Poetry
Poetry
“Poet of the soul’s journey – weaving words into lyrical meditations on transformation and truth.”
Irina Kuzminsky is a poet whose work is deeply spiritual, lyrical, and often inspired by mystical traditions and the Divine Feminine. Her poetry blends vivid imagery, rhythm, and a sense of sacredness.
“I believe in the Word.
Sung, spoken, imagined, danced, heard, it sings the world into being. The power of the poetic Word infused with the spirit of Creation. A power we can all share in as conscious CoCreators once we understand what power the Word wields.” – Irina
“It is painful, ecstatic, erotic all at once: it is a complex response that is deeply feminine and has been rarely uttered in print, let alone understood … All [Irina’s] work work lives and breathes in a spiritual context, in the great tradition reaching back to Mirabai and Lalla: she has that same abandon and passion” – Jay Ramsay, review of Into the Silence in Caduceus
Poetry collections and anthologies
Books
Dancing with Dark Goddesses (Awen, Stroud: 2009)
light muses, with artist Jan Delaney (Naditu Press, Melbourne, 2011)
Into the Silence (Chrysalis Poetry, Stroud: 2016)
Artists and Lovers (Coventry Press, Melbourne: 2018)
Heloise Speaks (Amethyst Press, London: 2022)
Anthologies:
Soul of the Earth (Awen, Stroud: 2011) an ecospiritual poetry anthology
Diamond Cutters: Visionary Poets in America Britain, & Oceania (Tayen Lane, San Francisco: 2016)
ed. Andrew Harvey and Jay Ramsay
All Shall Be Well: Poems for Julian of Norwich ed. Sarah Law (Amethyst Press, Norwich: 2023)
Thin Places & Sacred Spaces (Amethyst Press, Norwich: 2024)
Irina’s poetry has also been published in: Amethyst Review (amethystmagazine.org), Acumen, Caduceus, Arts and Academic Review, Esoteric Quarterly, Poetrix, Devi, Women’s Art Register, poetry-chaikhana.com, kundalinisplendor.blogspot.com, rumibalkhi.com
Irina at the launch at the Stroud Subscription Rooms
Dancing with Dark Goddesses
A poetic and spiritual journey through archetypes of the feminine divine. Kuzminsky’s style here is evocative and ritualistic, drawing from various traditions to explore empowerment and transformation.
‘Irina enacts a fusion of dark and light, then, that is synthesis, invocation, prayer and affirmation. And finally she invites us to dance: to the dance that is beauty and freedom, of life released, of spirit and soul set free in movement.’ – Jay Ramsay
“There’s some incredible wordcraft in this volume. There’s a great deal of saying things that are generally considered unsayable, things about female experience that just don’t get aired much, if at all” – read a review by Nimue Brown at DruidLife https://druidlife.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/books-for-opening-unexpected-doors/
poetry collection
Into the Silence
“A truly spiritual voice. What a superb collection of inspiring poetry.” – Michael Mann, Watkins Publishing
“A unique voice of truth, spirituality and beauty.” – Kevin Brown, composer
“Into the Silence is a wonderful stepping stone to our deepest thoughts.” – Julianna O’Bryan
Light Muses
Poetry by Irina Kuzminsky, paintings by Jan Delaney
When two artists from different generations and different disciplines meet you might not expect them to have much in common. However, when Jan Delaney and Irina Kuzminsky met and started sharing their work they were amazed by the correspondences between Jan’s paintings and Irina’s poems. It was as though each was trying to manifest a similar vision through her own medium, a vision infused with a woman’s perspective. So the images and poems began to resonate with each other and this book came into being…
“Irina Kuzminsky’s poetry speaks eloquently of the human spirit, particularly from the female perspective. For each poem there is a painting by Jan Delaney that matches perfectly. The paintings range from vibrant bright happy pieces to some that are almost monotones. There is an amazing energy in all of the works both written and visual” – Gail Stiffe, Convenor, Women’s Art Register
Poetry Collection
Artists and Lovers
This collection includes poems inspired by figures from mythology, art, and history – ranging from Turner and Picasso to anonymous dancers and painters. The poems are sensual, reflective, and often explore the intersection of creativity and love. “Her poems are an invitation for the reader to join and travel alongside in a light-footed dance through her glittering images. A thread spun from the goddess’s distaff runs through this collection of poems weaving unity to their diversity. Magic is there to be discovered.” – Genie Poretsky Lee
Photo from the book launch of Artists and Lovers at the Athenaeum Library with many thanks to Nicci Douglas from Coventry Press.
“To you poetry is a vehicle of the truth and that is something I value greatly.”
– William Anderson, author, poet, broadcaster
“Your poems are disturbing and hypnotic in their rhythms of imagery and in their rhythms themselves …But it’s not all dark – you sense a strong Greek light burning behind your poems … you take the reader on a mythological journey of archetypes … I think too of Daniel Andreyev’s Rose of the World and some of his poems … they have an unsettling quality which does not alienate, which is an unusual achievement in itself.”
– Richard McKane, Poet, translator of Russian poetry, poetry editor
“Potent, seminal, visionary. There is music here.’
– Kevin George Brown, Composer
“To you poetry is a vehicle of the truth and that is something I value greatly.”
– William Anderson, author, poet, broadcaster
A Verse Novel
Heloise Speaks
“This is an exquisite and heartrending version of Heloise’s plaint in the face of Abelard’s denial of the holy tenor of their love. Heloise Speaks presents an authentic recreation of their rapport from the pen of a poet and scholar masterfully sustained.” – Gabriel Bradford Millar, poet
“Irina Kuzminsky captures with probing simplicity Heloise’s vision of love as she responds to Peter Abelard. Her verse novel gives voice to Heloise as she matures from being a student to becoming the voice of wisdom.” – Professor Constant J. Mews, Monash University, author of “The Lost Letters of Heloise and Abelard: Perceptions of Dialogue in Twelfth-Century France”
“The skill and beauty of this telling is in itself a substantial accomplishment. But ‘Heloise Speaks’ also offers the modern psyche vital nourishment through the expression – and reminder – of the sacred
power of feminine passion.” – Diana Durham, author, poet To read the whole review go to: Heloise Speaks: A verse novel by Irina Kuzminsky – review by Diana Durham “Other things Kuzminsky deftly achieves in recreating Heloise’s voice for a modern audience are a medieval tone, and turns of phrase, and occasional interrupted syntax […] Not only does Kuzminsky’s
Heloise defend sex work and free love, she is torn between career vs. marriage, motherhood vs. scholarship, and body vs. mind. Central, though, to this vivid reimagining of Heloise’s voice is the all too familiar struggle for a woman to have a voice at all […] As the stage curtains begin to close, one can only stand to applaud Kuzminsky’s remarkably relevant performance as Heloise du Paraclet. Bravo! Bravo!” – Charlotte Hussey, poet, literary critic
To read the whole review go to: Irina Kuzminsky – Heloise Speaks: A Verse Novel – review by Charlotte Hussey
Irina performed Heloise Speaks as Heloise with the Early Music Consort in a one woman theatre piece with choreographed gesture (by Helga Hill) and music by the Early Music Consort at Labassa for the National Trust and at Armadale Uniting Church in Melbourne.
International Poetry Anthology
Diamond Cutters
Irina Kuzminsky is just one of two Australian poets to be included in this international anthology of visionary poetry
Poetry has always held both the stories and the consciousness of the tribe, reaching deep into what we know as the Oral Tradition … Poetry and music both speak to the same part of the brain, which actually (as recent neuroscientific research has indicated) is a different part of the brain that prose speaks to. It is the lyrical, of course, and also the imaginal. It is the imagination, which gives rise to vision, which is central and at stake here. As the saying goes- ‘Without a vision, the people perish’ …
“Diamond Cutters: Visionary Poets in America, Britain, & Oceania”, edited by Andrew Harvey and Jay Ramsay, is a major and important testament to poetry which seeks and succeeds in transforming the reader. A special bravo to have included the obscure yet memorable mystic poet,
Lewis Thompson’s “The Heart of the World”. Among the gems are William Stafford’s “When I Met my Muse” and “Climbing Along the River”. And Jay Ramsay’s, “Only Listen” and “St. Ives” helping us to fill the inner void of today’s flattened world. Also notable is Irina Kuzminsky’s “Ground Zero” and “In the Beginning”. More than ever, it is a time for poetry to aid us – despite all facts – to rise.”
– read a review by Catherine Ann Jones award-winning author, screenwriter & writing consultant
Diamond Cutters Biblet
http://b2l.bz/WEDaG4
eco-spiritual poetry anthology
Soul of the Earth
Four of Irina’s poems are included in Soul of the Earth.
The collection represents what Awen Publishing is about: publishing writers who are committed to the expression of spiritual and ecological values.
Poems for Julian of Norwich, ed. Sarah Law
All Shall Be Well
To celebrate the 650th anniversary of Julian of Norwich’s visionary ‘Shewings’, here is an anthology of new poems for Mother Julian, medieval mystic, anchoress, and the first woman to write a book in English.
Included is Irina’s poetry sequence “The Space of a Cell” which she wrote after her direct experience of visiting Julian’s cell.
‘Some poems make connections between Julian’s experiences and our own, whether these be the collective trauma of a pandemic, or our individual struggles with human frailty. But there are also poems that seek and celebrate the fullness of joy to be found in a life of faith, and the mysterious, enduring reassurance given, through Julian, from Christ himself.’ – Sarah Law, Amethyst Press The anthology is available on Amazon and from the Friends of Julian online shop.
An anthology of new poetry, ed. Sarah Law
Thin Places & Sacred Spaces
“In this important and wide-ranging new anthology with contributions by over 150 contemporary poets, readers are invited to reflect on and experience the poetry of ‘thin places’. The ‘thin place’ is a Celtic term, originally indicating a specific geographical location where the veil between heaven and earth seems exceptionally thin or lifted altogether, and thus it becomes ‘a place of concentrated grace and spiritual insight’.” – Sarah Law Irina’s poems sequence “Catania”, her experience of approaching Mt Etna which erupted within days, forms part of the anthology.
In Praise of Adya Kali
Shakti
A powerful invocation of the Hindu goddess Kali, this collection of poems celebrates the fierce and transformative aspects of the Divine Feminine. It is rich with spiritual symbolism and reverence.
Available online at:
https://www.academia.edu/44602600/In_Praise_of_Adya_Kali
“This collection of poems offers an immersively devotional reflection on the multifaceted nature of the goddess Kali and related Shaktic forms. With a dense mosaic of symbolism—ranging from cosmic dissolution to personal rebirth—the author’s voice stands out for its stylistic intonation of raw longing, measureless depth, and unwavering reverence. “SHAKTI – In Praise of Adya Kali” powerfully succeeds at conjuring the presence of the goddess in a way that celebrates her awe-inspiring magnitude and spiritual relevance.” – AI review on academia.edu
To read whole review go to: www.academia.edu/ai_review/44602600