The P2 Collective


  PHOTOGRAPERS:
Alexa Frangos, Steve Geer, Suzanne Metzel

  POETS:
Maureen Tolman Flannery, Caroline Johnson
Wilda Morris, Susan T. Moss


FACEBOOK   PAGE
YouTube   PAGE


About P2


In the summer of 2019, a group of Chicago area photographers and poets met to discuss the idea of pursuing an ekphrastic conversation between poetry and photography, a conversation in which one art-form inspires the other. For example, a photograph might inspire a poem, which in turn inspires another photograph, which then inspires another poem and so on.

The group named itself The P2 Collective, a collaboration of four poets and three photographers. During the two pandemic-constraining years 2020-21, the P2 Collective held online poetry readings in which accompanying photographic images were displayed and produced several poetry-photography videos.

In November 2021 the Collective held its first gallery exhibition at the Perspective Gallery of Fine Art Photography in Evanston, IL. Photographs and poems were exhibited from some of the P2 members’ favorite “conversations.” In April 2022 these poems and photographs were presented at a reading at the Cliff Dwellers Club in downtown Chicago, with mood setting music by cellist Najette Abouelhadi.

In 2022 the P2 Collective produced a new program: "Collective Visons," a second collection of poems and photographs presented with mood setting music by violist Lauren Voegtle at The Art Center, Highland Park, and at the Cliff Dwellers Club, downtown Chicago. This has been followed, in October 2023, by a third collection of poems and images: "Collective Visions II," first performed at The Cliff Dwellers Club with mood setting music by cellist Martine Benmann.

Along the way, the group has published poems and photographs in a number of poetry magazines. We hope to see you at one of our future events.



P2 Catalogs

 Collective Visions II
Poetry and photos from the third collection of work by the P2 Collective, Oct. 2023

P2 Collective Visions II Catalog
Buy at Blurb


Collective Visions
Poetry and photos from the second collection of work by the P2 Collective, Oct. 2022

P2 Collective Visions Catalog
Buy at Blurb


Poetry and Photography
Poetry and photos from the P2 exhibition at The Perspective Gallery of Fine Art Photography, Evanston, IL. Nov. 2021

P2 Poetry and Photography Catalog
Buy at Blurb


Publications


 Synkroniciti "Space" Cover (Vol. 5 No. 4 Fall 2023) contest winner
East on Central Volume 22, 2023-2024
After Hours Press Issue No. 43, Winter 2022 Featured Artists
Highland Park Poetry March 2022 Muses Gallery & Daily Poems
Still Point Arts Quarterly Issue No. 45, Spring 2022
Synkroniciti Vol. 5 No. 4 Space, Nov. 30, 2023



Poetry Reading Videos
Collective Visions II
Music by cellist Martine Benmann, November 2024
P2 Collective Visions II
YouTube Video


Chicago
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Chicago, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Fish Tales
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Fish Tales, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Ukraine
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Ukraine, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Homeless Sparrow
Poetry with Projected Images, 1st May 2021
P2 Video: Homeless Sparrow
YouTube Video


Unstable Ground
Poetry with Projected Images, 1st May 2021
P2 Video: Unstable Ground
YouTube Video


In Covid Times
Poetry with Projected Images, 30th August 2020
P2 Video: In Covid Times
YouTube Video


Still Life
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Still Life, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Flower Arranging
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Flower Arranging, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Winter
Music by violist Lauren Voegtle, November 2022
P2 Video: Winter, extracted from the program Collective Visions
YouTube Video


Poetry, Photography & Music
Music by cellist Najette Abouelhadi, April 2022
P2 Video: Poetry, Photography and Music
YouTube Video


Reading at Perspective Gallery
Poetry with Projected Images, 11th Nov. 2021
P2 Poetry reading at Perspective Gallery
Recording of the Event


Lipstick and Balm
Poetry with Projected Images, 1st May 2021
P2 Video: Lipstick and Balm
YouTube Video


Shadows and Circles
Poetry with Projected Images, 1st May 2021
P2 Video: Shadows and Circles
YouTube Video


news & events

  • Collective Visions II
    The "Collective Visions II" program of poetry and photography (with cello music from Martine Benmann) is now available on YouTube
    here

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  • Synkroniciti Cover Contest
    Steve Geer wins Synkroniciti cover contest for Vol. 5 No. 4 Space: see here
    The volume features a submission from P2
    P2 Synkroniciti Cover Vol. 5 No. 4 Space, Nov. 30, 2023

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  • Collective Visions II
    A P2 Collective poetry reading event

    An evening at the Cliff Dwellers Club (200 S. Michigan Av., Chicago at 7pm Wednesday October 25, 2023. Poetry will be read whilst images are projected, with mood setting music by cellist Martine Benmann.

    Reservations: call 312-922-8080 P2 Collective Visions II

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  • Collective Visions
    A P2 Collective poetry reading event

    An evening at the Cliff Dwellers Club (200 S. Michigan Av., Chicago at 7pm Tuesday November 15, 2022. Poetry will be read whilst images are projected, with mood setting music by violist Lauren Voegtle.

    Reservations: call 312-922-8080

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  • Collective Visions
    A P2 Collective poetry reading event

    P2 at Highland Park Art Center

    An afternoon at the Art Center, Highland Park ((1957 Sheridan Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035, Tel. 847.432.1888) will start at 1pm Saturday October 29, 2022. Poetry will be read whilst images are projected, with mood setting music by violist Lauren Voegtle.

    Reservations here

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  • Poetry, Photography & Music
    A P2 Collective poetry reading event

    P2 at Cliff Dwellers

    An evening at the Cliff Dwellers Club (200 S. Michigan Av., Chicago) will start at 7pm Tuesday April 26, 2022. Poetry will be read whilst images are projected, with mood setting music by cellist Najette Abouelhadi.

    Reservations: call 312-922-8080

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  • From Photographs to Poems
    A P2 Collective organized poetry Zoom reading

    P2 Zoom Reading

    The reading will take place at 7pm on Thursday 27th Jan. 2022. The reading features present and future poets that wrote poems in response to photographs by P2 members exhibited at the Perspective Gallery in Evanston during October and November.

    More information: here

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  • Gallery Poetry Reading
    A P2 Collective reading at Perspective Gallery

    P2 at Perspective Gallery

    The reading will take place at 7pm on Thursday 1th Nov. 2021. P2 members will be reading the poetry exhibited in the gallery while the associated images are projected. The event will also be live-streamed, so you will be able to participate either in-person at the gallery, or via Zoom.

    More information: here

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  • P2 Gallery Exhibition
    Photos & Poems at Perspective Gallery

    P2 at Perspective Gallery

    The exhibition at the Perspective Gallery of Fine Art Photography in Evanston, IL. (Nov. 4-28, 2021) is the first physical exhibition of the work of the collective and consists of excerpts from some of the P2 members’ favorite “conversations.”

    More information: here

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