Backstage Mentors

December 17, 2025

Backstage Mentors

november 20
clear, cold, moonless.

each lawn
in the frostbitten
november predawn
a sheet of construction paper
sprinkled with glitter that
winks at the stars,
the crystals
first cousins
to fireflies
twice removed
from summer evenings

—dotty seiter

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working title: *Who Gave That Girl a Crayon?*
5 x 6″; pigment stick on paper
a quick sketch in the spirit of, if not in full compliance with,
a blind-contour one-line drawing
2025

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Notes about poem and art:
• I am currently rereading Ted Kooser’s Winter Morning Walks: one hundred postcards to Jim Harrison for the 6th or 7th (or 10th?) time but, in addition to being gobsmacked with awe again and again by his poetry, I am seeing it through a new lens now that I’ve committed to writing poems myself on a regular basis. I’m titling many of my Kooser-inspired poems in the way he does in his Winter Morning collection, and I’m hoping to emulate other attributes I see in his work. “november 20” is one such effort.
• Back in late September I took a 90-minute Zoom class offered by Jane Davies entitled Let’s Face It. During the class I spontaneously grabbed what was near at hand—a Faber-Castell “Gelato” pigment stick—and drew very quickly. Who Gave is the first sketch that landed on paper that day!

artist at play

inspired by jane davies class, inspired by ted kooser, switching things up

Posted by:

Dotty Seiter

11 responses to “Backstage Mentors”

carol lee

December 17, 2025 at 4:44 am

Your poem really touched me. Here in my winter sun I try to imagine the frost and it’s glitter being cousins to fireflies and twice removed from summer evenings!

Love your blind contour drawing. You can get into the mindset of the child within. I am also a fan of Jane Davies, I think from you when you did her long drawing class. I have her book, and took one maybe two of her online courses.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  December 17, 2025 at 5:54 am
  
  Carol, thank you for your sweet reflections on my frosty poem. I love thinking of poems as being hourglass-shaped, a wide funnel at one end—gathering in all manner of experience and observation in the poet—that crystalizes into a poem and then fans out again in all directions upon receipt and inner response by readers.
  
  Jane Davies has had staying power with me over the years. I value her experimental mindset, her ability to play. In the Let’s Face It Class she was very clear that if you wanted to “learn how” to draw/paint faces, this wasn’t the class. Instead this was the class where you could play with all sorts of face-like features to see what emerged.
  
  This blind contour drawing doesn’t light me up in and of itself as a drawing, but the ACT of drawing it and watching it materialize on the page was quick, immersive, energizing, and tremendously satisfying. No idea where I’ll be going from here!
  
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Joyful Puttering

December 17, 2025 at 8:12 am

It’s so interesting hearing how your November 20 poem came to be. And it so captures those first images of a new season. Your image of the construction paper sprinkled with glitter is just right.

When I am in the throes of winter…it’s hard for me to imagine fireflies in the woods. And when I’m sitting on the patio on a summer night…it’s hard for me to imagine the snow covered forest floor. Your poem bridges the two for me.

And who doesn’t love a good Jane Davies class…love your first contour drawing. She is offering a year long class…and I will say I am tempted. She pushes me out of my comfort zones.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  December 17, 2025 at 9:01 am
  
  MaryAnn, I am so grateful for your thoughtful reflections. You refuel me! I love hearing that my poem bridges summer and winter for you; I was surprised—and pleased as punch!—to find myself on?/making? that bridge as I wrote : )
  
  I am way out of my comfort zone with this ‘portrait’ stuff, this playing with faces stuff! No idea where it will take me. Jane Davies gives me nudges that I welcome!
  
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Simone

December 17, 2025 at 10:30 am

What a beautiful one-line-drawing. A piece of art, made in seconds!

>

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  December 17, 2025 at 11:22 am
  
  Simone! I was just thinking about you! Little did I know you were popping in here at my blog. Thank you for appreciation for this “beautiful one-line-drawing.” Indeed, a piece of art, made in seconds, and they were fun, energizing seconds!
  
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  1. Simone
    
    December 18, 2025 at 7:11 am
    
    I always love those seconds ;-)!
    
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lolajovan

December 17, 2025 at 3:22 pm

I am so excited by your theme emulating Kooser! Brilliant! Glitter and fireflies, line drawings and free play. You are inspiring me!! xoxo

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  December 17, 2025 at 3:29 pm
  
  Thanks for getting your pom poms and megaphone out, Lola! I’m already noticing that Kooser knocks me flat with his tight metaphors, his astonishing ability to say SO much with SO much punch in SO few words. I aspire to churn out at least a few of those, but you will notice that I fall short … well, actually, fall long!—more often than not! Nonetheless, any way I slice it, stepping into steep learning curves and out of my comfort zone is keeping me on my wobbly toes.
  
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Sheila Marie Delgado

December 17, 2025 at 7:05 pm

Another truly delightful post! I love “seeing” the sparkling frost and imagining it “winking at the stars”. What a thought!

I would read that book over and over. :o)

I love the crayon face smiling at me. So free and fun, and festive!

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  December 17, 2025 at 7:52 pm
  
  Sheila, dear friend, thank you once again for your sparkling feedback. Your encouragement helps keep me coming back to my creative practice over and over!
  
  The smiling crayon face really was free and fun in the making : )
  
  I always cherish the moments of feeling fully free while creating.
  
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