Ekphrasis: A Writing Workshop by Kindall Gant

Get your creative juices flowing! The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow (WCDH) “Ekphrasis” workshop will introduce and explore the use of ekphrasis in poetry. The Poetry Foundation defines ekphrasis as, "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." The workshop, instructed by Kindall Gant, will be held in two sessions, on Thursday, November 17, and Friday, November 18, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm CST on both days. Classes will be held at WCDH, 515 Spring Street in Eureka Springs. The class fee is $40 per person and all proceeds benefit the WCDH scholarship fund.Register at writerscolony.org/events, email director@writerscolony.org, or call 479-253-7444.

Participants of this workshop will develop an understanding of the ekphrasis form and how it can be presented in poetry. During the first session, the class will focus on generating inspiration and creativity through guided activities such as reading ekphrasis poems. Members will cultivate a personal inventory of themes and motifs that resonate with them and will begin an ekphrastic poem of their own - either using something from a list of art works they brought, or one of the instructor’s sample artworks.

This workshop is appropriate for writers of all levels of experience from complete novice to published poet. Attendees should bring their preferred writing medium and a list of five to ten artists and/or artistic works that inspire them. This art may be in any medium or a combination of visual, auditory, etc. Attendees can expect to create both during and after the workshop as they will leave with tools to continue building their practice through further exploration with ekphrasis and/or stemming from the personal inventory they cultivate.

Kindall Gant is a poet and New Orleans, Louisiana native based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a BA from Sarah Lawrence College where she received the Lucy Grealy Prize for Poetry. Gant says she, “finds herself in evolution through lyrical storytelling and her main inspirations are rooted in relationships, home, and heritage.” She has participated in workshops with the Cave Canem Foundation, Roots. Wounds. Words. Inc., Wing On Wo & Co., Winter Tangerine, and more. She currently serves as the founder and Editor-in-Chief for Arcanum Magazine, a newly established literary magazine featuring the visual art and writing of Black creatives. In her free time, she volunteers reading poetry manuscripts for the Tenth Gate Prize. Her work has been featured in TORCH and she has an upcoming fellowship with the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to nurture writers of all genres, backgrounds, and levels of experience in a supportive environment that builds community, energizes creative expression, stimulates new thinking, and optimizes productivity. Since opening its doors to writers in 2000, the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow has made a lasting impact on the arts and literary communities hosting over 1,800 writers from 48 states and 13 countries. For more information, please visit www.writerscolony.orgor call Michelle Hannon or Jeanne Glass at (479)253-7444.