Through our first still-life poetry series, we want to introduce fellow poets and readers to the visual concept behind The Napkin Poetry Review. We have been incredibly honored for the chance to collaborate with internationally renowned photographer Anna Zesiger who for this series has interpreted some classic poems as photographs. Anna is a Swiss-Russian fashion editorial and couture photographer whose work has been published in Vogue, L’Officiel. She has also shot Paris Couture Runway looks for Chanel and Zuhair Murad.

Frank O'Hara's poetry overlapped worlds of music, dance, and painting. Within this kaleidoscope, he devised a theory of poetic form that allowed the inclusion of all kinds of events, up to everyday conversations. As the painter Alex Katz remarked, "Frank's business was being an active intellectual.” To honor his insights which opened doors for new poetic forms in America, we decided on "Melancholy Breakfast” to introduce the Napkin Poetry Review’s artistic vision. Drawing from all corners of art, literature, and global being, O’Hara's poetic understandings capture what we hope to achieve with this project—to involve poetry in our daily lives as we engage through a collage of lenses, entry points, and cultural contexts.