If you like art and enjoy playing with words, New River Community and Technical College is holding a writing workshop, “Fantastic Ekphrastic,” with author Belinda Anderson. The three-week class will begin Oct. 26, 2021 and be offered by conference call.
The word “ekphrasis” derives from the Greek rhetorical exercise of describing art.
“It sharpens your descriptive abilities, which improves all types of writing,” Anderson explained.
As the workshop progresses, students will develop the ability to use any type of object, in addition to art, as an important element in creative writing. The class is designed to help advance writers of all experience levels. Writers can experiment in the genres of fiction, nonfiction and poetry or focus on one mode.
The workshop will be held on Tuesdays from 10 to 11 a.m. The conference calls will include lecture, with time for questions and participant sharing, and group e-mail follow-up as needed.
Students can join the class meetings with an internet conference call connection or via landline telephone. The college offers this convenience for those who lack high-speed internet service.
Last year, when the conference call classes debuted, students attended from as far away as Montana as well as southern West Virginia. The participants in the “Fantastic Ekphrastic” course wrote in a variety of genres, some incorporating what they were learning in memoir projects they had started.
Tuition for the writing workshop is $75, and the registration deadline is Oct. 12. Participants will be emailed the conference call number and access codes after registering for the class.
“All you have to do is call a number, enter the access codes you’ll be given, and then you’ll be connected to the group. It’s that easy,” Anderson explained.
For college information or to register visit www.newriver.edu/community or contact Gloria Kincaid (304-793-6101, gkincaid@newriver.edu).
Learn more about Anderson and her work online at http://www.BelindaAnderson.com.
New River CTC’s Workforce Education Division provides community education classes and employable educational opportunities including noncredit courses, workforce development programs and customized training.