Convened by poet Hari Alluri, The Library of Elemental Bending, Vol. I gathers together seven poets and three multidisciplinary artists to respond to the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender — in relation to the world, and to each other’s work. The collaborators use their creative skills and cultural memories to access a library imbued with transformation, weaving histories of empire, colonization, migration, and resistance with planetary energies, and ultimately love.
Featuring contributions by Christian Aldana, Hari Alluri, Rachelle Cruz, Arthur Kayzakian, Tara Sarath, Joseph “Butch” Schwarzkopf, and Cyrus Sepahbodi, as well as visual art and graphics by Trinidad Escobar and Julay, and extended media by Ruby Singh.
Download the publication and listen to the accompanying audio track, “A Gathered Poem in Bending Form,” below.