The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead: an Ekphrastic Collection

By Catherine Arra

Each poem or photo conveys an emotional gravity that pulls the reader or viewer into imagination and story.

Each photo-poem combination is visually striking in its pairing and offers a unique story: a date in an old-time dinera failed or failing marriagethe plight of homelessnessthe desire to escape a broken city, a broken heartthe anticipation of new romancethe nostalgia of a first loveponderings on death, freedom, healing, timelessnesshaving a case of the blues. Each poem or photo could easily stand alone. Each conveys an emotional gravity that pulls the reader or viewer into imagination and story. Together they create a uniquely powerful and visceral art that offers a layered experience. Alex Stolis is both a photographer and a poet who has long been influenced by the cinematic techniques of film noir. He brings a poet's aesthetic to his photographs and has been published widely online and in print. He shoots into shadow, light, with unexpected slants to capture haunting images and details that invite narrative. His photos can exude a loneliness and quiet beauty Catherine Arra taps into the narrative with her poetic magic to tell a story in verse. Her poetry is imagistic, lyrical, and moving in its sensitivity to nuance. She has an intuitive grasp of relationships and her poetic insights resonate with a diverse and broad audience. She captures the essence of Stolis's photographs, goes straight to the emotional core his images evoke/elicit, and adds another dimension to them Stolis and Arra are life partners who create together. Alex's photographs have prompted or inspired many of the poems in The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead, while on occasion, the poem was written first.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1962847527
• ISBN13: 9781962847520
• Release Date: May 2026
• Publisher: DOS Madres Press
• Length: 52 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"