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Poetry: September 17, 2008 Issue [#2616]

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Poetry


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  Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3 Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter



Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting with the gift of speech.

Simonides (556 BC - 468 BC)


One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)



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Letter from the editor



Fantastic Ekphrastic



A cool breeze lifts my hair for a moment, cooling the back of my neck as I enter the museum. Echoing whispers blend into one another, and wrap around Venus de Milo’s ankles. As I walk down the corridor, each picture is like a window into another world. Some worlds are familiar, some are bizarre. Each holds some form of inspiration. Use this inspiration to create ekphrastic poetry.

This word has several spellings. Ekphrastic can also be spelled as ecphrastic, and it can also be referred to as ekphrasis/ecphrasis.

Ekphrasis can be translated as “speaking out,” but that doesn’t begin to describe ekphrastic writing. An ekphrastic poem can paint a word picture as vivid as the art itself. As the poet, you can let a favorite art form speak to someone who hasn’t had the chance to experience it for themselves.

I first heard of ekphrastic poetry recently. I was looking over contest categories and one listed this type of poetry as the topic. It was the oddest looking name, and coupled with the fact that it was a poetry form I’ve never heard of—it drew me in to investigate. Join me on this fantastic ekphrastic journey.


BRIEF HISTORY


Ekphrastics can be traced to classical Greece and Homer’s Iliad. In fact, in James A. W. Heffernan’s Museum Mediations: Reframing Ekphrasis in Contemporary American Poetry, he says that “ekphrasis is as old as writing itself in the western world.” (Heffernan 9)


MUST HAVES


--Write a poem on a visual art. That’s it. Some examples could be: architecture, dance recital/ballet, movie/play, painting, sculpture, or even a written work that contains strong imagery.

How you go about your representation of your selected “art” is totally up to you. You could simply describe it detail by detail. You could share the emotions the art brought from within you, or you could create a story that you feel is being told. This form is an easy one to fill out.

For some great examples of ekphrastic poetry go to http://valerie6.myweb.uga.edu/ekphrasticpoetry.html



COULD HAVES or What's The Poet's Choice In All This?


--Any form (or no particular form) just follow the form’s rules.
--Any rhyme (or no rhyme), unless a form is used, then you follow the rhyme scheme for that form.
--Any meter (or no set meter) unless a form is used, then you follow the meter required for that form.


OF NOTE

--Some painters wrote poems that were meant to go with their artwork. (Corn, 2008)
--This form is a fantastic way to practice your imagery. Greek students practiced it to hone their “highly detailed descriptive writing.” (Welsh, 2008)
--Ekphrasis can be more than just poetry; it is used to describe any writing about various art forms.


I gather my thoughts, pen, and notebook, and leave the museum. I leave behind the actual artwork, but I take with me the inspiration for countless poems.


SOURCE NOTES


Corn, Arthur (2008). Notes on Ekphrasis. Retrieved September 13, 2008, from Poets.org Web site: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19939

Heffernan, James A. W. (2006). Museum Mediations: Reframing Ekphrasis in Contemporary American Poetry (Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory). NY: Taylor & Francis Group.

Welsh, Ryan (2007). Ekphrasis. Retrieved September 13, 2008, from The University of Chicago Theories of Media Keywords Glossary Web site: http://csmt.uchicago.edu/glossary2004/ekphrasis.htm



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Editor's Picks



Theme: Ekphrastic Poetry


 Gloriana Open in new Window. [E]
An Ekphrastic poem about the painting "Gloriana" by Anthony Blake done in Oil
by High Druid Author Icon

 Dead Yellow (Ekphrastic Poem) Open in new Window. [13+]
An ekphrastic poem about a strange painting.
by Bdot Author Icon

Holy Hula Open in new Window. [E]
This is an ekphrastic poem written for my first poetry class.
by Mighty Author Icon

 venus de milo Open in new Window. [E]
ekphrasis poem
by Alex Styles Author Icon

 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

 From Poem to Painting to Poem Open in new Window. [E]
Based on the poem by Keats which inspired a painting by Dicksie.
by jamie Author Icon

 The Water Lilies of Claude Monet Open in new Window. [E]
A poem about Monet's historic paintings.
by Tim Chiu Author Icon


 
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Ask & Answer



Have a question, answer, problem, solution, tip, trick, cheer, jeer, or extra million lying around?

If so, send it through the feedback section at the bottom of this newsletter OR click the little envelope next to my name Red Writing Hood <3 Author IconMail Icon and send it through email.


Comments on last month's newsletter on Gaines Verse:


Submitted By: bookworm243
Submitted Comment:

I especially like this newsletter, I have always loved the poetry newsletter but never like I have this one! I have been trying to find new poem structures, and here I have one! Thank you!


Submitted By: ridinghhood-p.boutilier Author Icon
Submitted Comment:

Always love finding a new form---it's nice to have a structure---especially one not confined by meter or rhyme...to wind a poem around. Love the short line lengths!


Submitted By: mareann52
Submitted Email Comment:

Awesome newsletter, thanks for all the very useful info. We all appreciate it.


Thank you all for your wonderful comments! They are what keeps me looking for interesting poetry forms, and poetry items for your enjoyment. Keep 'em coming!


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