Date:             Tuesday February 09, 2016
Time:             6:30-8:30 p.m.
Location:       New Westminster Public Library, 716 Sixth Avenue, New Westminster, BC
Topic:            When Poems and Paintings Entwine: Ekphrastic Poetry
Presenter:      RCLAS President, James Felton
Cost:              Free (with prior registration)
To Register:   Call 604-527-4667 or email askus@nwpl.ca

Huh?! Ekphrastic what?! Ekphrastic (sometimes ecphrastic) poetry is verse that describes and responds to works of art. The phrase may be unfamiliar but we can all understand its meaning. The piece of art that inspires the poet could be a sculpture, a photograph, or even music, but it is usually a painting – or series of paintings.

This workshop explores how visual art informs poetry. We examine how poets, through their studied contemplation of an art treasure, have transformed their thoughts and feelings into a finely crafted poem.

We will examine the unique features of ekphrastic poetry through a wide range of traditional and contemporary examples, from Keats to Auden and right up to the local writing scene. Poems – along with the art that inspired their creation – will be presented in a manner that encourages and invites your input.

Space is limited so register now. Then join in and share your thoughts about the alchemy that is created when visual art becomes the muse for poets.

JAMES FELTON is the President of the Royal City Literary Arts Society (RCLAS), a group that champions and supports creative writing and writers in the Lower Mainland. He majored in English and completed his undergraduate thesis on the Canadian poet, P.K. Page. He is currently amassing an annotated and illustrated bibliography of West Coast poet, Susan Musgrave. James is a bookseller, specializing in Canadian literature first editions. An avid fan of poetry inspired by visual art, he has presented a talk on the subject at Poetry Wars, a literary group that meets to discuss and debate poetics. He is also the Co-Coordinator of Poetic Justice, a forum for both emerging and established poets.