Blubber_Ekphrastic Poetry

New Bedford Blubber Writers Workshop

Ekphrastic Poetry

Sarah Jane Mulvey

Sarah Jane Mulvey is a poet and non-profit arts professional. She is a co-founder of Anomaly Poetry and host of a monthly open mic series at the Co-Creative Center. She is an editor and curator of two anthologies, Rituals and Tidings, published by Domesticated Primate and frequently performs with the NB Collective. She is currently serving as the Poet Laureate of the City of New Bedford.

This workshop will focus on the form of ekphrastic poetry - poems written after, or about, various forms of art. Probably the most easily recognized example of an ekphrastic poem is the description of Achilles' shield in Homer's The Illiad. It gives the reader a painstakingly detailed description of the shield, bringing to the mind's eye every color, glimmer and ornament that Hephaestus, god of the forge, creates. With no illustrations to guide us, it is the reader's interpretation of the poet's words that create the image and the emotion.

This particular method of poetry-writing aims to address, challenge, and sometimes blur the divide between the spatial and temporal experience of art, the eye and the ear, and visual and auditory mediums. As the ekphrastic has developed to encompass modern forms of art like photography, music and more, we see a new layer of connection, a redefining of an established piece of art through the poet's words. For this particular workshop, we'll focus on New Bedford's wealth of fine art. Students will utilize work spanning across genres such as painting, sculpture, and photography as inspiration for original pieces of poetry. This will be a generative workshop, and participants are asked to bring a sturdy notebook and writing instrument! There will be opportunities for sharing work and feedback as time allows.

Workshop: 2.5 hours • 15 minute break

Cost: Free

Class Size: 10 People

Instructor: Jane Mulvey

What to bring: Notebook, Pen, Laptop

Where: Co-Creative Center • 137 Union Street • New Bedford, MA 02740

When: New Class coming soon