The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead: an Ekphrastic Collection

About the Book

Each poem or photo conveys an emotional gravity that pulls the reader or viewer into imagination and story.

Each photo-poem combination is visually striking in its pairing and offers a unique story: a date in an old-time dinera failed or failing marriagethe plight of homelessnessthe desire to escape a broken city, a broken heartthe anticipation of new romancethe nostalgia of a first loveponderings on death, freedom, healing, timelessnesshaving a case of the blues. Each poem or photo could easily stand alone. Each conveys an emotional gravity that pulls the reader or viewer into imagination and story. Together they create a uniquely powerful and visceral art that offers a layered experience. Alex Stolis is both a photographer and a poet who has long been influenced by the cinematic techniques of film noir. He brings a poet's aesthetic to his photographs and has been published widely online and in print. He shoots into shadow, light, with unexpected slants to capture haunting images and details that invite narrative. His photos can exude a loneliness and quiet beauty Catherine Arra taps into the narrative with her poetic magic to tell a story in verse. Her poetry is imagistic, lyrical, and moving in its sensitivity to nuance. She has an intuitive grasp of relationships and her poetic insights resonate with a diverse and broad audience. She captures the essence of Stolis's photographs, goes straight to the emotional core his images evoke/elicit, and adds another dimension to them Stolis and Arra are life partners who create together. Alex's photographs have prompted or inspired many of the poems in The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead, while on occasion, the poem was written first.

About the Author :
Poet: Catherine Arra is the author of four full-length poetry collections and five chapbooks. A former English and writing teacher, she now facilitates local writing groups. Her newest chapbook, Perennial Cosmology, was recently published by dancing girl press. Her newest full-length collection, Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself, was first finalist in the 2025 Donna Wolf-Palacio Poetry Book Prize and will be published by Finishing Line Press, September 2026. Arra lives in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York with her partner, Alex Stolis, and their dog, Daisy. www.catherinearra.com Photographer/Poet: Alex Stolis's photographs have previously appeared or are forthcoming in Ink in Thirds, San Pedro River Review, Unleash Lit, L'Espirit Literary Review, and Anti-Heroin Chic. His full-length book Pop.1280 is a poetry and photo collection, available from Amazon. His chapbooks Postcards from the Knife-Thrower's Wife was released by Louisiana Literature Press, 2024; RIP Winston Smith from Alien Buddha Press 2024; and The Hum of Geometry; The Music of Spheres, 2024 by Bottlecap Press. He lives in upstate New York with his partner, poet Catherine Arra, and their dog, Daisy. He can also be found at https: //alexstolis.myportfolio.com/

Review :
The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead offers a multisensory journey of presence, conversation, and companionship. Catherine Arra and Alex Stolis invite us to witness their unique observations, which knit together in poetry and photography to create a multifaceted and cohesive love story. I found this book tender and inspiring, a heartwarming and artistic experience that I didn't know I needed and will not soon forget. -Jen Knox, author of We Arrive Uninvited and RadicalsStolis's exquisite, lyrical black and white photographs invite the viewer into the introspective, imaginative space that we call poetry. And Arra responds to that call, with liminal, evocative words that in turn conjure new imagery. This beautiful collection is a dialogue of heart and creativity, an intimate dance that lingers long after the pages are closed. -Lorette C. Luzajic, founding editor, The Ekphrastic Review