“Visual art can be a powerful force for writers,” says instructor Katharine Harer. “Looking deeply into a painting, drawing or photograph engages our senses and sparks our imaginations, inspiring many of us to write.”
In this half-day class, we’ll play with three different approaches to writing—narrative, lyric, and dramatic—to connect with visual art in fresh and interesting ways. Katharine says, "A Mary Cassatt painting of a mother and child could spark a story, while a Rothko piece might lead us into rich, lyrical writing full of color and emotion. A bustling scene by Bruegel the Elder could be just the thing to get us writing dialogue and action in a dramatic scene."
Alongside fun, hands-on writing exercises, you’ll read examples of poetry and prose inspired by or directly in conversation with visual art. These readings from writers such as Frank O’Hara, Tracy Chevalier, and Ada Limón will invite lyrical and dramatic pathways for your own poems, stories and memoirs.
When you leave class, you’ll have several new creative pieces, a deeper familiarity with narrative, lyric, and dramatic writing, and fresh strategies to kickstart your writing with visual art. No prior knowledge of art is required for this class – just your eyes!
About The Writing Salon's In-Person Classes
Before your class meets, you'll receive an email from The Writing Salon with more information about your class. If you have any questions about in-person learning, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at hello@writingsalons.com.
Katharine Harer loves teaching creative writing. She has worked with hundreds, maybe thousands, of students in her over thirty-year career as a community college writing teacher at Skyline College and as a private workshop instructor. Katharine has published seven collections of poetry, the most recent, Deconfliction, in 2020, and a full-length volume of poems, Jazz & Other Hot Subjects, in 2016. Her poetry and nonfiction have been published widely in literary journals, newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. Her travel essay Delle Donne appeared in Best Women’s Travel Writing 2016 and a personal essay, Blue Flags & Painted Crosses, is forthcoming from Sonora Review in Tucson.
- Saturday, July 19, 10:00am-1:00pm
I found Katharine's teaching style empathetic and helpful. She was always about improving, no matter what level we were at.
I think Katharine is a great teacher. She gives everyone respectful, individual attention. She lets everyone have their own opinion and encourages us to listen to each other with the same empathy.