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Words and Pictures: Weekend Workshop in Creative Writing from Visual Art

WRITING 762.10E

Use works of visual art as your prompt for writing new work as you examine how published writers have used this technique in recent history.

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What you can learn.

Get inspiration from visual art to craft new works in your chosen genre
Understand the long tradition of ekphrastic writing
Read published works inspired by art to see how master writers do it
Complete short prompts and get feedback from your peers

About this course:

Every picture tells a story, and writers get to discover them. Whether it’s poetry, fiction, or personal memoir, this workshop (consisting of two half-day sessions) inspires you to find the abundance of narratives waiting in visual art. From an introduction to the ancient practice of ekphrastic writing to samples of acclaimed authors’ art influenced words and lively writing exercises revealing metaphor, telling details, emotions, and attitudes, you find new ways to engage with art while expanding your own writing’s frontiers. Class meets over two consecutive days with an overnight homework assignment for critique in the second day’s session.