One artistic form can inspire another, creating profound connections, often in eye-opening and fortuitous ways. In this writing workshop led by Adela Najarro, you will learn about various approaches poets take to the practice of ekphrasis, the creation of poetry that converses or corresponds with, interprets, or “riffs off” of visual art. Then, with the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art’s permanent collection at your disposal and using prompts as guides, we will write poems in response to works of visual art that inspire, intrigue, puzzle, or move us. We will work toward creating a third space where the poem and art together are something more or different than their parts—something, perhaps, unexpected!
This workshop is free and open to writers of all experience levels.
Registration is forthcoming, and the workshop is limited to 15 participants.
Adela Najarro is the author of five poetry collections, including Variations in Blue, selected for publication in 2025 through the Letras Latinas/Red Hen Press Collaborative. Other works include Split Geography, Twice Told Over, My Childrens, and Volcanic Interruptions, a chapbook featuring artwork by Janet Trenchard. The 2024 International Latino Book Awards designated Volcanic Interruptions as an Honorable Mention in the Juan Felipe Herrera Best Poetry Book Award category. The California Arts Council recognized Najarro as an established artist for the Central California Region and appointed her as an Individual Artist Fellow. Her extended family left Nicaragua and arrived in San Francisco during the 1940s. After the fall of the Somoza regime in 1979, the last of the family settled in the Los Angeles area. Najarro is the Board President for Círculo de Poetas and Writers and works with the Latinx community nationwide, promoting the intersection of creative writing and social justice. She is currently working on a novel. For more information, visit: www.adelanajarro.com
Originally published at raclinmurphymuseum.nd.edu.