Where do you find inspiration for writing poetry? Our feelings and experiences are often the fuel for poems, but what about drawing inspiration from a painting, a sculpture or a video installation? Poets have been using artworks to write poetry since Ancient Greece, and this type of poetry is actually called ekphrastic poetry (which comes from the Greek words ek, which means out, and phrasis, which means to speak). Ekphrastic poems speaking about or even to a work of art. Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keats is a famous example of ekphrastic poetry, as Keats describes the various scenes of lovers, musicians and people performing religious rites that he sees painted on the urn, bringing it all to life.

If you leave near a gallery or museum, it's a great practice to make a trip with a notebook and wander until you find a work that draws you in. Try writing a poem about it--what is happening in the artwork? What does it make you feel? Do you feel like you can translate what the artist is trying to say in their work? If you don’t live near an art gallery, try visiting an online gallery like Stuart. Stuart is a very popular online gallery that showcases student artwork from around the world. It would be an excellent place to get inspired, try scrolling through the pages until you find an artist whose work jumps out at you. Here are some more examples of ekphrastic poetry to get you started.

Poems about art—poems about painting, poems about murals, poems about video art—your poems are part of an ongoing conversation between poetry and art and I’m looking forward to hear what they have to say! Please send your ekphrastic poems to Monique at reverseezine@gmail.com and a link to an image of artwork that inspired your poem.