Tickets
$40
Explore the possibilities of creative writing and develop new connections between visual art and the written word! Led by writers Marian Mitchell Donahue and Mira Johnson, two resident alumnae of The Church, this literary workshop will focus on Ekphrasis, an ancient Greek term meaning “the use of detailed description of a work of visual art as a literary device.”
Through group reading and discussion, participants will be guided through the historical context of ekphrastic literature, while examining various methods and techniques commonly found in the form. In addition to a curated selection of examples, Mitchell Donahue and Johnson will also share excerpts from their own work, explaining how specific techniques can be used to achieve desired effects. Following this introduction, participants will venture into the exhibition space of Here and There: The First Churchennial for inspiration, selecting one or more works to write in response to. The session will conclude with a group reading of written texts, sharing feedback, thoughts, and reflections.
Poets, writers, and anyone fascinated by the interweaving of art and literature are welcome to attend; no prior writing experience needed.
A notebook and pen or pencil are the only required materials for this workshop – these will not be provided.
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Marian Mitchell Donahue is a writer and teacher in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Stony Brook University with an M.F.A in Creative Writing and Literature, where she was awarded the Deborah Hecht Memorial Prize in Fiction. She was a 2019 BookEnds fellow and her work has been published in Brilliant Flash Fiction, L'Esprit Literary Review, and The Southampton Review. Marian's debut novel Backstitch will be published March 3, 2026 with Galiot Press.
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Mira Johnson, a 2018 BookEnds fellow, has been published by Fourth Genre, The Southampton Review, The Southeast Review, Tupelo Quarterly, and Vela. Her fiction and non-fiction have earned her residencies at Bread Loaf, The Church, Eckerd College, the Key West Literary Seminar, Vermont College of Fine Arts, and Wolff Cottage. She’s a creative writing instructor for Stony Brook University and for the Jeanette Sarkisian Wagner Writing Workshop at John Jermain Memorial Library.