Radha, I'm so happy you posted this. I have leaned heavily into ekphrasis in 2024, participating in most of The Ekphrastic Review's biweekly challenges and other events. I have two collections in progress but am unsure about where to send individual poems and the manuscripts for publication. I've also been pursuing Smithsonian Associates' World Art History Certificate as well as Mary Hall Surface's Writing into Art workshops. Just the exposure to so many forms of art is so wonderful. As soon as I'm cleared from an autoimmune medical lockdown, I want to get to a couple of art museums in the Northeast. Go into the lesser-traveled galleries, study the work, record my impressions.
Barbara - I'm recently out of an autoimmune medical lockdown myself. Met in NYC ten days ago. Mass Moca in Massachusetts a few days ago. The museums are even sweeter after the lockdown ends.
This has me thinking, maybe we can, and do, practice ekphrasis on anything: an orange on a table, an orange on a tree, an orange in your hand, and orange rolling down the street. Maybe we need something to follow until we find what we weren't looking for. What do you think?
I often write to photographs that I've taken, sometimes including them in a mixed media work. Recently I've been writing hermit crab poems - that is ekphrastic poems disguised as either captions or museum-like notes to the photo.
Imagine my delight to find this post arrived in my inbox while I was traveling. I've been slowly clearing my email, just got here this afternoon. B'shert!
Great post, Radha. Ekphrastic writing has so many possibilities! Often, when I feel stuck, I need quick release yet find I need to slow down with a piece of visual art. It's a challenge!
Radha, I'm so happy you posted this. I have leaned heavily into ekphrasis in 2024, participating in most of The Ekphrastic Review's biweekly challenges and other events. I have two collections in progress but am unsure about where to send individual poems and the manuscripts for publication. I've also been pursuing Smithsonian Associates' World Art History Certificate as well as Mary Hall Surface's Writing into Art workshops. Just the exposure to so many forms of art is so wonderful. As soon as I'm cleared from an autoimmune medical lockdown, I want to get to a couple of art museums in the Northeast. Go into the lesser-traveled galleries, study the work, record my impressions.
Incredible, Barbara. That’s impressive!
Barbara - I'm recently out of an autoimmune medical lockdown myself. Met in NYC ten days ago. Mass Moca in Massachusetts a few days ago. The museums are even sweeter after the lockdown ends.
This has me thinking, maybe we can, and do, practice ekphrasis on anything: an orange on a table, an orange on a tree, an orange in your hand, and orange rolling down the street. Maybe we need something to follow until we find what we weren't looking for. What do you think?
Absolutely. It's the perfect gateway.
Well said, Deborah.
I often write to photographs that I've taken, sometimes including them in a mixed media work. Recently I've been writing hermit crab poems - that is ekphrastic poems disguised as either captions or museum-like notes to the photo.
Wrote one this morning to someone else's work. It's been a while since I've done that, but "Georgia O'Keeffe - Hands and Horse Skull" called me. (1931 photo by Alfred Stieglitz) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/66476/georgia-o-keeffe-hands-and-horse-skull
Imagine my delight to find this post arrived in my inbox while I was traveling. I've been slowly clearing my email, just got here this afternoon. B'shert!
Great post, Radha. Ekphrastic writing has so many possibilities! Often, when I feel stuck, I need quick release yet find I need to slow down with a piece of visual art. It's a challenge!