conventions and merge different mediums to create something entirely new and thought-provoking. Pairing photography with tanka poetry adds a layer of depth and complexity to the visual art, engaging the audience in a different way than traditional approaches might.”

— Charlotte Parkin, On Landscape Magazine

Gabriel Rosenstock is a force of fiery nature, sweeping across the world of dispossessed cultures, languages, and voices, of disfigured and forgotten histories and landscapes, bringing them alive in the embrace of his songs.”

—Waqas Khwaja, Poet

 

 

About the Author & Artist

Gabriel Rosenstock is a bilingual poet (in Irish & English).  He believes passionately in writing as a spiritual practice; he regards indigenous languages as storehouses of human wisdom.

His ultimate goal is to create texts that will be enjoyed by his readers and bring them joy. In his words: “Without joy there is no true creation”.  A Lineage Holder of Celtic Buddhism, he is the author of HAIKU ENLIGHTENMENT and the author/translator of over 180 books.  Rosenstock’s appreciation of Zen haiku, Sufi poetry and bhakti devotional poetry infuse his writing with an ethereal longing that explores our concept of the “belovèd” in all its vast, varied and complex dimensions. Rosenstock filters these cross-cultural references through the prism of the Irish language; with his bi-lingual poems, he brings a 1,300-year old tradition from Japan to illuminate our current moment.

Margaret McCarthy has been drawn to the landscapes of the ancient world throughout her photographic travels. She photographs with an immediate, intuitive reaction to the “genius loci” —the spirit(s) of a specific place.  Her work has taken her to the standing stones across Europe, the pyramids of Mexico, the temples of Greece and the castros of Celtic Spain. Many of the photographs were made in Celtic landscapes of Europe, where the “other world” is inherent in indigenous Celtic beliefs and mythology. Inspired and indebted to mythology, she brings the eye of a poet to her photography, exploring archetypes of myth, dream and the divine feminine.  McCarthy’s work is driven by a sense of wonder at the fecund creativity of the natural world. While our culture seems determined to manipulate and control the natural world, her photographs address our soul’s yearning for a way back to balance with it.  A multi-award-winning artist, her work has been exhibited and collected widely, and published extensively.

artist@margaretmccarthy.com
www.margaretmccarthy.com
www.instagram.com/margaret_mccarthy_studio/

 

Broadstone Books

An Imprint of  Broadstone Media LLC

418 Ann Street

Frankfort, KY 40601-1929

502-223-4415

BroadstoneBooks.com

Publication Date: June 15, 2025

Paperback, 116 pages

Size: 6”x6″

ISBN #: 978-1-956782-94-3

PRICE:  $28.00  + $5.50 Shipping  —  20% Direct Discount taken off $35 retail price when ordered on Publishers Website with code POETS24

 

 

 

 

 

 


Nancy McCrary

Nancy is the Publisher and Founding Editor of South x Southeast photomagazine. She is also the Director of South x Southeast Workshops, and Director of South x Southeast Photogallery. She resides on her farm in Georgia with 4 hounds where she shoots only pictures.

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