TPW 2026: Poetry x Art Workshop

-written by Jeffrey Fenholt

Tokyo Poetry Week was filled with creativity, whether it be workshops, readings from a diverse range of poets from Japan and across the globe, or utilizing venues with a visual atmosphere and personality unique to Tokyo’s rich array of subcultures. One of those activities, for a second year in a row, was a creative writing workshop for ekphrastic poetry led by TPW director Zoria Petkoska K.

If you’re not familiar with the term, you might be forgiven for thinking it has something to do with an excitedly nervous or hallucinatory state of mind. It is, however, the act of reinterpreting a piece of artwork into “phrases”—the versification of the visual.

We gathered in the art gallery UltraSuperNew Kura in Shibuya to start this dialogue between artist and poet, where each poet could take their pick of artwork to write a poem response to it. Bastien Marienne and Barbara Penhouet were the two artists jointly on display, and their depictions all centered around sunlight.

Some were gentle portraits glowing with softer yellows and oranges while others utilized those same colors more harshly. A number of works even incorporated reflective copper to bring the source of inspiration itself into the artwork as it beamed upon this daytime gallery. Still others depicted a more playful summertime atmosphere. Bodies of water allowed for more blue hues, and swimwear allowed for a more splashing humor.

Once everyone was seated in circular fashion upon the open floor of the gallery, Zoria initiated the attendees into a firsthand experience of ekphrastic poetry, sharing last year's poems written by workshop attendees, as well as well-known examples of this type of poetry.

The first set was an unsettling abstract piece of artwork by Gerhardt Richter in a grid pattern of white, blue, yellow, and a somewhat bloody orange that feels like the onset of decay, and “Time and Materials” by poet Robert Hass, which visually breaks down on the page with missing letters and dichotomized words.

The second set, a painting by Edward Hopper depicting a well-lit bar on a dark street and with only three patrons, and “Nighthawks” by Anne Carson, which enters the inner world of one of the two male customers who wanted to run away with a woman who proved too “difficult”. But which man is the speaker of this poem? Did the lone drinker already fail in his task, or is the other man in the middle of failure with his female companion next to him? One can see how ekphrastic poetry can allow for a more complex dialogue as the reader-viewer is now the third person to enter the conversation, thus forming a group dynamic.

With these two very different examples proffered for inspiration, the workshop poets were now free to roam the gallery and scrutinize each piece of artwork more deeply. Everyone scattered about quietly, dialoguing internally with whichever depiction they fancied most. Some people found their piece quickly and instantly sat down to scribble out their unfolding poem. Others seemed to walk around a bit more, carefully engaging with several pieces until they came upon the one that perfectly suited them for their poetic task.

When it came time, Zoria gave opportunity to those who wanted to share their poems with the room. These varied voices spoke of “solar-punk princesses”, “boyish arms”, “hemorrhaging time”, and “copper people”, just to name a few.

To further the group dynamic and dialogue, the other poets glanced around the gallery and guessed which piece inspired the poem just read. What is interesting to note is that, while a lot of different artwork was chosen as inspiration for each poem, ones that were chosen by more than one poet still produced very unique and individualized poems. One painting produced a poem about a lost ball being rescued by “boy knights” and another poem about brothers tearing apart hanging mesh just for the fun of it. What’s amusing and pleasurable to the reader-viewer is that they can see how both poetic interpretations of the art piece are completely valid.

You can see all of the poems created from this workshop on Tokyo Poetry Week's Instagram and UltraSuperNew Kura's website.

If you’re looking for some inspiration until the next Tokyo Poetry Week, pick an artwork that makes you think and give ekphrastic poetry a try!