Lyceum Series: Kim Nall – The Head, the Eye, and the Heart: What Poets Can Learn From Photography

Welcome to the lyceum.

These free, monthly workshops are held on the third Saturday of the month, and offer writers of every genre and skill level an opportunity to learn, experiment and develop their craft. We hope you’ll join us!

“Above all, I craved to seize… the whole essence of some situation that was in the process of unrolling itself before my eyes” –Henri Cartier-Bresson

Is a poem a documentary or an art object? If the goal of poetry is separate from that of journalism, then as a way of representing reality, a poem probably most closely resembles a photograph. While there are certainly differences between visual art and the written word, I believe that photography can teach us a lot about writing poetry. Both photographs and poems attempt to capture the most crucial elements of a situation or event to make it “come alive” on the page and in the mind of the audience, and both are tasked with the near-impossible challenge of representing the complexity of lived experience in static media. Most importantly, both forms depend on the careful selection of signs and symbols within a situation to convey its meaning. In this generative workshop, we will explore the ways we can learn from the techniques photographers use to create unforgettable photographs to help us better capture authentic moments in poetry.

Kim Nall is a poet and educator from Dallas, Texas. She holds a BA in Communication Studies from the University of North Texas and an MFA in Creative Writing (poetry) from Carlow University, where she co-emcees the Raising Our Voices Alumni Reading Series. Her work has appeared in Poetry Quarterly, Red Wheelbarrow, The Texas Observer, at the Dallas Museum of Art, and elsewhere. She currently teaches English and Creative Writing at Dallas International School.

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