Melissa McKinstry

Ekphrasis: Poets Engaging with Other Arts

“Move back, Miss, behind the line, you’re too close to the painting.”
 ­­–– Ama Codjoe

Ekphrasis was originally an exercise in vivid description. In this Craft Talk with Millay House Writer-in-Residence, Melissa McKinstry, you’ll hear from a rich array of contemporary poets who cross “the line” to see what––and how––they discover beyond description. Exploring the special exhibit at Page Gallery “Art & Ekphrastic Poetry” will provide rich source material for your own ekphrastic poems. Mark Doty wrote, “We think that to find ourselves we need turn inward…But ‘I’ is just as much to be found in the world…Say what you see and you experience yourself through your style of seeing and saying.” We’ll discuss a variety of specific approaches to converse with art and write into something you don’t already know.

If you register for this Craft Talk, and decide to submit a poem to the Open Call from Page Gallery and The Poets Corner, then we will waive your submission fee. Just email thepoetscornermaine@gmail.com for your special submission link.

Melissa McKinstry holds an MFA from Pacific University, and her poetry appears in such

journals as The Adroit Journal, Beloit Poetry Journal, Rattle, Alaska Quarterly Review,

december, Tahoma Literary Review, and Best New Poets 2023. For more information on the poet,

please visit https://www.melissamckinstry.com.