The practice of using words to comment on a piece of visual art—ekphrasis—is an ancient one. One of the earliest and most commonly cited forms of ekphrasis occurs in The Iliad, when Homer provides a long and discursive account of the elaborate scenes embossed on the shield of Achilles. Contemporary literature provides many fine examples of ekphrastic writing.    

While the process usually refers to writing in response to visual art, the practice of ekphrasis is expanding, with people writing in response to music, dance, theater, and other art forms. For these sessions, you may want to write about the characters in the play, the scenery, or a prop. The only limitation is your imagination!

The practice of using words to comment on a piece of visual art—ekphrasis—is an ancient one. One of the earliest and most commonly cited forms of ekphrasis occurs in The Iliad, when Homer provides a long and discursive account of the elaborate scenes embossed on the shield of Achilles. Contemporary literature provides many fine examples of ekphrastic writing.    

While the process usually refers to writing in response to visual art, the practice of ekphrasis is expanding, with people writing in response to music, dance, theater, and other art forms. For these sessions, you may want to write about the characters in the play, the scenery, or a prop. The only limitation is your imagination!

The practice of using words to comment on a piece of visual art—ekphrasis—is an ancient one. One of the earliest and most commonly cited forms of ekphrasis occurs in The Iliad, when Homer provides a long and discursive account of the elaborate scenes embossed on the shield of Achilles. Contemporary literature provides many fine examples of ekphrastic writing.    

While the process usually refers to writing in response to visual art, the practice of ekphrasis is expanding, with people writing in response to music, dance, theater, and other art forms. For these sessions, you may want to write about the characters in the play, the scenery, or a prop. The only limitation is your imagination!