Learn how to transform art into poetry in this four-week class with Erica Goss.

Do you want to write poetry but don’t know what to write about? Maybe you want to challenge yourself with a daily writing goal, or by participating in NaPoWriMo (National Poetry Writing Month) but are a little afraid you won’t have enough good ideas?

Writing in response to art (ekphrastic poetry) solves this. With art–whether painting, sculpture, music, or dance–you’ll have no shortage of specific inspiration.

Writing poetry inspired by art shuts out the noise interfering with your thought process. You have the art to look at, describe, and experience, which allows you to find the words you need.

A regular writing practice is essential, but it’s hard to go it alone. It’s also important to develop a writing community—writing is a lonely practice. Taking a class can create this all-important community.

In this four-week ekphrastic poetry class with beloved instructor Erica Goss, you’ll discover how to write ekphrastic poems in response to a variety of art media, including photographs, oil paintings, charcoal drawings, and other artwork.

The benefits of writing ekphrastic poetry:
-Finding universal themes hidden in the art you study
-Becoming open to new emotional experiences you can put into your poetry
-Having a great way to keep track of art you see while traveling, or even walking around Eugene, with a wealth of street art
-A new path to other poetry, inspired by your ekphrastic poems and their themes
-Stretching your art form and yourself as an artist
-Unlocking the secret ability to write more poems, more consistently
-Having fun, playing with your writing (which, in turn, makes you more creative)

Erica advises students to approach your writing as if it were a game, to enjoy the play part, and then do the hard work of editing it until it shines.

What you’ll experience in this class
-Stretching your poetic writing
-Developing new writing skills
-A fun, encouraging community of writers
-Inspirational chocolate from Euphoria Chocolate Company

What you’ll take away from this class
-A new appreciation for how art can lead to writing poems
-Experience giving and receiving feedback on poetry
-A new source of inspiration for your poetry and a tool for getting you unstuck
-The experience of writing in community with others

How the class is structured
-Each class begins with a short discussion of the week’topic, which might include oil paintings, charcoal drawings, photographs, or other art media
-Workshopping each other’s poems, either as a group or in dyads
-A period of sustained writing
-A closing discussion
-Time for questions

This class might be for you if:
-You’re an intermediate or advanced writer looking for a new tool your poetry-writing tool chest
-You write regularly
-You’re returning to writing after a hiatus
-You’re looking for your writing community

Erica’s students regularly share the good news they’ve had poems they wrote in one of her classes published, emphasizing the amazing possibilities of ekphrasis. memoir writers for this full-day experience.

This workshop will inspire, challenge, and support you in creating a memoir rich with authenticity and meaning.

Register here: https://wordcrafters.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/wordcrafters/eventRegistration.jsp?event=3023&

Date: Wednesdays, April 9, 16, 23, 30, 2025

Time: 5:30-7 pm

Location: Wordcrafters Studio, 436 Charnelton St. Ste. 100, Eugene, OR 97401

Price:
Access: $199 – if you have limited access to funds
Sustainer: $259 – the actual cost of this program
Patron: $329 – if you have more access to wealth/resources and can support others who need to pay less

Choose the ticket price that best reflects your financial capacity. 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/

We want everyone to have access to our writing programs. If you need additional support, please complete our scholarship request form: https://wordcrafters.org/scholarships/

Your 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.