Poetry Series Features Dante-Inspired Work for Oona Ratcliffe's Exhibition at gallerynine5

The POETRY FOR ART series has released a poem inspired by Dante Alighieri, honoring Oona Ratcliffe's exhibition "Deep Forgetting" at gallerynine5 in New York City. Serving as the editorial advisor for the series is Bill Berkson, who curates new poetry that reflects on the works of contemporary artists. Ratcliffe's solo exhibition took place from March 6 to 24, 2009, at 24 Spring Street. The Brooklyn-based artist has previously showcased her work at various galleries, including Susan Inglett Gallery and Morgan Lehman Gallery. In 2005, she was awarded the Janet Sloane Residency Award from Yaddo. Berkson, a poet and critic based in San Francisco and New York, earned the 2008 Goldie for Literature. His recent works include "Sudden Address: Selected Lectures 1981-2006" and "Portrait and Dream: New & Selected Poems." The poem draws from Canto 5 of Dante's "Inferno," recounting the tragic tale of Paolo and Francesca, whose doomed romance began with a reading of Lancelot's story, culminating in the narrator's fainting from sorrow.