Visual and Verbal Connections in Ekphrastic Poetry: Workshop

This free workshop introduces visual and verbal connections at the crossroad of the two genres of poetry and painting.Ekphrastic poetry is a poem written about a visual work of art. PhD candidate Nafiseh Shajani (Comparative Literature) will speak about the history of ekphrasis as a rhetorical device, drawing from examples like the Shield of Achilles in the Iliad and Anne Sexton’s poem about van Gogh’s  “The Starry Night.”

Participantsare invited to respond to paintings by using their creativity to come up with ekphrastic descriptions and poems. No prior experience is required and materials will be provided (or bring your own journals!).