Ekphrastic Poetry Circle: Writing Inspired by Art (online community)

In each session, participants will learn how to observe, interpret and respond to the elements and subject matter in visual art through a range of expressive forms of poetry and visual thinking techniques. Through a combination of discussing compelling examples of published ekphrastic poetry and writing exercises, writers will learn new ways of looking deeply at objects and apply effective thinking techniques to articulate what they observe and feel. 

In the first 2 sessions, participants will gain an introduction to the origins of ekphrastic poetry, explore and discuss examples of ekphrastic poetry and the famous works of art that inspired them. You will then experiment with writing poems inspired by famous artworks, learn how to adopt different perspectives in poetry inspired by art (such as viewer, artist, character and memory), and explore how art conveying a range of themes, can spark new insights and personal connections. By the end of the sessions, participants will have created a collection of poems that are inspired by artworks from prolific artists such as Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Mark Rothko, Georgia O’Keefe and many more.   

The artworks are carefully curated according to themes, genres and styles, whilst also encouraging poets to experiment with writing ekphrastic poetry using a range of poetry forms from around the world – you can expect to learn new techniques each time. 

Opportunities will be provided to share your poetry in a supportive, small-group environment and receive encouraging feedback. Although we will mainly focus on ekphrastic poetry, prose writers are also welcome; the group is designed for writers interested in gaining new inspiration to further their craft, experiment with poetic voice and the ekphrastic form, as well as engage in a lively discussion of artworks and ekphrastic poetry. 

Participants will have the option to feature their edited works created from the sessions in The Writer’s Gallery and participate in the online Art out Loud: Ekphrastic Poetry spoken word showcase.

All workshops include the option of gathering 15 minutes early for a casual chat. If you miss or cancel your workshop date, you will be given access to the recording of the session.