Ekphrastic Poetry: Because the World is Beautiful
with Janée Baugher
If you’re a poet who’s interested in discovering how engaging with visual art can influence and inspire your writing, this course is for you! Ekphrastic writing is the practice of responding to visual art through words, creating a dialogue between image and text.
Ekphrastic writing dates back to the dawn of literature itself, and Homer’s description of Achilles’ shield in the Iliad. While traditionally associated with detailed description (“ekphrasis” comes from the Greek “to describe”), modern ekphrastic poetry often goes beyond mere representation, offering interpretation, imaginative reimaginings, and narrative expansion of the artwork. Instead of simply describing what is seen, poets might invent a backstory for a painted figure, give voice to an object in a still life, or explore what happens beyond the captured moment.
In this course, you’ll read contemporary ekphrastic poems, explore topics in ekphrasis, study a dozen art disciplines, and learn dozens of ekphrastic conventions that poets use to drive their work. You’ll enjoy writing in a safe, supportive environment in which you’ll have the freedom to explore, experiment, develop, and refine your ekphrastic poetry.
Art-viewing opens a world of speculation, surprise, and discovery. What type of art do you find provocative? Realistic, abstract, digital, conceptual, photographic, portraiture, or political? In this course, you’ll explore your relationship with art, whether it be iconography in your place of worship, memories of artwork in your childhood home, public art in your neighborhood, or art found in galleries and museums around the world.
French poet Paul Valéry wrote, “One makes use of images in order to guide oneself, to please oneself, to heal oneself, to know oneself,” and it’s the excitement of where vision can lead a person that consumes ekphrastic poets. You will learn the art and science of deep-looking, and you’ll be introduced to artists and art from across the globe. Ekphrasis is an aesthetic pursuit, and when you stimulate your eyes, that sight can lead to insight.
In addition to the images I provide, you’re encouraged to share your favorite works-of-art with the rest of us. Ultimately this course will give you the confidence to engage with the visual arts and make creative use of visual stimulation, the knowledge of current practices in ekphrasis, and the encouragement to write over a dozen new ekphrastic poems.
Recommended Text: The Ekphrastic Writer: Creating Art-Influenced Poetry, Fiction and Nonfiction is recommended for this course. It can be purchased online in hard copy or e-book formats, or borrowed from your library. While not required, reading this book will enhance your understanding of the course material. However, students who choose not to read it will still fully benefit from the course.
Learning and Writing Goals
Learning Goals
In this course, you will learn:
- How contemporary poets write ekphrastical, by reading their work and viewing the companion images.
- About a dozen art forms from around the world.
- To engage with art through numerous ekphrastic conventions, and arrive at new ways to collaborate with the arts and artists that can lead to future projects.
Writing Goals
In this course, you will write:
- One to two ekphrastic poems per week.
- In prose form, about your experiences viewing art, reading published ekphrases, and exploring the uniqueness of your personal aesthetic and creative process.
Zoom Schedule
Note: Our first Zoom meeting will be Wednesday, May 7th from 7-8 PM Eastern. All subsequent Zoom meetings will be held each week on Tuesdays, from 7-8 PM Eastern.
Optional weekly Zoom meetings: Activities include all-group in-class writing time with new prompts, all-class discussions, and I’ll field any questions on all writing-related topics, including revision strategies and publishing tips.
Weekly Syllabus
Week One: Verbal Explorations & Aesthetic Responses
Writing Invitation: Given an image of a painting, freewrite two paragraphs on literal description, two paragraphs on figurative description, and two paragraphs on personal/associative leaps.
Week Two: Anthology & Artwork
Writing Invitation: Begin reading the twenty-two curated ekphrastic poems in the book, both as standalone writing and while also viewing their companion art images (also included in the book). What do you notice in terms of how each poet approaches ekphrasis? Write a 750-word essay on what you admire about one of many poets’ techniques. Write one or two imitation poems.
Week Three: Conventions of Ekphrasis
Writing Invitation: After having studied the twenty-six conventions of ekphrasis, which ones are you most likely to adopt? Select at least six. Which artwork can you find that might align with experimenting with your chosen conventions? Submit a draft of two new ekphrastic poems along with links to the companion images.
Week Four: Art Forms
Writing Invitation: Given the twelve art forms covered in the book, which ones are you most drawn to? Select artwork (either from the book or elsewhere) of at least four different forms that you’d like to work with. Submit a draft of two new ekphrastic poems along with links to the companion images.
$345.00Enroll Now
Student Feedback for Janée Baugher:
This is a brilliant course packed with value and substance. It changed the entire way I have approached writing- for the better. I highly recommend this class for EVERY writer- no matter where you are in your journey. It should be a requirement for all of us. Thank you to Janee for helping me find my words and save them from being lost forever. Lisa Hamidi
These last six weeks have felt like a dance through the halls of both mystery and possibility. There is so much information and excitement in this programme that I will keep re-exploring these lessons over and over again. Glen Cohen
Entertaining and knowledgeable. KF
She’s the most professional writing teacher I’ve ever met. TZ
Her commitment and genuine care is clear for all to see. JN
In this class, I found a safe place to share poetry, while receiving honest feedback. SJ
I am grateful for the balance of poetic knowledge and instinct with her scientific sensibilities. JA
Her class has a simple elegance to it….It offers something to everyone on the spectrum, whether you’re just a bit curious or a poet in the making. LH
