Untitled, 1982, Watercolor on paper, 10 1⁄2 x 14 1/8 in.
Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, M2206 © 2024 Wyeth Foundation for American Art/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
NOTE: This workshop is in 2 parts, you’ll be signing up to attend both sessions.
This workshop is full, but Melissa will be featured in a Craft Talk about Ekphrastic Poetry hosted by The Poets Corner on ZOOM, Monday, October 21 from 3:00 - 4:30. Cost: $18.
Part I: Ekphrasis: Poets Engaging with Other Arts
Wednesday, October 16, 2-4pm
Ekphrasis was originally an exercise in vivid description. We’ll read from a rich array of contemporary poets who cross “the line” to see what––and how––they discover beyond description. Exploring the special exhibit entitled Andrew Wyeth: 1982 will provide rich source material for our own ekphrastic poems. Mark Doty wrote, “We think that to find ourselves we need turn inward…But ‘I’ is just as much to be found in the world…Say what you see and you experience yourself through your style of seeing and saying.” Choose from a variety of specific approaches to converse with the art and write into something you don’t already know.
Part II: Revision: Craft Elements to Develop a Draft
Wednesday, October 23, 2-4pm
“Revision teaches me how to push beyond the choices that come easily.”
— Traci Brimhall
Seeing a poem anew is a continuation of the writing that begins in our first drafts. This workshop will include a practical discussion of specific craft elements to strengthen and deepen a drafted poem. We’ll talk about detail, compression, making a turn, shape-on-the-page, and titles––strategies applicable to both established and emerging writers. Please bring a draft you began in Part I: Ekphrasis, and a laptop, tablet, or notebook, so we can continue exploring, developing––and writing! At the end of this session, you’ll have the option to share your poem.