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an art of connections, a poetics of the swerve
a new essay & reading
by L. Martina Young, Ph.D.
A Poetic Body: SWAN by Martina Young
  • A Poetic Body
    • Philosophy & Approach
    • Critical Acclaim
  • Arabesque
  • The SWAN Project
    • Black Swans, an opera poem
    • The SWAN Project
    • The SWAN Lectures
    • Her story
  • The Dance Gallery
    • Gallery I
    • Gallery II
    • Gallery III
    • Gallery IV
    • Gallery V
  • Shop
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Arabesque
Saturday, October 11, 2025 |  2pm
with Live Music by bassist Julie Machado of the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

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Artist-scholar L. Martina Young offers a timely response to poet and Humanities scholar Joan Retallack's question, “How can one frame a poetics of the swerve, a constructive preoccupation with what are unpredictable forms of change?” Young’s newest essay explores the concept of the ‘arabesque’ by drawing on its origins in Persian aesthetics, somatic ways of knowing, Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, and David Bohm's physics. Weaving together these diverse fields with elements of poetry and memoir, Young’s essay delves into the wisdom and beauty of ‘unity.’ This exploration frames a 'poetics of the swerve,' addressing the unpredictable nature of change and its relevance to our contemporary socio-cultural landscape, positing ‘unity’ as a critical ethos for the 21st century.

No Late Seating
Reserve
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Photography by Grant Wesley
A poetic body is expressive by nature, an integrated
relational intelligence — transparent, porous — yielding insights
about being human throughout the lifespan that are
​as specific and particular as they are universal.
 
A poetic body practice is a disciplined realignment of our
physical, psychological, biological, ethical, aesthetic, and
spiritual modes of being for living responsively and
meaningfully in the world. 
 
 
                                                                   L. Martina Young, Ph.D.
                                                                                               Artist
                                                                Somatic Pilates Educator
                                         Expressive Dance/Movement Facilitator 
This project has been funded, in part, by the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
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A Poetic Body | L. Martina Young | Reno Waking Girl Web Design | Privacy Policy
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  • A Poetic Body
    • Philosophy & Approach
    • Critical Acclaim
  • Arabesque
  • The SWAN Project
    • Black Swans, an opera poem
    • The SWAN Project
    • The SWAN Lectures
    • Her story
  • The Dance Gallery
    • Gallery I
    • Gallery II
    • Gallery III
    • Gallery IV
    • Gallery V
  • Shop
  • Contact