The Beltline Chronicles Robert F. Barsky, Poetry; Susan Ker-Seymer, Artworks The AmeriQuests Press (Cambridge, MA; Nashville, TN: 2025) The Beltline Chronicles is an epic poem by Robert F. Barsky, that honors the living history of spaces along the Atlanta Beltline. The poem is accompanied by multimedia full-color artworks by Susan Ker-Seymer, which evoke the layers, textures, and emotions of this powerful pathway. The poem draws inspiration from Lord Byron’s epic adventure poem “Don Juan,” and invokes a broad array of famous literary quests, from Homer’s "The Odyssey" and Dante the Pilgrim’s "Divine Comedy" all the way up to Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Toni Morrison’s Paradise . The narrator of the poem is an enthusiastic and sweet poet named George, after George Gordon, Lord Byron. He invokes histories associated with Beltline spaces and takes note of the people he sees along his journey. He also describes existing art installations, performances by Beltline artists (both formal and informal), and emotions stirred by the amazing Beltline environment. By referencing Atlanta's history, alongside of contemporary stories about the city, George calls attention to issues of social justice and historical memory, while advocating for a more just future inspired by the ambitions associated with Atlanta’s “emerald necklace.” He recalls inspiring writings and utterances by the likes of Frederick Law Olmsted, W.E.B. DuBois, Ella Josephine Baker, Martin Luther King, Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, and John Lewis, who have envisioned a better future for Atlanta, America, and the world. Excerpts of the poem can be seen on illustrated installations on the Eastside and Westside trails of the the Atlanta Beltline. Contents Introduction 1 Canto the First: Heroes 11 Canto the Second: Gates 21 Canto the Third: Trains 35 Canto the Fourth: Paradise 47 Canto the Fifth: Windmills 59 Canto the Sixth: Pilgrimages 73 Canto the Seventh: Improvisation 89 Canto the Eighth: The Holy Grail 101 Notes 113 Author: Robert Barsky’s poetic quests began during his undergraduate years under the tutelage of Allen Grossman and Jim Merod, and the spell cast by the Great Books. Captivated by Romantic poets and canonical literary quests, he has since found great inspiration in the higher climes of the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, and in the crevices and crevasses of the everyday. His fictional poet “George” is a perennial flâneur, whose love for serendipity’s playful ways continues to drive him towards surprising encounters upon enchanted pathways. A Professor of humanities and of Law at Vanderbilt University, Barsky wrote the poem in the course of his Guggenheim Fellowship. Artworks: Susan Ker-Seymer’s multidisciplinary visual art—encompassing painting, printmaking, collage, fiber, and installation—is rooted in a deep curiosity of materials, nature, and human connection. She’s drawn to layered processes and material explorations, with work that often evolves from instinctive beginnings into thoughtful, visually complex compositions. Her art has been exhibited in the U.S. and U.K., including public and private galleries, non-profit art centers, and site-specific installations. A founding member of Sixfold Collective and The Friendship Project, she has helped develop group exhibitions and public works, including installations for the Atlanta Beltline Art program, that investigate themes of relationship, place, and the porous boundary between individual and collective experience. Ker-Seymer studied painting at the Atlanta College of Art, and holds degrees in Fashion Design and Graphic Design—early disciplines that continue to inform her sense of color, surface, and structure. Danielle Charbonneau, Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 7, 2025: Beltline Chronicles' evolves from public art to book benefitting charity Until recently, "The Beltline Chronicles" has been known as a series of public art installations along Atlanta's busiest bike path. But now, fans can also discover them as a book of poetry and art. Each of the four installations (planned as an eventual eight) consists of two glossy signs, installed side-by-side like the pages of an open book. Each features a canto of poetry written by Atlanta-based writer and Vanderbilt professor Robert F. Barsky, overlaid atop black-and-white ink paintings by Atlanta-based abstract artist Susan Ker-Seymer. A QR code allows admirers to access a multimedia component of the project online. On Aug. 9, "The Beltline Chronicles" will find new life as it is reintroduced to the public at a book launch party as the now-published book of poetry and art A launch party and signing at the Atlanta Beltline Indie Marketplace near Krog Street Market will feature readings by Barsky and artwork from Ker-Seymer. The book was created with grant funds from the Beltline Arts Commission, the Vanderbilt College of Arts and Sciences and the Atlanta Mayor's Office. All