Poetry surrounds us from our first Mother Goose poems, to the book of Psalms, to the greatness of William Shakespeare and even our own words in rhyme. “Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words,” opined Edgar Allen Poe.
Odell Public Library welcomes poet and teacher Ann Edmonds on Thursday evening, April 16, 2015, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Program Room. Her program, “Ekphrasia” is both a salute to National Library Week and part of Odell’s Life Long Learning Series.
Edmonds is a member of the Phidian Art Club in Dixon, IL, which has been in existence for over a hundred years. When the art club was started, it consisted of women who researched and presented programs on art. Now the members are likely to be a type of artist or a supporter of the arts. Ann is a published poet. Her writing group first presented the program “Ekphrasia” several years ago.
What is Ekphrasia? According to Daniel Webster, it is a literary description or commentary on a visual work of art. Founded by the Greeks, it is the oldest type of writing about art in Western culture, designed to make the reader envision the object described as physically present.
“Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks,” stated Plutarch, a Greek Philosopher. No need to be a poet. Come and see poetry in a new light.
Edmonds’ PowerPoint presentation is to share and educate people about a poetic devise, about which they are not familiar. An example of ekphrasia is a photo of an empty landscape, which can convey loss or desolation. Writing the phrase, such as “an empty doorway” or a “childless nursery,” can use the same emotions or feelings. Both the photo and the words connect with the viewer or reader.
Ann Edmonds was an English teacher and Counselor at Morrison Junior High School. She brought the words of poetry to her enlightened and delighted students.
Mark your busy calendar. This is an extraordinary opportunity for you to be enlightened and delighted!
This will be the last program in the Life Long Learning Series until September. Odell Public Library thanks those who have given of their time and talent over the past months: Father Gary Lawler, Chris Vallilo, Ned J. Nesti, Jr, and Ann Edmonds. Look for the new series of speakers and programs in the fall.