twist

twist is a book of photography and the poetry it inspired. It is the second book from Antoinette LeCouteur and Peter Dudley, following up their inspiring release of together in 2023.

Antoinette sees the world in ways many people do not, and she captures that view through photographs she takes with her phone. It may be a drop of dew glistening on a blade of grass in a friend's lawn, or a hummingbird as it alights on a branch against a desert sky. For this book, she carefully and lovingly selected one picture from each week of 2023, and Peter used that picture as a prompt for an original poem.

Peter's poetry tends toward themes of longing, humor, loss, and impermanence. He coaxes out the essence of each of Antoinette's photos, focusing less on the objects and more on the feelings they invoke. Each poem tells an intriguing story that invites the reader to think deeply and find new layers of meaning upon each reading.

Each photo and each poem stands as a piece of art on its own. Together, each weekly ekphrastic pairing creates a third piece of art that further enriches the reader's experience.

Although the format of this book is similar to the format of together, the couple threw in a few twists. Peter provides a photograph in one week to inspire a poem by Antoinette, and another week Antoinette had to select a photo to go with the poem Peter wrote. The title, twist, also reflects the kind of year the couple had.