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  • Seminar
  • Online: Zoom
  • Adult (18+)

Write What You See: The Ekphrastic Encounter

No Longer Enrolling

  • $0.00 Non-Member
  • $0.00 Member

Class Description

In this members-only generative craft course, members will read and write poems that are verbal representations of visual art, or, ekphrastic encounters. Participants will be offered a crash-course on the history of ekphrastic poetry, beginning with Homer’s representation of Achilles’s shield, and ending with contemporary ekphrastic poems by Anne Carson, Mary Jo Salter, and others. Following this introductory discussion, students will be given the opportunity to practice three major principles common to all forms of ekphrastic writing: description, pattern and tension. Participants will practice their own ekphrastic writing in a series of visual prompts. In addition to engaging each of the three major principles of ekphrastic writing, students will also consider the following questions:

  • As a writer will you “enter” the painting/art and join its world? Will you create a voice for an object or figure in the art? Will you be a spectator? Participant? Critic?
  • What part of the artwork seems to have inspired your reaction?
  • To what are you responding: the subject? The technique? The history? The artist?
  • Will you explicitly acknowledge the distance in time and place between now and when the work was created?

Each participant should be devoted to thoughtful inquiry and an engaging and supportive classroom environment.

Scholarships Format/Location

Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.

For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.

This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!

Zoom Participation:

Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.

Zoom Accessibility:

We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!