Use visual art as inspiration for writing twelve new poems in this twelve-week online class with poet Erica Goss.

There’s a secret to jumpstarting your writer-brain.

Use a different form of artistic expression to charge up your creative juices and get the words flowing onto the page.

Ekphrasis is the practice of using visual art to inspire poetry. In ancient Greece, “ekphrasis” was the skill of describing something with vivid detail. Many well-known poets, from Ann Sexton to Robert Lowell to Diane Seuss, have written beautiful, thought-provoking art-inspired poems.

In this twelve-week online class with former poet laureate Erica Goss, you’ll study the work of women artists from around the world, from contemporary artists such as Kara Walker and Wangechi Mutu to Lavinia Fontana, a professional painter from the Italian Renaissance.

You’ll examine how women such as the German Expressionist Käthe Kollwitz interpreted the major issues of their time and learn how these artists overcame the obstacles society placed in their way.

"[I gained] a better appreciation for poetry’s relationship to art."
-Rebecca M.

Each week, you’ll closely observe the work of our featured artist. You’ll ask yourself how the work moves you, what you can relate to and what seems strange, and express yourself in response through writing poems.

As part of an intimate writing community, you’ll comment constructively on each other’s work, compassionately giving and receiving feedback.

By the end of the course, you’ll have twelve poems, either drafts or completed, and an appreciation for ekphrasis as an inspiration for poetic creativity.

In this 12-week, online class, you’ll:
-Gain an awareness of the art available for inspiring your poetry
-Study ekphrasis as a genre of poetry
-Explore ekphrastic poetry, both reading and writing
-Learn how to do a close reading of ekphrastic poems
-Experiment with writing ekphrastic poems
-Write twelve ekphrastic poems

"I liked the small, intimate class size."
-Anonymous

Each week of the class includes:
-A deep dive into a woman-identified artist and her place in art history
-A study of the artist’s works to respond to
-Sharing work, both giving and receiving constructive feedback
-Connection with other writers and poets
-Compassionate space and accountability to write

Erica’s students often go on to publish poems they write in her class.

And, no matter what, if you ever start feeling stuck in your writing life, you’ll know how to look to art for inspiration!

Register here: https://wordcrafters.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wordcrafters/eventRegistration.jsp?event=2035&

Date: Tuesdays, September 10 to December 3
Sept 10, Sept 17, Sept 24, Oct 1, Oct 8, Oct 15, Oct 22, Oct 29, Nov 5, Nov 12, Nov 19, Dec 3 (No class Nov 26)

Time: 6-7:30 pm

Location: Wordcrafters Online Zoom Studio

Price:
Access: $344 – if you have limited access to funds
Sustainer: $459 – the actual cost of this class
Patron: $574 – if you have more access to wealth/resources and can support others who need to pay less

We trust you to discern your financial situation and your level of need or ability to give to others with less access to wealth. Learn more about our Pay From Your Heart Pricing: https://wordcrafters.org/pfyh/

If you need further support, please contact us at bewriting@wordcrafters.org.

About the instructor

Erica Goss (she/her) served as Poet Laureate of Los Gatos, CA from 2013-2016. In 2019, she won the Zocalo Poetry Prize. She is the author of Night Court, winner of the 2016 Lyrebird Award; Wild Place; and Vibrant Words: Ideas and Inspirations for Poets.

Recent work appears in Lake Effect, Atticus Review, Contrary, Convergence, Spillway, Cider Press Review, Eclectica, The Tishman Review, Tinderbox, The Red Wheelbarrow, and Main Street Rag, among others.

She is the founder of Girls’ Voices Matter, an arts education program for teen girls. Erica is the editor of Sticks & Stones, a monthly poetry newsletter. Please visit her at www.ericagoss.com.