The Mural as Muse: An Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop
with Poet Ed Lent aka Ezra Lovecroft
Saturday, March 2, 9am–12pm

In this half-day writing workshop that explores the intersection of art and poetry, participants will be introduced to the ekphrastic poetry process and the five-story, indoor mural at the American Mural Project (AMP) that portrays workers on a grand scale. 

In Greek, ékphrasis means “description.” Ekphrastic writing describes a work of visual art, using the artwork as a source for personal and imaginative interpretation. In AMP’s gallery, workshop participants will have the opportunity to take in the mural from three viewing levels, reflect, and respond to the artwork through creative writing. 

Workshop facilitator Ed Lent will share examples of poems created in response to art, showing the breadth and depth of the genre, and offer inspiration and guidance. The workshop will culminate with an opportunity to exchange thoughts, questions, and any poems that may be ready. Participants may also extend their time at AMP, exploring the mural exhibit on their own or taking a guided tour.

Participants will have the chance to showcase their poetry in The Mural as Muse exhibit.

Participants are invited to submit revised poems by March 16 for potential inclusion in The Mural as Muse exhibit at AMP for National Poetry Month, April 2024.

This workshop is full. Click here for more poetry workshops at AMP.

About The Poet
Perhaps best known as the host of the statewide open-mic poetry event “Ezra Lovecroft Presents: The Unexpected Poet,” which has featured poets from laureates to beekeepers for more than a decade. Ed Lent (aka Ezra Lovecroft) is a recognized talent in his own right. He is the recipient of the 2020 Connecticut Arts Hero Award for his work in poetry and the author of As Above, So Below and the 2023 chapbook Perceptions.

A visiting poet/educator in CT public schools, cohost of two art scholarship programs at Nazareth University, and a frequent creator of art-and-poetry contests for college students, Ed has a deep love of working with all ages and abilities—especially in the ekphrastic realm.

In 2023, Ed was a featured poet in the Connecticut Poetry Society project, “Poems Illuminating Art,” a video collection of ekphrastic poetry created for the New Britain Museum of American Art, in response to works of art in the museum’s collection.

This year, Ed will bring his passion for the intersection of art and poetry to the American Mural Project (AMP), Winsted, CT, where he will facilitate an ekphrastic poetry workshop in response to AMP’s five-story, collaborative mural that celebrates American workers on a grand scale.