Poets & Painters, October 2022

Ekphrasis

“Description” in Greek. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description of a scene or, more commonly, a work of art. Through the imaginative act of narrating and reflecting on the “action” of a painting or sculpture, the poet may amplify and expand its meaning.

-- definition from the Poetry Foundation

Springfield Poets and Writers invites writers to respond to 1-2 original paintings by member artists of the Sangamon Watercolor Society. The art works are on display from October 7-29 at the Springfield Art Association’s M.G. Nelson gallery. The schedule is as follows:

October 7, 5:30-7:30 PM: Opening reception at the M.G. Nelson Gallery. Writers may view the Sangamon Watercolor Society Members Exhibition during any hours the Gallery is open, to choose one or two paintings to inspire their writing. Images of the paintings are available on the SPW website, for those unable to visit the Gallery.

October 14, midnight CDT: Those who want to participate in this event must send an email by this deadline to springfieldpoetsandwriters@gmail.com to let SPW know which painting(s) they’ve chosen to write about. SPW members may participate at no cost; we ask non-members for a $5 donation (payable by mailed check or PayPal) for each piece of writing they would like to submit, to help defray the cost of the printed event catalog.

October 21, midnight CDT: participants must email their completed written submissions to springfieldpoetsandwriters@gmail.com. These will be printed for display with the corresponding paintings from October 24-28.

October 28, 5:30-7:30 PM: Closing reception at the M.G. Nelson Gallery, with readings by the participating writers, and commentary by the artists. A printed event catalog will be distributed to participating writers and the artists whose work was selected. Writers who cannot attend may designate another writer to read their works at the reception.

§ Writers may select one or two artworks to write about.

§ Multiple writers may select the same painting.

§ Writers' names will be displayed on the SWS art page with the painting selected.

§ By participating, writers and artists grant SPW permission to include their images and documents in the printed event catalog.

§ View or download the event program book (32 pages, PDF format).