House of Strong Light—El Escorial

Linda Nemec Foster

Linda Nemec Foster

House of Strong Light—El Escorial was selected as part of MSU Library Short Edition's call for submissions on the theme of "Home," in coordination with the MSU Broad Art Museum's exhibition "Where We Dwell." Linda Nemec Foster has published 12 collections of poetry including Amber Necklace from Gdansk, Talking Diamonds, and The Lake Michigan Mermaid (2019 Michigan Notable Book) co-authored with Anne-Marie Oomen. Her work appears in magazine and journals such as The Georgia Review, Nimrod, New American Writing, North American Review, and Verse Daily. She has received nominations for the Pushcart Prize and awards from Arts Foundation of Michigan, National Writer's Voice, the Dyer-Ives Foundation, The Poetry Center (NJ), and the Academy of American Poets. Her new book, The Blue Divide, was published by New Issues Press in 2021. The first Poet Laureate of Grand Rapids, Michigan (2003-2005), Foster is the founder of the Contemporary Writers Series at Aquinas College.

Philip II builds a monastery near Madrid with over 2000 windows. It's designed like an upside down grille because the place is dedicated to St. Lawrence who (legend has it) was burned to death on a gridiron. His famous last words: "Turn me over, I'm done on this side." When the sun sets on a clear day, the monastery's windows fill with fire.

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