During this four-session colloquy, we will be exploring poetry written about works of art  (ekphrastic poetry, from the Greek for interpretation).  

We will have many examples, using both the images and the poems written in response  to them. The tradition’s earliest known pairing is probably Homer’s description of  Achilles’ shield in The Iliad, but the tradition continues to the present.  

We anticipate lively discussions about our own responses to the works of art and how  the poets’ may be similar or quite different. In addition, we will invite all participants to  share pairings that they have found—or written.

Margery Irvine has delighted in the sharing of ideas both in the classroom and  around colloquy tables, for all of her professional life. She lives in Brooklin with her husband, William Irvine, who paints and exhibits widely and loves talking about art.”