ek•phra•sis (noun) ˈɛkfrəsəs. A literary description of or commentary on a visual work of art
A free two-day, generative, in-person workshop
2 Sessions
Saturdays, June 22 & 29
10:00am – 11:30am ET
With so many resources for visual art in the DMV, including galleries, libraries, museums, and monuments, ekphrastic writing can awaken a recalcitrant muse. What is it, and how does it work? This free, two-day, generative, in-person workshop examines ekphrasis and inspiration, and how to harness the process to deepen your creative writing.
Saturday, June 22: Fiction and nonfiction writers and poets—novice, emerging, and experienced—will gather to view Jeffrey Berg’s artwork in his show, “Ekphrasis,” on exhibition at Joram Piatigorsky Gallery (May 23 – August 2, 2024). Students will choose and photograph one image that engages them in some way and will gather in a classroom at The Writer’s Center. Following a brief discussion on the origins and idea of ekphrastic writing, students will follow prompts to examine what drew them to their chosen image. Abbreviated instruction on elements of writing craft—including narrative position, imagery, character, and setting—will render their inspiration into creative writing.
On June 26, students will submit their work along with their chosen image to the workshop instructor, who will forward it to all participants. It could be a flash piece or poem, the beginning of a longer piece or a poem, or any manner of creative writing, and should be no more than 1,200 words. In reading these works, students should consider the artwork and form questions about its relationship to the submitted writing.
Saturday, June 29: Meeting again at The Writer’s Center, each student’s creative writing will be discussed to examine individual experiences of the ekphrastic process, its challenges, and what makes it work. Attendees will gain inspiration and glean the benefits of ekphrastic writing.
Instructor: Eugenia Kim in collaboration with artist Jeffrey Berg
Eugenia Kim’s debut novel, The Calligrapher’s Daughter, won the Borders Original Voices Award, was shortlisted for the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and was a Washington Post Best Historical Novel and Critic’s Pick. Her second novel, The Kinship of Secrets, was a Library Reads Best Book of November and on the 2018 Hall of Fame, and an Amazon Best Book of the Month/Literature and Fiction. She is a three-time Washington DC Council on the Arts and Humanities Fellowship recipient and was a fellow at Yaddo, Hedgebrook, MacDowell, and elsewhere. Ms. Kim teaches fiction and nonfiction at Fairfield University’s MFA Creative Writing Program.