The Pandeia and Leukai

Homer's classic tale of competition and magic is reimagined in this stylish Shakespearean sonnet.

The islands of Souda and Leon lie off the coast of Crete. Like many other islands all over the ancient world, the two come with a specific origin story chronicled in Greek myth. The islands came about after the muses-Greek goddesses of drama, music, and art-compete in a contest with the sirens-seductive women who could lure sailors to their deaths with their voices. Ima L. Ami updates the myth. Her hero, Captain Hector, finds himself caught in this contest between the muses and the sirens. He encounters fantastic sights and meets some of the most powerful gods in the Greek pantheon. Can the mortal Hector make a difference in a battle between such powerful beings? What can humans do in the face of the gods?

Written in fourteen parts, The Pandeia and Leukai carries heartbreak, rage, and war in its simple lines. Poet and mythology enthusiast Ami combines the power of Greek folklore with the highly detailed and stylized form of the sonnet. Following a rich poetic tradition, Ami presents the passions and frustrations of the heroes and gods of antiquity.